World Religions

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World Religions
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Major Religions of the World

• Christian
• Muslim
• Hinduism
• Buddhism
• Judaism

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A World Full of Symbols

• Sometimes it is easier to understand the belief
  systems of another person through the use of
  symbols.
• Symbols are immediately recognized.

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Origins of Judaism
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Judaism

• The Hebrew leader Abraham founded Judaism around
  2000 1000 B.C.
• Its the oldest of the monotheistic faiths still
  practiced.
• Around 3500 years old
• It's also the smallest, with only about 12
  million followers around the world.

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Judaism

• Jewish holy book is the Torah (the first five
  books of the Christian Bible or Old Testament).
• The Torah contains the five books revealed to
  Moses by God on Mount Sinai.
• Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and
  Deuteronomy
• Others include Judaism's oral tradition, the
  written form of which is known as the Talmud.
• God gave Hebrews the 10 Commandments through
  Moses.

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Judaism Kingdom of David

• After Solomons (Davids son) death the kingdom
  split into two tribes.
• Kingdom of Israel
• Kingdom of Judah
• The Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar destroyed
  Solomons Temple.
• Prophecy emerges that Messiah will restore this
  kingdom.

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Jewish Diaspora
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Hinduism
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Hinduism has no single founder, but originated
from the mixing of Harappan and Aryan cultures in
ancient India around 1500 BCE.
Hindus believe in one unifying spirit, Brahman.
Brahman can manifest in many, polytheistic, forms
or in one, monotheistic.
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Hinduism is based on the concept of reincarnation
(Spirits return to earth many times in different
forms trying to become one with Brahman). The
soul moves up or down a hierarchy depending on
their behavior in life.
A person moves closer to Brahman by obeying the
law of karma. Karma is the sum of all your
deeds, good and bad. Good deeds involve
following your dharma, or duties dependent on
your position, gender and occupation.
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The caste system (outlawed since 1948) was an
important part of Hinduism. Castes are social
classes into which a person is born and lives
their entire life. If a person has a good karma
they may be reincarnated into a higher caste.
This life
Next life
Good Karma
Higher caste
Born into A caste
Bad Karma
Lower caste
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The caste system separated Indian society into
distinct social classes in which everyone knew
their place and believed that if they followed
the dharma of their caste, they would be
reincarnated into a better caste.
Brahmin
Kshatriya
Vaisya
Sudra
Untouchables
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Over the centuries Hindu beliefs were recorded
into a number of sacred texts including the Vedas
and the Upanishads.
The Ramayana is a Hindu creation story.
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Hindus believe the Ganges River is sacred and
often wish to be cremated and have their ashes
sprinkled in the river upon death.
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Buddhism
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• Buddhism was founded by Siddhartha Gautama in
  northern India around 560 BCE.
• Gautama was born into a wealthy Hindu family, but
  renounced his wealth to seek spiritual
  enlightenment.

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Buddhism spread through cultural diffusion to
eastern Asia, including China, Thailand, Korea
and Japan. In other areas, Buddhism was
adapted and took on new forms.
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Buddhism is based on the Four Noble Truths.
3. The way to eliminate suffering is to
eliminate desire.
1. All life is suffering.
2. Suffering is caused by desire for things that
are illusions.
4. Following the Eightfold path will help people
to overcome desire.
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Buddhism has much in common with Hinduism, but
important differences.
Buddhism like Hinduism Reincarnation Karma Dharma
But not Caste system Hindu gods Hindu priesthood
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Sacred Buddhist Texts
                                       
Buddha did not record his teachings, but after he
died, his followers collected them into the
Tripitaka.
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Todays Tibetan Buddhists are led by the Dalai
Lama, who advocates for freedom from China.
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Christianity

• Christianity is the world's biggest religion,
  with about 2.2 billion followers worldwide. It is
  based on the teachings of Jesus Christ who lived
  in the Holy Land 2,000 years ago.

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Christianity originated from Judaism about 30 CE.
Christians believe that Jesus was a Messiah, or
savior. Sent by God to bring eternal life to
anyone who would follow him. Jesus accepted the
Ten Commandments and also preached equality of
man before God. The sacred text of Christianity
is the Bible. Although the Romans originally
felt threatened by the Christians, and therefore
allowed Jesus to be crucified, Christianity
eventually became the official religion of the
Roman Empire.
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Christianity

• Jesus was a Jew and Judaism influenced
  Christianity greatly.
• Many thought of Christianity as a sect of Judaism
• The 12 Apostles were responsible for spreading
  the teaching of Jesus and finding new converts.
• This is probably the main reason why Christianity
  is the largest religion today, and Judaism is one
  of the smallest.
• Peter- responsible for creation of the Early
  Church
• Paul- responsible for the spread of Christianity

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Christian Bible

• The Bible is the Christian holy book.
• It is divided into the Old and New Testaments.
• Parts of the writing contained in the Old
  Testament are also sacred to Jewish and Muslim
  people.

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Islam
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Islam originated in the Middle East around 622 CE
with the Prophet, Muhammad. Muhammad was born in
Mecca and traveled to Medina in a journey called
the hijra, that became the founding of Islam.
Muslim worshippers follow scriptures called the
Quran, or Koran. The collection of Islamic laws
is also known as the Sharia.
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Five Pillars of Islam

1. Faith in one God, Allahmonotheism
2. Five times daily prayer toward Mecca
3. Help for the poor
4. Fasting during the holy month of Ramadan
5. Pilgrimage to holy city of Mecca

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Spread of Islam--In the 150 years following the
death of Muhammad, Islam spread through trade,
missionaries and conquest into Asia and Africa.