Judaism

Christianity

Islam

Buddhism

Hinduism

Do you think there a relationship between

personal freedoms and religion?

The first monotheistic (one God) religion, Judaism

traces its roots back thousands of years.

Jews believe there is one God who

created and rules the world. This

God is omnipotent (all powerful),

omniscient (all knowing) and

omnipresent (in all places at all

times). God is also just and merciful.

Holy Book: The Torah, which

means "teaching", is God's

revealed instructions to the

Jewish People.

The Ten Commandments are

considered the most important

commandments of the Torah.

1. God exists.

2. God is one and unique.

3. God is incorporeal.

4. God is eternal.

5. Prayer is to be directed to God

alone.

6. The words of the prophets are

true.

7. Moses was the greatest

prophet, and his prophecies

are true.

8. The Torah was given to Moses.

9. There will be no other Torah.

10. God knows the thoughts and

deeds of men.

11. God will reward the good and

punish the wicked.

12. The Messiah will come.

13. The dead will be resurrected.

13 Principles of Judaism

Judaism is the twelfth most popular religion in the world. It contains

about 14 million adherents (followers). The majority of the Jewish

population is found in the United States and Israel. In Israel there are

about 5,600,000 Jews. 76% of Israel is Jewish. The United States has

about 5,275,000 Jews, which is about 38% of the world population of

Jews. Any other country in the world contains less than 1% of the

Jewish population.

Christian beliefs

1. God created all that is seen and

unseen

2. Jesus is the Son of God and is

one with God

3. Jesus was conceived of the Holy

Spirit and born of the virgin Mary

4. Jesus suffered and was crucified

5. Jesus died and was buried

6. Jesus rose again (the

Resurrection)

7. Jesus ascended into Heaven

8. Jesus will return to judge the

living and the dead

9. Anyone can have salvation

10. People who repent their sins

will be forgiven

The Holy Bible is the only

inspired, infallible, and

authoritative written Word of

God, penned by man with the

leading of the Holy Spirit.

The birthplace of

Christianity is an area now

known as the Holy Land;

Israel/Palestine in the city

of Jerusalem.

Christianity has about 1.9 billion adherents (followers). It is

the most popular religion in the world. However, it is

difficult to find a Christian in the Middle East and Asia.

The word "Islam" itself means

"Submission to Allah."

The Arabian Peninsula

the birthplace of Islam

1. Shahada

(testimony of faith)

One is required to

say "There is no god

but Allah, and

Muhammad is the

messenger of Allah."

2. Salat (prayer)

Muslims pray toward

Mecca five times

daily, at dawn, noon,

mid-afternoon,

sunset and night.

3. Zakat (almsgiving)

Charitable giving is a

requirement for all

Muslims. Almsgiving is

incumbent upon the

individual Muslim -

except for in Saudi

Arabia, where Zakat is

strictly enforced by the

rule of Islamic law.

4. Siyam (fasting)

fasting during the

month of Ramadan.

From dawn to dusk

for the entire month

5. Hajj (pilgrimage)

To go to the holy city of

Mecca for the Hajj, or

pilgrimage. Every able-

bodied Muslim is required -

if their finances permit - to

make the pilgrimage at

least once in their lifetime.

5 Pillars of Faith

Holy book is

the Quran

Islam has about 1.1 billion adherents (followers). It is the

second most popular religion in the world (after

Christianity). However, it is the most popular religion in

the Middle East. As seen below, there is hardly any

Muslim population outside of the Middle East.

There are two sects, Sunni and Shi'a. Islam in the

Middle East is predominantly Sunni, with the exception

of Iran.

Hinduism is the world's oldest

religious tradition (circa 10,000

BC), with a billion followers,

making it the world's third largest

religion. Hinduism is a mixture of

religious, philosophical, and

cultural ideas and practices that

originated in India.

Basic beliefs of Hinduism

Dharma (ethics and duties)

Samsara (rebirth)

Karma (right action)

Moksha (liberation from the cycle of Samsara)

The basic scriptures

of Hinduism, are

called “the Vedas and

the Upanishads”.

Hinduism believes that there

is only one supreme Absolute

called "Brahman“ (Divine

Ground of all matter, energy,

time, space, and being ). The

most fundamental of Hindu

deities is the Trinity of

Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva.

In addition to many gods and

goddesses, Hindus also

worship spirits, trees, animals

and even planets.

Ganesha creates

the faith to remove

all obstacles. Hindu

prayers begin by

invoking his name.

He is the son of

Shiva

Brahma

Creator

Vishnu

Preserver Shiva

Destroyer

Brahma is self-born

(without mother) in the

lotus flower which grew

from the navel of Vishnu at

the beginning of the

universe. He is responsible

for day and night.

Vishnu is the preserver

and protector of creation.

When evil overtakes

good in the world,

Vishnu will come in

human form to set things

right again.

Shiva is responsible for

change both in the form of

death and destruction and

in the positive sense of the

shedding of old habits.

Shiva lives on Mount

Kailasa in the Himalayas.

Hindu Population in the World

The Eightfold Path:

The Buddha's Eightfold Path consists of:

Panna: Discernment, wisdom:

1) Right Understanding of the Four Noble Truths

2) Right thinking; following the right path in life

Sila: Virtue, morality:

3) Right speech: no lying, criticism, condemning, gossip, harsh language

4) Right conduct by following the Five Precepts

5) Right livelihood; support yourself without harming others

Samadhi: Concentration, meditation:

6) Right Effort: promote good thoughts; conquer evil thoughts

7) Right Mindfulness: Become aware of your body, mind and feelings

8) Right Concentration: Meditate to achieve a higher state of consciousness

After many incarnations, if a

person releases their

attachment to desire and the

self, they can attain Nirvana.

This is a state of liberation

and freedom from suffering.

The Five Precepts:

These are rules to live by.

Do not kill.

Do not steal.

Do not lie.

Do not misuse sex.

Do not consume alcohol or other

drugs

Siddhartha

Gautama Buddha

was born the son

of a king, around

565 B.C. in

Lumbini in modern

day Nepal.

Hindus believe that Buddha was

the 9th incarnation of Vishnu.

Buddhists don’t believe this

because they don’t believe in

Gods.

The Four Noble Truths of

Buddhism:Dukkha: Suffering exists: (Suffering is real

and almost universal. Suffering has many

causes: loss, sickness, pain, failure)

Samudaya: There is a cause for suffering.

(It is the desire to have and control

things. It can take many forms: craving of

sensual pleasures; the desire for fame;

the desire to avoid unpleasant

sensations, like fear, anger or jealousy.)

Nirodha: There is an end to suffering.

(Suffering ceases with the final liberation

of Nirvana. The mind experiences

complete freedom, liberation and non-

attachment. It lets go of any desire or

craving.)

Magga: In order to end suffering, you

must follow the Eightfold Path.

Buddhist Flag

Buddhist Population in the World

Created by:

Dorothy Williams

Yeager Middle School

2009

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