JUDAISM, CHRISTIANITY,

ISLAM, HINDUISM, BUDDHISM

WORLD’S RELIGIONS

JUDAISM BRIEFLY Judaism-

Hebrew leader Abraham founds Judaism

Roughly 1500 B.C. Roughly 3500 years

old- Oldest of world's

monotheistic religions. Religions with only one

God. Also the smallest-

Only about 12 million followers around the world.

Holy city is Jerusalem.

JUDAISM BELIEFS Believe that there is a

single God- Created the universe. Every Jew can have an

individual & personal relationship.

Await the Messiah- Will be an earthly king.

Believe in heaven- God determines where they

go after life on earth. Give a tithe-

10%. Ten Commandments-

Basic code of law.

JUDAISM HOLY BOOK Most holy Jewish book is

Torah- First 5 books of Christian

Bible. Others include Judaism's

oral tradition- Written form is known as

Talmud. The Torah contains 5 books-

Revealed to Moses by God on Mount Sinai.

Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy

Hebrew is read right to left.

JUDAISM PLACE OF WORSHIP Jews worship in

Synagogues or temples. Men & women usually sit

separately. Worship is led by a

Rabbi. Friday evening is time

for worship.

CHRISTIANITY BRIEFLY Christianity–

“Founded” by Jesus’ followers.

Crucified around 30 A.D. in Jerusalem.

After death, followers come to believe in him as Christ, the Messiah.

Christianity is world's biggest religion- About 2.2 billion followers

worldwide. Based on teachings of

Jesus Christ- Lived in the Holy Land. 2,000 years ago.

CHRISTIANITY BELIEFS Believe that Jesus Christ is

Son of God God sent his Son to earth-

To save humanity. From the consequences of its

sins. Jesus rose from dead-

3rd day after his Crucifixion. “The Resurrection.”

Jesus is the Messiah- Promised in Old Testament

There is only one God- God consists of 3 "persons" God made the world.

CHRISTIANITY BELIEFS (CONT) They can have

personal relationship with God- Saved by faith, not

works. Believe in actual

heaven & hell. They believe Bible is

the inspired word of God- Their giving is a tithe or

offerings.

CHRISTIANS HOLY BOOK The Bible is Christian

holy book- Divided into Old & New

Testaments. Parts of writing

contained in Old Testament- Also sacred to Jewish &

Muslim people.

Gutenberg Bible

CHRISTIAN PLACE OF WORSHIP

Called a Church- Services are led by a

priest, pastor, or reverend.

Day of worship is normally Sunday- Saturday has been

added.

St. Peter’s Basilica

ISLAM BRIEFLY Islam–

Founded in Arabia by Muhammad

Between 610-632 A.D. Islam is 2nd biggest religion

in world- Over 1 billion followers.

Begins in Arabia- Revealed to humanity by

Prophet Muhammad. Followers of Islam are called

Muslims. Believe there is only one

God- Called Allah. Speaks Arabic.

ISLAM HOLY BOOK Muslim scripture is

the Koran (Qur'an)- Believe it is 'the word

of God'. Believe the Qur'an is

from Allah. Every word & every

letter is sacred. It is read from right

to left- Written in Arabic.

ISLAM PLACE OF WORSHIP Muslim building for

worship is called a Mosque- Word comes from Arabic

for "place of prostration". Worshippers are called

to prayer 5 times a day- From minarets. Towers on mosque

corners. Contain only designs, no

people, animals, or furniture.

FIVE PILLARS BELIEF SYSTEM/LAW CODE

Shahadah: declaration of faith- By reciting this, one enters Islamic

faith. Salah: prayer-

Required to pray 5 times a day. Face direction of Mecca while

praying. Zakat: give fixed proportion to

charity- Required to give away percentage

of earnings to those less fortunate, regardless of their religion.

Saum: fasting during month of Ramadan- Fast for one lunar month each year,

a period called Ramadan. Hajj: pilgrimage to Mecca-

If financially possible, Muslims required to travel to Mecca once in their lifetime.

KAABA

HINDUISM Begins in India. Dates back to 1500

B.C.- Worlds oldest religion?

750 million Hindus in world today. Most still live in India.

May worship at home or at temple- Shrines to gods.

Akshardham Temple

HINDU BELIEFS Hinduism is

polytheistic- Supreme God. Present in everything Called Brahman.

Also believe in other gods- Shiva, Shakti, &

Ganesh.

KARMA & REINCARNATION Reincarnation-

Soul has repeated cycle. Being born, dying, & being

reborn. Karma-

Force that determines quality of each life.

Depends on how well one behaved in past life.

Created by our actions on earth.

Good life = good karma. Bad life = bad karma.

SACRED WRITINGS The Vedas-

Collection of Sanskrit hymns.

Written down 1200-900 BC.

Based on older oral versions.

The Upanishads- Means “inner or mystic

teaching.” Passed down from guru

(teacher) to disciple (student).

WHAT HAPPENDED TO INDUS RIVER VALLEY CIV?

India. Aryan invasion-

1500 BC. Swastika-

Sanskrit word “svastika” Means any lucky or

auspicious object.

BUDDHISM The “middle way of

wisdom & compassion” 2500 years old tradition-

Begins in India. Spreads throughout Far

East. Followed by more than 300

million people. Based on teachings of the

Buddha.

THE BUDDHA Siddhartha Gautama-

563 BC Raised in great luxury to be

king. Age 29, rejects life of luxury-

Seek enlightenment. Solution to suffering

Sat in meditation- Awakened to truth about life. Became Buddha. “Awakened One” Age of 35.

Spent remaining 45 years of his life teaching others- How to achieve peace of mind

he had achieved.

WHAT DID BUDDHA TEACH? The Four Noble Truths-

To live is to suffer. Cause of suffering is

self-centered desire & attachments.

Solution is to eliminate desire and attachment.

The way to Nirvana is through the “Eight-Fold Path.”

BUDDHISTS BELIEFS Reincarnation-

Results from attachments (karma).

Nirvana is a peaceful, detached state of mind- Achieving Nirvana

means escape from cycle of rebirth.

Buddhism is non-theistic- Buddha is not a

Buddhist God. Just a revered teacher. DALAI LAMA

BUDDHIST TEXTS Tripitaka (“Three

Baskets”)- Vinaya (“discipline”) –

rules for monastic life Sutta (“discourse”) –

sermons of the Buddha Abhidhamma

(metaphysical “teachings”)

Dhammapada– collected sayings of the

Buddha Other texts used by

specific schools

MANDATE OF HEAVEN Traditional Chinese

philosophical concept- Concerns legitimacy of

rulers. It is similar to European

concept of divine right of kings- Both seek to legitimize

rule from divine approval First used to support

rule of kings of Zhou Dynasty- Overthrow of

earlier Shang dynasty.

CONFUCIANISM Confucius-

“Master Kung” Kung Fu! 4th Century BC China

Many things deal with Work Ethic.

One idea similar to Golden Rule- “Do not do unto others

what you would not wish done to yourself.”

MAJOR CONFUCIAN PRINCIPLES Li-

Rites, rules, ritual decorum. Binding force of an enduring stable

society). Ren-

Humaneness, benevolence, humanity.

Shu- Reciprocity, empathy. Do not do unto others what you

would not want others to do unto you.

Yi- Righteousness.

Xiao- Filial Piety (Respect your elders!).

5 PRINCIPLE RELATIONSHIPS Organizing principles-

Status, Age, Gender. 5 Principle

Relationships- Ruler-Subject Father-Son Husband-Wife Older Brother-Younger

Brother Older Friend-Younger

Friend

THE ANALECTS The single most

important Confucian work- The Analects. In Chinese, it means

“conversation.” Focus on practicalities

of interpersonal relationships- Relationship of role of

rulers & ministers. To conduct of the

government.

TAOISM ORIGINS Origins are ancient-

Dating back to time of Confucius.

551-479 BC.

Lao Tzu- Ever actually existed?

Born in 604 BC.

Name means “old master.”

Eventually becomes disillusioned- Corruption of government.

Takes 3 days to write down his words of wisdom- Tao Te Ching.

TAOIST BELIEFS Tao is ultimate source in the

universe- Keeps order.

2 components, yin & yang. Moral values are relative-

Avoids absolute moral judgments.

Says nothing about afterlife- Depicts death as one of nature’s

transformations .

From one state to another.

Humans part of grand harmony of nature- To live in accord with the Tao is

only way to thrive.

SHINTO Japan

No founder/sacred text Pre-historic/Traditional

religion. It is Polytheistic-

Thousands of Gods. Only one of them stands

out. She is called Amaterasu

the sun goddess. Thousands of other

Gods- Called Kami. Make up the rain, earth,

sky, animals, eg.

SHINTO BELIEFS Family is most

important. Kami –

Spirits that inhabit natural world.

Nature is sacred. 4 Affirmations-

Tradition & Family. Love of Nature. Physical cleanliness. Matsuri: festivals that

worship & honor the Kami.