The Religions of the World

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The Religions of the World

• Notes Religion Book

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What is religion?

• Religion is a persons relationship with what he
  or she considers to be a higher power.
• All religions worship a god or gods.
• The teachings of religions tell people who follow
  them how they should live in the world.
• Lastly, most religions have a written scripture,
  a system of practices, and recommended ways of
  worship.
• The 5 major religions we will be discussing are
  Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, and
  Christianity.

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Key Religious Terms

• Deity divine character or nature, esp. that of
  the Supreme Being divinity.
• Disciple a person who is a pupil or an adherent
  of the doctrines of another follower
• Clergy The body of people ordained for religious
  service. Ministers, Priest, Monks, Rabbis, Gurus,
  Brahmans.
• Scripture any writing or book, esp. when of a
  sacred or religious nature
• Prophet a person who speaks for a god or a
  deity, or by divine inspiration

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More Key Terms

• Fasting To eat very little or abstain from
  certain foods, especially as a religious
  discipline
• Resurrection The act of rising from the dead or
  returning to life.
• Reincarnation To be reborn in a new life.
• Meditation contemplation of spiritual matters
  (usually on religious or philosophical subjects).
• Pilgrimage a long journey made to some sacred
  place as an act of religious devotion.

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Religions by number of followers

• Number of members per religion
• Christianity 1.9 Billion
• Islam 1 Billion
• Hinduism 793 Million
• Buddhism 300 Million
• Judaism 14 Million

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Chronological Listing of Religions

• Judaism 2,000 B.C.
• Hinduism 1,500 B.C.
• Buddhism 500 B.C.
• Christianity 1st Century A.D.
• Islam 600 A.D.

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Judaism

• Judaism was the first religion based on worship
  of only one god (monotheism).
• It began in the Middle East around 2,000 B.C.
• Jews believe that God selected them to set an
  example of good and ethical behavior for the
  world.
• Judaism is the religion in which Christianity and
  Islam grew out of.
• The holy book of Judaism is the Torah, which is
  the first 5 books of the Hebrew Bible.

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Judaism

• Judaism and its history are based around the city
  of Canaan, which is present day Israel.
• Jews were exiled from Canaan at a point in
  history, and the people and religion spread to
  other parts of the world. Called the Diaspora.
• Jewish people maintained their religion and
  cultural practices while living in other
  countries and around other cultures.

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Judaism

• Major religious holiday
• Rosh Hashanah The Jewish New Year
• Yom Kippur Day of Atonement.

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Christianity

• Founded in the 1st Century A.D.
• Jesus Christ is the founder of Christianity.
• All Christians follow the life and teachings of
  Jesus Christ.
• Christians live by a set of ethical rules known
  as the Ten Commandments.
• The holy book of Christianity is the Bible.

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Christianity

• The Bible was written by disciples, or followers,
  of Christ.
• Christianity, Islam, and Judaism all believe that
  Jesus lived. Christianity, however, believes that
  Jesus Christ was the son of God. Judaism and
  Islam believe Jesus was a prophet.
• Today, practicing Christians make up 33 of the
  world population.
• There have been many splits in the Christian
  church, which has created many denominations.
• Catholic, Protestant, Baptist, ETC.

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Christianity

• Major religious holidays
• Christmas Commemorates the birth of Jesus
  Christ.
• Easter Commemorates the resurrection of Jesus
  Christ.

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Islam

• Followers of the Islam religion are known as
  Muslims.
• The Muslim religion began in present day Middle
  East.
• Muslims are monotheistic (meaning they believe in
  one god.)
• The Muslim god is called Allah.
• Muslims study the teachings of Allah through
  their holy book the Koran (Quran).
• Islam was founded on the life and teachings of a
  prophet named Muhammad. This was around 600 AD.

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Islam

• The Muslim religion is based on the 5 Pillars of
  Islam. These are
• Faith
• Prayer
• Charity
• Fasting
• Hajj (A trip that all Muslims must make to Mecca,
  the holy Muslim city.)

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Islam

• Major religious holidays
• Ramadan The Islamic holy month commemorating
  when god first revealed himself to the prophet
  Muhammad.

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Islam Today

• Today, over 20 of the world population are
  Muslims.
• Muslims are required to pray 5 times a day, and
  they must face the direction of Mecca (The holy
  city.)

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Hinduism

• Hinduism came into being in ancient India around
  1,500 B.C.
• It began as a set of traditions and rituals
  honoring various gods and goddesses.
• Today, there are hundreds of major gods and
  thousands of minor gods.
• Hinduism believes in the rebirth, or
  reincarnation.
• The holy book of the Hindu are numerous sacred
  writings.

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Hinduism

• Hinduism encourages people to achieve righteous
  living, prosperity, love, and happiness.
• Hinduism is based on the caste system.
• Hindus believe in non-violence and tolerance,
  reincarnation, and karma.
• The caste system is a social structure in which
  classes are determined by heredity.
• According to Hinduism, karma is a force that
  determines how you will be reborn in your next
  life, depending on how you behave in this life.

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Buddhism

• Like Hinduism, Buddhism was founded in ancient
  India.
• The holy book is the Tripitika.
• The clergy is made of monks and ministers.
• Buddhism started in 500 B.C., 1000 years after
  Hinduism.
• The founder, Siddhartha Gautama, because known as
  the Buddha.
• Buddha means the enlightened one.
• Buddhism emphasizes the actions of the
  individual.

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Buddhism

• Individuals are encouraged to follow the
  Eight-Fold-Path
• Like Hindus, the Buddhist believe in
  non-violence, karma, and rebirth.
• Buddhist practice the art of meditation.