Bahá'i

The central theme of Bahá'u'lláh's message is that humanity is one single race and that the day has come for its unification in one global society. God, Bahá'u'lláh said, has set in motion historical forces that are breaking down traditional barriers of race, class, creed, and nation and that will, in time, give birth to a universal civilization. The principal challenge facing the peoples of the earth is to accept the fact of their oneness and to assist the processes of unification.

Buddhism

The Buddha taught the eightfold path to enlightenment, represented here by a prayer wheel. The eight paths are right conduct, right contemplation, right effort, right faith, right occupation, right resolve, right self awareness, and right speech.

Christianity

The cross reminds us of Jesus the Christ's death and resurrection, and the good news of salvation for all people.

It also symbolizes the intersection of two energies, one flowing between heaven and earth, and the other from side to side, divine grace and communal love.

Ethical Culture

Ethical Societies fundamentally believe in the moral and spiritual value of raising the quality of human relationships. Ethical Societies leave questions of the origin and destiny of the universe for individual exploration. In short, we place deed above creed. We like to say that we "'spell God with two o's".

Hinduism

Aum, also written "Om" and called pranava, is a very important Hindu symbol and is often used to represent Hindu faith tradition as a whole. Its prolonged intonation is associated with the primeval sound through which the universe was created. It is thought to contain all things. It consists of three syllables — a-u-m — which are sounded progressively from the throat to the lips. 

The three sounds are considered to symbolize many items, but perhaps most importantly, the three states of consciousness: waking, dreaming, and deep sleep. The entire symbol represents the fourth state, which is the awareness of one's own spiritual identity. 

Islam

This symbol combines the star of perfected light, which can be seen as the perfected human, and the receptiveness of the moon which allows the light of the Divine to fill it.'Islam' means 'submission' to the will of God. The tradition emphasizes devotion and community.

Jainism

The Jain faith stress Ahimsa, the belief in non-violence and respect for all living things. In the universal symbol for Jainism, the wheel in the center of the hand is the dharmachakra, the cycle of being reborn that is overcome through the practice of karma, the law of truthful actions.

Judaism

The traditional interweaving of the upward pointing and downward pointing triangles, the unity of earthly and heavenly energies, represents the union of the Shekinah (the presence of God in the world) and God transcendent; symbolically, the female and male energies in harmony.

Native American Sprituality

The faith and cultures of indigenous Americans are as strikingly diverse as the land itself. At the core of indigenous spirituality are the sanctity of the earth and presence of the divine in all creation.

Scientology

"Scientology" comes from the Latin scio, which means "know" and the Greek logos, meaning "the word or outward form by which the inward thought is expressed and made known." Scientology is knowing about knowing. It is the study and handling of the spirit in relationship to itself, universes and other life.

Sufi

The heart with wings symbolizes the heart of the devotee rising on wings of devotion to the Divine. The heart of the devotee reflects the star of the divine light shining in the heart of the Messenger as the moon reflects the light of the sun.

Unitarianism

Catholic Priest Jan Hus, a 15th century forebearer of the liberal religious spirit, preached that the chalice (holding the sacramental wine) was to be shared with all, and religion was to be preached in ordinary language (rather than Latin) because religion was open to all. For these teachings, he was burned at the stake. The flame is a reminder that sometimes the cost of truth is very high.

Wicca

The pentacle, a five-pointed star within a circle, is the symbol of Wicca, the modern continuation of ancient earth-bonded religions.