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Foundations of Belief

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Explore the foundations of several world faiths through this free, self-paced course. A gentle invitation to deepen your understanding and notice the sacred in everyday life.

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Foundations of Belief

Discover the beauty and breadth of world faiths: free, self-paced, and online

Foundations of Belief is a free and flexible online course designed to help you explore some of the world’s most widely practised spiritual traditions. It offers a gentle introduction to interfaith understanding and can be a supportive first step toward OneSpirit’s Birch Pathway or simply a meaningful journey of personal reflection.

This course invites you to pause, listen, and learn. It offers time and space to consider your own beliefs while encountering teachings from paths that continue to shape our shared world. Whether you are feeling into a deeper calling, exploring ministry for the first time, or nourishing your own inner life, Foundations of Belief offers an encouraging place to begin.

What This Course Offers

Foundations of Belief includes seven modules, each exploring a different faith path. Every lesson ends with a short reflective prompt to help you move beyond information and towards genuine inner understanding.

Our intention is to support you as you explore:

  • how different traditions approach the sacred

  • the questions and stories that shape communities

  • the practices that sustain spiritual life

  • the shared values that connect us across difference

As a UK-based educational charity, this course focuses on the traditions most widely practised across the United Kingdom while honouring global spiritual diversity.

Thank you very much. I previously felt so ignorant about other faiths and didn't know where to go to learn more. This course fulfilled all my hopes and expectations. I am really grateful for having had the chance to learn about the different faiths in my own time. A great course! I highly recommend it. - Elaine C.

Course Modules

Module One: Earth-Based Paths

  • Earth-based spirituality
  • Wheel of the Year
  • Divine Feminine
  • Animism

Module Two: Judaism

  • Jewish scriptures
  • Mitzvot
  • Shekhinah
  • Forgiveness
  • Jewish life

Module Three: Christianity

  • Christian scriptures
  • Creation and understandings of God
  • Incarnation, crucifixion, resurrection
  • Who is Jesus?

Module Four: Islam

  • Understandings of God
  • Risalah
  • Akirah
  • Worship: Shahada, Salah, Zakah
  • Worship: Sawm, Hajj, Jihad

Module Five: Hinduism

  • Hindu understandings of God
  • Scriptures
  • Cycle of life
  • Worship

Module Six: Buddhism

  • Buddha
  • Dukkha and the Middle Way
  • Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path
  • Dharma, karma, samsara, enlightenment

Module Seven: Sikhism

  • Sikh understandings of God
  • Gurus
  • Mukti
  • Sewa
  • Closing reflections

    I would like to thank you for the exploration opportunity you have provided in the thoughtful combination of text, videos and links. I believe you have the balance exactly right in terms of facilitating learning and stimulating interest. – Christine C.

    Before You Begin

    This course is self-paced and tutor-free. To support yourself, you may wish to reflect on a few questions before starting:

    • What drew you to Foundations of Belief?

    • Are you hoping to deepen your own spirituality, learn about other faiths, or explore a possible call to ministry?

    • What assumptions or early impressions do you carry about each path?

    • Are there beliefs or emotions you may need to navigate as you learn?

    These reflections help create the inner space needed to move through the course with openness and curiosity.

    During the Course

    You are invited to take your time. You might journal your reflections, sit quietly with the questions, or pause between lessons to notice what is emerging for you.

    This course is not only about learning about different faiths. It supports you to:

    • recognise your own worldview

    • listen for what resonates

    • notice what challenges or expands you

    • explore the threads that weave traditions together

    This process is especially helpful for anyone considering our ministerial training, where compassionate understanding of diverse paths is central.

    I thoroughly enjoyed the course. It gave me more information than I had and sufficient to get a deeper knowledge of each religion/belief. it is an inspiring course that gives ample amount of information for thoughtful reflection on each belief and is provocative enough to help one reflect on ones own beliefs and practices. – Brid K.

    Where to Go Next

    If this course has awakened curiosity, affirmed a calling, or opened up new inner space, you are warmly invited to explore what comes next with OneSpirit.

    Beginning in 2026, we will offer two training pathways for those who feel drawn to spiritual accompaniment and interfaith ministry. One pathway will be fully remote and online, and the other will be an in-person programme for those who prefer to gather and learn within a physical community. Each option reflects our commitment to accessibility, depth, and meaningful spiritual development.

    Full details of both offerings, including structure, curriculum, and availability, can be found on our Training page on our website. You are welcome to explore at your own pace, whether you are preparing to take a next step or simply beginning to sense what might be possible for your life.

    OneSpirit Interfaith Foundation is here to support you as you explore your path, deepen your understanding, and listen for whatever is calling you forward.

    I really enjoyed this journey and the faith paths covered. It has helped me a lot on my current One Spirit Journey. It has given me an insight into a faith path (Islam) that I have wanted to explore for some time. I would recommend this course to others without a doubt. – Michael W.

    I LOVED the course so, so much - in fact, I wanted it to never end! - Eva

    I loved studying at my own pace and at times which suited me. I thought the course was really interesting and stimulating with an excellent mix of text, videos, links etc. Very well formulated indeed. - Christine

    The reflective questions were a very good tool for encouraging the relational - how did this Faith Path touch you & where! I thought the questions were very deep and meaningful. - Carolyn

    I really enjoyed all of the modules. I have a notebook full of my notes. Sikhism was my favorite because it deepened my understanding and my appreciation. Christianity surprised me with new knowledge of the Nag Hammadi Gnostic Gospels; I purchased two books to read! - Dianne

    How to Access the Course

    If you are new to the OneSpirit community and have never accessed our website before, you’ll first need to create an account to access any of our courses. To enrol our free Foundations of Belief course, simply follow these four easy steps:

    1. Click on ‘Login to Enrol‘ at the top of the page, under the course title. This action will redirect you to our website’s login page.
    2. Once there, select ‘Register.’ You will be taken to a registration page where you’re required to provide your first and last names, along with your email address. After entering this information, click ‘Register,’ and you will shortly receive an email containing your login details.
    3. Upon receipt of your login email, sign in to our website. There should be a login link in the email, but you can also go to this page here to log in.
    4. After logging in, navigate back to this page. The ‘Login to Enrol‘ will have changed to ‘Start Course.’ Simply click on ‘Start Course‘ to begin.

    Please know that your privacy matters to us. We will never share your details or contact you without your consent. Entering your email here simply gives you access to the course. If you would like to stay connected with OneSpirit, you are warmly invited to subscribe to our newsletter right here. You can sign up using the form just below. Our mailing list is a gentle way to receive updates, inspiration, community offerings, and occasional opportunities that may support your spiritual journey. It also includes early access to events and resources created with our community in mind. You are very welcome to join us whenever it feels right for you.

    If you are a OneSpirit interfaith minister and you already have a login to our website, you can follow two simple steps to enrol in the Foundations of Belief course.

    Ensure you’re logged into our website with your minister email address. Then, simply click ‘Take this course‘ at the top of the course page. The page will refresh, and you’ll notice the text on the orange button change to ‘Start Course.’ Upon clicking this, you’ll be directed to the course page, just as you would be for any other courses in which you are enrolled. And that’s all there is to it! From here on, you’ll be enrolled in the course, and you can access it at any time from your minister dashboard.

    If you are a OneSpirit student and you already have a login to our website, you can follow the same two simple steps to enrol in the Foundations of Belief course.

    Ensure you’re logged into our website using the email you provided to OneSpirit when you first became a student. Once you’re logged in, simply click ‘Take this course‘ at the top of the page. The page will then refresh, and you’ll notice the text on the orange button change to ‘Start Course.’ Upon clicking this, you’ll be directed to the course page, just as you would be for any other courses in which you are enrolled. Once you’ve enrolled in this course, you’ll always be able to access it on your student dashboard.