On Sacred texts and Holy Books:

• The Internet Sacred Text Archive "This site is a freely available archive of electronic texts about religion, mythology, legends and folklore, and occult and esoteric topics. Texts are presented in English translation and, in some cases, in the original language" Major divisions of the site include texts from the major religions of the world, texts related to traditions from various ancient cultures, and texts on "mysteries" (Tarot, Nostradamus, UFOs, etc)

• Nag Hammadi: the lost books of early Christianity that did not "make the cut" when the New Testament was canonized

• Bible Dudes reviews the content and development of the Bible including a discussion on the writing, canonization, translation, and influence of the Bible. Also discusses the scholastic approach to Biblical studies and the "Apocrypha" (the "hidden writings" that appear in Catholic Bibles but not Protestant or Jewish). A fun, "cutesy" but informed site created by two university professors of Biblical and Near Eastern studies: Michael M. Homan of Xavier University, New Orleans and Jeffrey C. Geoghegan of Boston College.

• Online videos:

• The Talmud

• The Quran

On God and gods:

• What is the sacred? What makes something sacred? from the Sacred Places site, noted below

• Godchecker discusses ancient mythologies of various cultures (lacks India). Does so in a somewhat "tongue and cheek" manner, although seems fairly accurate and informative. (recommended with reservation due to the less than serious, non-academic presentation and limited coverage - mainly ancient, primal religions)

• Online lessons and worksheets. Part of an on-line course in religious studies created by Stephen Richards, an educator in the UK:

• Kinds of belief in God and the typical Christian understanding of God

• Arguments for the Existence of God

• Atheism and Agnosticism (including arguments against the existence of god). 

• Online video: Hindu view of God

On Myth and Sacred Stories:

• World Myths and Legends in Art: From The Minneapolis Institute of Arts. Here you can view works of art related to myths from different times and places, you can select items by culture or theme, from there you can read the story related to a given piece and explore the cultural and historical background of the story and details about the work of art. (This site is also referenced below for the topic on sacred art)

• What is a Myth? an essay from the above noted cite

• A brief essay on Parables by Don Schwager: why they are, what they are, how to read them. A link from this page will take you to a listing of the various parables of Jesus (from Word Of Life, website of an ecumenical Christian community)

• The Big Myth: a really cool, interactive site for exploring creation stories from around the world (uses Flash animation). An educational site produced by the International Association of Intercultural Education (IAIE); funded by grants from the Socrates Fund of the European Commission, the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Sciences and Kennisnet.

• NO LONGER AVAILABLE: Metaphor and Religious Mystery: an essay on the meaning of myth by Joseph Campbell, from the New World Library. Campbell is a respected "mythologist" author of many books on comparative world mythologies, especially his "Power of Myth" series periodically shown on PBS. 

On the Purpose and Meaning of Life:

• Online audio: Philosophy Talk: The Meaning of Life: Does life have a meaning? if so, what is it? A reflection on the meaning of life, of human life in general, of the life of a particular person (your life). Is this a religious question? a philosophical question? an ethical question? a biological question? a pointless question? Would life have meaning if it were not created by God? These and other philosophical questions are discussed in this radio piece. Philosophy Talk originates live, Tuesdays at noon, Pacific Time, from the studios of KALW, 91.7 FM, Information Radio, San Francisco.

• The Meaning of Life site: more inspirational than academic (in fact, I cannot identify the site's author or his/her religious inclination). Addresses many aspects of life & death, religion & spirituality, including topics such as destiny, the hereafter, judgment day, faith, morals, God, holy books, prayer, various religions, and extra-terrestrial life (not just UFOs but also angels, spirits, and other such beings).

• Video clips from respected thinkers on topics related to the deeper meaning and experience of life: God, consciousness, death, free will, science & religion, mystical experience, the problem of evil, and more...

• NO LONGER AVAILABLE: The Meaning of Life in the World's Religions introduction to a book by this title, edited by Joseph Runzo and Nancy M. Martin

On Death and the Afterlife:

• Death: The Last Taboo This website explores what happens to us when we die and the different ways we deal with death. Explores death practices in diverse cultures/religions. From the Australian Museum Online.

• Death and the Afterlife: Perspectives of World Religions an online book edited by Hiroshi Obayashi, published by PRAEGER, 1992. "This book offers a historical and cross-cultural survey of the varieties of perceptions regarding death and hopes for survival beyond death found in different religio-cultural settings."

• Reincarnation: Its meaning and consequences Part of Ernest Valea's site: "A Comparative Analysis of the Major Religions from a Christian Perspective" While presenting a basically factual look at this topic, in the end, the author clearly indicates his rejection of the idea of reincarnation. Beware: the author of this site has a Christian bias and, while pretending to examine religions comparatively and objectively, at the end of many of these essays Valea claims the superiority of Christianity. Still, he does a fairly decent job presenting the facts, even if he does go beyond this to evaluate them as true or not.

• Online video: Explaining Karma and its effect on rebirth (reincarnation)

On Suffering and Evil

• NO LONGER AVAILABLE: Suffering: an synopsis of various religious responses to the question of why suffering exists (theodicy) and how we might respond to it

• The Problem of Evil and Suffering: a self-guided lesson and worksheet reflecting on and outlining the problem and suggesting an approach to a solution. Part of an on-line course in religious studies. Created by Stephen Richards, an educator in the UK (see related pages above, on "God and gods")

• Theodicy: Why Doesn't God Prevent Evil? an essay from Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance, by B.A. Robinson. Discusses the classic "problem of evil" and the various ways that different religious traditions address the problem (site also noted above under "Religious Pluralism")

• Why Would a Loving God Allow Pain and Suffering? a lengthy but comprehensive essay on the topic, outlining the problem, the issues, and some approaches to a solution. By Jay Lynch, M.D. From Leadership University, a project of Christian Leadership Ministries, part of Campus Crusade for Christ, International.

• The Problem of Evil in World Religions from Ernest Valea's above noted site. Once again, he presents the topic fairly objectively until the end, when his Christian perspective comes to bear in evaluating as insufficient the various views examined. Beware of bias.

• Online videos:  

• Dukkha The first truth of Buddhism is to understand the nature of suffering

• Facing tragedy and suffering with faith (Rabbi Harold Kushner reflects)

On Mysticism and Spiritual Experience:

• Religious Experience a self-guided lesson and worksheet. Part of an on-line course in religious studies. Created by Stephen Richards, an educator in the UK (see related pages above, on "God and gods" and "Suffering and Evil")

• Gene Thursby's Mysticism Resources page provides access to information on mysticism in various religious traditions, spiritual practices, journals and texts related to mysticism and spirituality. Part of Professor Thursby's most extensive resource for religious studies. Professor Thursby is associated with the University of Florida. Among his pages, of additional interest might be: 

• Interpretive Proposals linking to essays exploring different theories and interpretations of mysticism

• History of Western Mysticism by Bruce Janz covers pre-Christian, Christian, Jewish, Muslim and other Western mystics and mystical movements, providing brief introductions and links to other resources on the Web to learn more about these topics.

• "Mysticism" from Wikipedia.org, the online encyclopedia. Provides a general background discussion and links to other Wikipedia articles on a wide variety of mystics and mystical religions.

• How Mystical are you? Complete this self-assessment to find out

• God on the Brain essay that explores the connections between brain studies and religious activity

• Mysticism in the World's Religions

• Online videos:  

• Spirituality beyond church walls

• Enlightenment

On Spiritual Practices:

• New Age Spirituality: an overview of beliefs and practices by B.A. Robinson, from ReligiousTolerance.org

• Explore the relationship between food and faith: dietary restrictions and fasting in various of the world's religions

• The labyrinth: Walking a spiritual path part of "Awakenings" "lessons for living" website created by Dan Johnston, Ph.D clinical psychologist and Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science for Mercer University School of Medicine in Macon, Georgia.

• On Meditation:

• The worldwide Online Meditation Center learn basic meditation techniques you can try at home. by Jim Malloy. "Trained as a meditation teacher in 1973 by the International Meditation Society, Jim Malloy has 30 years of experience teaching meditation."

• Learning Meditation: the "meditation room" provides short guided meditations using online audio (RealPlayer). Other areas of this site provide links to Websites on various meditation techniques and suggested reading. Although the author of this site is not indicated, the meditations and information provided here tends to be generic, rather than associated with any specific religion.

• Wikipedia provides some basic background on meditation and links to tradition specific meditation practices.

• Discover a meditation group near you (in the Mid-Atlantic region) where you can go to experience meditation practice

• Online videos:

• Prayer in all cultures

• Yoga

• Meditation

• Fasting: The Ramadan Fast (Muslim), Fasting in the Orthodox Church

• Food and Faith: What's Kosher

On Sacred Ritual:

• Online videos: 

• Hindu worship

• Walking the Stations of the Cross (Catholic)

• Praying the Rosary (Catholic)

• Ritual purification: The Mikvah (Jewish)

• Voodoo rituals

On Rites of Passage (Life Cycle Celebrations):

• Rites of Passage: from the Religious Education Exchange Service, Department of Religion and Ethics at St Martin's College, Lancaster, England. Provides a comparative look at Birth, Adolescence, Marriage, and death in five religions (includes Sikhism but leaves out Buddhism)

• Customs and Rites provides brief information on birth, marriage and death in religions of Singapore. Includes all the major religions with the exception of Judaism. Also includes info on origins and beliefs for each religion covered. When you get to the page, click on  links under "rites of passage". Produced as an educational resource by a small group of educators in Singapore.

• Online video:  

• First Communion (Catholic)

• Becoming a novice monk (Buddhist)

• Jewish Burial Practices

On Holy Days and Holidays:

• Holidays on the Net provides basic information and calendars for holidays from various religions. Also includes information on secular holidays. 

• Online Videos:

• Origins of Christmas traditions

• Holy Week (Christian)

• Some Jewish Holy Days

• Jewish High Holidays #1

• Jewish High Holidays #2

• Celebrating Hanukkah (Jewish)

• The Passover Seder: symbolism of food (Jewish)

On Sacred Arts:

• World Myths and Legends in Art: From The Minneapolis Institute of Arts. Here you can view works of art related to myths from different times and places, you can select items by culture or theme, from there you can read the story related to a given piece and explore the cultural and historical background of the story and details about the work of art. (This site was also referenced above, for the topic on sacred stories.)

• Sacred and Religious Art: Explore examples of art objects from five major world religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism). Sort of an online mini art museum. Developed by the Ackland Art Museum of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

• Explore the sacred art of Mandalas: this page provides links to numerous sites where you can learn about mandalas, the sacred circles created by Tibetan Buddhist monks and how others have also used this concept for creative exploration of spirituality

• http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/museums/photogallery/mandala/1.htm Explore the creation and dissolution of a Tibetan Buddhist mandala through this narrated slide show presentation from the Washington Post. This mandala was created in Auguest, 1998 at the Smithsonian's Sackler Gallery.

• Online videos:

• Islamic Art

• Iconography (Orthodox Christian)

• Illuminated Bible (Christian)

• Spirituality of Native American art

On Sacred Spaces, Sacred Places and Pilgrimage:

• Sacred Places: (mostly natural spaces) "An exploration of how and why places become invested with SACREDNESS and how the SACRED is embodied or made manifest through ART and ARCHITECTURE" Written and produced by Christopher L. C. E. Witcombe, Professor, Department of Art History, Sweet Briar College, Virginia

• Sacred Sites: Places of Peace and Power: Explore the World's Sacred Sites. By Martin Gray, anthropologist and photographer, specializing in the study of sacred sites and pilgrimage traditions around the world.

• Sacred Land Film Project: by Christopher McLeod, Project Director of Earth Island Institute's Sacred Land Film Project. Explore sacred cities, rivers, mountains, groves, and more. View film clips (using Quicktime) of select sites.

• Sacred Destinations: Explore sacred sites, ancient wonders and religious places of the world at this online travel guide to sacred sites, pilgrimages, holy places, religious history, sacred places, historical religious sites, archaeological sites, religious festivals, sacred sites, spiritual retreats, religious travel and spiritual journeys. By Holly Hayes (M.Phil. in Religious History, University of Oxford, 2007) 

• Visit a monastery on-line and take a virtual tour of the monastery

• Take a virtual tour of the Sikh "Golden Temple" in India

• Online videos:

• Pilgrimage in Islam: Hajj

• Native American respect for Mother Earth

• Roadside Memorials (Christian)

On Morality, Ethics and Values:

• BBC Religion & Ethics: explores ethical issues, including positions held by various religions on various issues including: same-sex marriage, ethics of war, euthanasia, human cloning, genetic engineering, designer babies, abortion. Homework: using this site, select an issue and read how one religion views the issue. Be prepared to share in class what you have learned.
  The BBC (British Broadcasting Company) is a well known and respected source for news and information.

• Online Videos:

• Prolonging Life

• The ethics of Cloning: therapeutic Cloning

• Same sex marriage

• Religion and homosexuality (an orthodox Jew struggles with the conflict between his religion and his homosexuality)

• Homosexuality in African American churches

On Religion in Society:

On cults: