Hinduism
Primarily practiced in South Asia, Hinduism undoubtedly has a large number of Linux users. Quick Jyotish – A Vedic astrology program Linux also has support for sanskrit language and text.
Buddhism
Some say that Linux fits perfectly with Buddhist teachings, making it the logical choice. Display Dhammapada – A program that displays a random verse from the Dhammapada English or Polish translation.
Judaism
Although there was once a Linux distribution called Jewbuntu, it was apparently just a joke. Nevertheless, there are plenty of tools for the Jewish user. Orayta – A tool that provides access to as many Jewish sources as possible, Bible, Mishna, Talmud, and others. Torah Tools – A collection of utilities for the advancement of torah study. Luach – A Tool that calculates Hebrew calendar dates and holidays. Hebcal – A perpetual Jewish Calendar command line tool.
Linux has support Hebrew language and right-to-left text.
Christianity
Being the world’s largest religion, there are a plethora of Christian tools for Linux, including an entire distribution. Xiphos (formerlly GnomeSword) – A Bible study tool, making use of the SWORD project modules.
e-Sword – A “user-friendly” program for studying the Bible. Bibledit – A program that asists in Bible translation. BibleMemorizer – Help for memorization of Bible verses.
Islam
Islam is the world’s second largest religion, and Linux is growing in popularity in Muslim-populated countries. Zekr – Qur’an study tool with Arabic and translations.
Minbar – Prayer times reminder program. iTools – Hijri calendar and prayer times tools. Monajat – A Program that pops up random Islamic supplications. Linux also has support for Arabic language and right-to-left text.
Other Spirituality
Are you spiritual but not really religious? Linux probably has something for you. Here are just a couple of tools I found. OpenAstro – Open source astrology and horoscope program. Numero – A numerology calculator.
Complete Linux Distributions
In a recent trend, some religious software developers have created entire Linux distributions (mostly based on Ubuntu) that are intended for particular religions. For the most part, these distributions are identical to their parent distros. The main differences are the inclusion of religious-based software by default and changes to art work, boot screens, and default desktop configuration. Ubuntu Christian Edition – This Christian-based Ubuntu includes many Bible study tools as well as custom artwork. Sabily – Also an Ubuntu-based distribution, Sabily has custom Islamic artwork and Qur’an and prayer programs. Ubuntu Buddhist Remix – Affectionately called Buddhabutnu, this distro is tailored for Buddhist users and includes Buddhist scriptural study tools. Ubuntu Satanic Edition – Yes, even the Dark Knight (wait, that’s Batman)…Even the Prince of Darkness has a Linux distro, complete with evil-looking artwork and included metal music. As you can see, there are a wide variety of Linux software packages for just about every religion, and there are probably some for yours, even if it is only practiced by an obscure tribe on a remote island. Of course, if you are not religious at all, Linux will fit well for you too. Linux is free, open source, and all-inclusive.
