SALT LAKE CITY — Salt Lake City, heavily influenced by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is often thought by outsiders as not being religiously diverse. The reality is much to the contrary: Salt Lake City and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have long maintained an emphasis on religious freedom.

Some local leaders have been taking steps to acknowledge how much these influences have grown. For example, in early April, Salt Lake City Mayor Jackie Biskupski designated April as Sikh Awareness Month at the prompting of members of the Sikj community like Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill.

Learn more about religions that have taken hold of blossoming communities in Salt Lake City:

(Note, this map may not include all churches and does not take into account Latter-day Saint churches. If you would like to find the location of these churches, visit the ‘ward map’ at this resource)

Buddhism

This is a religion with adherents who seek personal spiritual development and deep insights into the nature of life. Buddhism, which has 376 million followers worldwide, is centered around reaching a state of "nirvana" by following the path previously trodden by Siddhartha Gautama (the first Buddha), who found enlightenment.

Buddhists attain enlightenment through developing their sense of morality, meditation and wisdom; its practice does not center around the worship of a god, according to the BBC. Buddhists are of the view that life is not only endless and impermanent, but it is also full of temporary suffering and uncertainty across many life spans.

Buddhists believe in four noble truths and an eightfold path for attaining enlightenment. Though there are many different kinds of Buddhism, they all follow Siddhartha Guatama’s way of life and these spiritual guidelines.

Baha’i

This monotheistic belief system teaches the idea that God created humans to be one family whose core goal is to end inequalities and offer selfless service to others. The faith was founded by two “divine messengers”, the Bab and Baha’u’llah, who both lived during a time of change in 19th century Persia. The duo encouraged independence from superstition and clergy and envisioned a future where humans could form more harmonious relationships.

The Salt Lake City Baha’i Center identifies the following as the primary focus of their faith:

• The oneness of mankind.
• Universal peace encouraged by a world government.
• Independent investigation of truth.
• The common foundation of all religions.
• The reconciliation of science and religion.
• Equality of women and men.
• Elimination of any kind of prejudice.
• A compulsory education across the globe.
• Spiritual solutions to economic problems.
• A universal language.

Hinduism

The dominant religion of India and Nepal, Hinduism has over 900 million followers worldwide and, according to the BBC, its roots go back thousands of years. This faith has no set rules, scriptures and beliefs, though many followers reference the Baghavad Gita in their practice.

Most Hindus also follow a body of sacred scriptures known as the “Veda” and adhere to a value system called the “dharma”. Many believe in a supreme god who is represented by multiple deities that emanate from his form, (contrary to a popular belief that hindus are polytheistic). Their souls experience successive lives based on 'karma.'

Learn more about Hinduism in Salt Lake City here and here.

Islam

Islam's principles, a monotheistic faith, share a lot of similarities with Christianity and Judaism. One distinction from other Abrahamic religions is Muslims believe in Allah and his prophet Muhammad, according to CNN. They also believe Adam, Jesus, Abraham and Moses, among others, were prophets. Muslims follow five primary “Pillars of Islam”:

• The Shahadah: Muslim’s say "this statement of faith" at least once in their lifetimes, according to CNN.
• The Salat: A ritual prayer performed five times daily.
• Zakat: A tax adhrents pay to help the needy.
• Sawm: A fast throughout the month of Ramadan.
• Hajj: Each Muslim must make a pilgrimage to Mecca, a city adherents believe to be holy, at least once.

Though there are six denominations of Islam (Sunni, Wahabi, Shiite, Alawite, Kharijites, and Nation of Islam), CNN reports, with additional sects, they all follow the teachings of the Quran.

Visit the Utah Islamic Center, Khadeeja Mosque or Islamic Society of Salt Lake City to learn more.

Judaism

Judaism, older than the other Abrahamic religions (Christianity and Islam), according to History.com, is the oldest monotheistic religion. Adherents believe in one God who communicates with humans through prophets and who both praises good deeds and punishes evil ones.

There are more than 14 million Jews worldwide. They study the Tanakh, (or Hebrew Bible), which includes the Torah, (which means "teaching" or "instruction"), Nevi'im ("prophets") and Ketuvim ("writings"). They worship in synagogues led by rabbis, who are their spiritual leaders. There are a number of different denominations within Judaism, including:

• Reform Judaism
• Orthodox Judaism
• Conservative Judaism
• Reconstructionist Judaism
• Jewish Renewal
• Humanistic Judaism

Sikhism

With a following of over 20 million worldwide, Sikhism is a faith originating from India and honoring a single God. It proclaims, “a message of devotion and remembrance of God at all times, truthful living, equality of mankind, social justice and denounces superstitions and blind rituals,” according to Sikhs.org.

Sikh’s study a holy book called scripture eternal, living Guru (Sri Guru Granth Sahib) describing the teachings of 10 human gurus as well as those of other religions. Sikhs honor making an honest living and avoiding worldly sin and temptation. If they have led a virtuous life, they may merge with God in the afterlife.

Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill said, “There’s got to be at least 800-900 Sikh families here now. There are a lot of people who have migrated from India or come in from other states to here. So it’s a very thriving community.”

Visit the Sikh Temple of Utah to learn more.

Unitarian Universalism

Unitarian Universalists embody pluralism in their religious beliefs, creating a “fellowship of individuals with free minds” who "practice liberal religion" and seek to develop more meaningful lives, according to the First Unitarian Church of Salt Lake City. This congregation describes love as being the spirit of their worship.

The church combines Jewish and Christian teachings about loving ones’ neighbor, Humanist teachings about reason and science, and wisdom from other religions, nature, and the world. Most members of this faith do not center their beliefs around a God.

Learn more about Unitarianism in Salt Lake City here.

Daoism/Taoism

The basic idea of Daoism is to show people that human life is only a small part of a larger process of nature, and thus the only human actions that make sense work in accordance with the flow of nature, which is referred to as “the Dao” (the way). They reject assertiveness and denounce violence, encouraging a lack of focus on desires. Religious Daoism embraces multiple deities, including the Three Pure Ones that adherents believe embody the Dao.

Learn more about Taoism in Utah at the Red Lotus School of Movement.

Paganism

Pagans are people who draw on traditional religions of indigenous people around the world through a reverence for nature. Though there are many different kinds, most Pagans share a vision of the "organic vitality and spirituality of the natural world," according to the BBC.

Wiccans, Druids, Odinists, Heathens, Shamans, and Sacred Ecologists all belong to the Pagan community, but it is important to note that they don’t practice black magic, harm people or animals, and do not worship the devil.

To learn more about Utah's community of Pagans, visit the Salt Lake Pagan Society.

Christianity

The most popular religion in the world, Christianity boasts over two billion followers. They believe in one God whose son, Jesus Christ, was the Messiah promised in the Old Testament to save humanity from the consequences of their sins. Christians honor Jesus giving his life through crucifixion and rising from the dead three days after as part of his Resurrection.

There are many denominations of Christianity, each with their own unique properties and beliefs. Some of them, which all have churches in Utah, are listed below:

• Baptist
• Catholicism
• Church of Christ
• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
• Episcopalian
• Greek Orthodox
• Lutheranism
• Methodism
• Presbyterianism
• Pentecostal
• Non-Denominational

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