Despite the large number of different religions in the world today, only one stands out. This religion brings together the cumulative beliefs of the Australian Aboriginal people, often called Dreamtime. Dreamtime was a fascinating subject for Australia's first European settlers and for many generations after them. Children's storybooks are still written on the subject. These tales describe Dreamtime beliefs in a relatively precise, but extremely simplified, manner. The truth is that Dreamtime is a very unique religion, set apart from almost every other religion on Earth. The religious traditions of the Australian Aborigines differ considerably from those of other religions in several essential respects: everything is linked in one way or another to a deity, there is no distinction between sacred and profane things or between the real and the imaginary, and there is a universal unity in thought. and in the body; these differences appear everywhere in daily life and strongly influence everything about the aborigines. Although there are more facets to the religious aspects of Aboriginal Australians, the center of beliefs is dreamtime, which is a creation myth, daily occurrence and guide to life. Aboriginal religion is primarily based on an animist framework, in that there is no set number of deities (Koepping 368). There are a few specific deities who are held higher than others, such as deities who created vast expanses of land (Koepping 368). These deities created the universe during a period known as the Dreamtime, or even the Dream. These deities are ancestral totemic spiritual beings, who came to earth and created everything as it is today (Australian Aboriginal religion). Unlike other beliefs, Aboriginal people believe that these archetypal beings had and... middle of paper ......harna.com/karma/yuga.htm>."Muslim rituals and practices." Religious facts. Internet. February 4, 2012. .O'Briend, Barbara. "Nirvana." About.com Buddhism. About.com. Internet. February 3, 2012. “Religion.” Merriam-Webster Online. Merriam Webster. Internet. February 1, 2012. .Smith, Ramsay W. Myths and legends of the Australian Aborigines. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, 2003. Print. Williams, Jimmy. “The Social and Historical Impact of Christianity.” Survey ministries. Internet. 3 February 2012. .Yengoyan, Aram A. “Economy, Society and Myth in Aboriginal Australia.” Annual Review of Anthropology 8.1 (1979): 393-415. Print.