Comparative World Religions

Compiled by Dr Glen Christie

Faith Bible College Part 3

Zoroastrianism

ShintoismJudaism

ZoroastrianismOne of the World’s Oldest

Monotheistic Religions

Founder - Zarathustra Zarathustra –Persian Prophet Unclear dating on his birth – Some

Zoroastrians claim 6000 BCE! Others think 600 BCE; modern historians date it to between 1500-1000 BCE

Belief that his birth was predicted and evil forces tried to kill him as a child

His message eventually won over the Persian king and it became the official religion of the Persian Empire until the 7th century CE (Islam replaced it)

Faravahar – Zoroastrian Symbol One hand upwards – striving for

constant spiritual improvement Ring in hand – loyalty and

faithfulness Circle – immortality of the soul;

repercussions of our actions Three rows of wing feathers –

good thoughts, words, and deeds Three sections tail feathers – the

opposite Two streamers – Spenta Mainyu

and Angra Mainyu – spirits of good and evil – Figure faces one and turns from the other

Holy Scriptures Avesta – Holy Book; includes the original words of

their founder Zarathushtra, preserved in a series of five hymns, called the Gathas.

The Gathas are the basic source of the religion. The Gathas are abstract sacred poetry, directed

towards:1. worship of the One God, 2. understanding of righteousness and cosmic order,3. promotion of social justice4. and individual choice between good and evil.

Cosmic Dualism All powerful God Ahura Mazda who is the only deity worthy

of being worshipped, and An evil spirit of violence and death, Angra Mainyu, who

opposes Ahura Mazda.

The resulting cosmic conflict involves the entire universe, including humanity who is required to choose which to follow.

Evil, and the Spirit of Evil, will be completely destroyed at the end of time. Dualism will come to an end and Goodness will be all in all. Another school of thought perceives the battle between Good and Evil as an ethical dualism, set within the human consciousness.

Cosmic Dualism After death, a person's soul is allowed three days to meditate on

his/her past life. If the good thoughts, words and deeds outweigh the bad, then the

soul is taken into Heaven. Otherwise, the soul is led to Hell. The universe will go through a total of three eras:

1. Creation; 2. The present world where good and evil are mixed. People's good works are seen as gradually transforming the world towards its heavenly ideal; 3. A final state after this renovation when good and evil will be separated.

Eventually, everything will be purified. Even the occupants of hell will be released.

Modern Zoroastrianism Less than 200,000 Do not attempt to evangelize/convert others

but do try to keep their religion alive Parsis in India – Zoroastrians whose ancestors

fled Persia (Iran) when Islam became official religion

Modern Zoroastrians believe that all religions converge on the same god and as long as they are good and loyal to their god, they will go to heaven

Shintoism

神道

Shintō is a native religion of Japan. It involves the worship of kami, which could be translated to mean gods, nature spirits, or just spiritual presences.

Worship of kami, also mean "sacred spirits which take the form of things and concepts important to life, such as wind, rain, mountains, trees, rivers and fertility.

Beliefs Believers revere "musuhi", the Kamis' creative

and harmonizing powers. They aspire to have "makoto", sincerity or true heart. This is regarded as the way or will of Kami.

Shinto holds a generally positive view of human nature. All of humanity is regarded as "Kami's child." Thus all human life and human nature is sacred.

Morality is based upon that which is of benefit to the group. "Shinto emphasizes right practice, sensibility, and attitude."

Beliefs In its view of history, Shinto adheres to the cyclical

approach, according to which there is a constant recurrence of historical patterns. Shinto does not have the concept of the "last day": there is no end of the world or of history. the present moment is the very center in the middle of all conceivable times. In order to participate directly in the eternal development of the world, it is required of Shintoists to live fully each moment of life, making it as worthy as possible.

Beliefs parishioners of a shrine believe in their tutelary kami

as the source of human life and existence. Each kami has a divine personality and responds to truthful prayers.

Shinto does not believe in any propaganda or preaching, thus producing no real icon or symbol for the religion as it is mostly based off of traditions. Unlike western religions there is no real dogma , and instead the main focus becomes the worship of the Kami, the divine consciousness that runs through everything .

Practices Shinto ceremonies are designed to appeal to

the kami for benevolent treatment and protection and consist of: abstinence (imi) offerings prayers and purification (harae) by washing with water,

symbolically removes the dust and impurities that cover one's inner mind.

Practices Shinto does not have weekly religious

services. Some may go to the shrines on the 1st and 15th of each month and on the occasions of rites or festivals (matsuri), which take place at fixed times during the year including a baby’s first visit to its tutelary kami

soon after birth, the Shichi-go-san (Seven-Five-Three) festival on

Nov 15th where three and seven year old girls and five year old boys go to pray for good health, and

the traditional wedding ceremony.

Sumerian Religion

Egyptian Religion

Hinduism

Origins and HistoryJudaism is the first monotheistic religionYahweh is the Hebrew name for God.Hebrews , later called Jews, were nomads.In 930 BCE, the Kingdom split

North was called IsraelSouth was called Judah

Eventually Israel was invaded and the Hebrews lived under foreign rule

Diaspora- When the Jews were forced out of Palestine and were scattered They kept their identity, obeyed

Hebrew law, and influenced Christianity and Islam

Monotheism- believe in one true GodChosen people- God made a covenant (binding agreement) with Abraham

Sacred Text: Torah - First 5 books of the

Old Testament- Tells the story of the

Hebrew people

Ten Commandments- laws that God gave to the Hebrews through Moses They explain religious

duty to God and moral conduct

Prophets- spiritual leaders that interpreted God’s will and preached ethics (moral standards of living)

Important Facts

Place of Worship: Synagogue or Temple

The Temple Mount, Jerusalem Today

Solomon’s Temple Wall: The “Wailing” Wall

The Dome of the Rock

Important LeaderAbraham Patriarch or father of Judaism, made a covenant

(binding agreement) with God

ABRAHAM SARAHHAGAR

Isaac

EsauJacob

12 Tribes of Israel

Ishmael

12 Arabian Tribes

Abraham’s Geneaology

Interest Details A Mitzvah (MITS-vuh) literally means

commandment. It is any of the 613 commandments that Jews are obligated to observe. It can also refer to any Jewish religious obligation, or more generally to any good deed.

Why do Jews wears a yarmulke? The most commonly known and recognized piece of

Jewish garb is actually the one with the least religious significance. The word yarmulke (usually, but not really correctly, pronounced yammica) is Yiddish. It comes from a Tartar word meaning skullcap.

It is an ancient practice for Jews to cover their heads during prayer. Thus, by covering the head during prayer, one showed respect for God. In addition, in ancient Rome, servants were required to cover their heads while free men did not; thus, Jews covered their heads to show that they were servants of God. In medieval times, Jews covered their heads as a reminder that God is always above them.

Why do Hasidic men always wear a hat?

Religious male Jews (not just Hasidim) wear a hat to cover the head in respect for God. Covering the head reminds us that there is a Creator, a Higher Power, above our own limited minds. Any head covering will do, but some people like a certain style of hat to identify their group. Others simply have personal preferences about hats.

Why do Hasidic Jews always wear black? Some Hasidic groups do have a uniform of sorts

for the men, while others do not. Male Hasidic clothing does not have to be black, but is usually a dark, conservative color. The use of black clothing on Sabbaths and holy days traces back to a time when black dye was rare and expensive, so black was reserved for formal occasions (the same as tuxedos and "black tie" events in the secular world.) The Sabbath is a time for honoring God by dressing nicely (as you would in the presence of a king), so people wore their best black coats on the Sabbath.

What is the significance of the untrimmed beards and sidecurls?

The payos (sidecurls, pronounced PAY-us) and beards are worn in obedience to this commandment in the Torah (Bible):

You shall not round the corners of your heads, nor mar the edges of your beards. (Leviticus 19:27)

The "corners of the head" are the area above the ears. "Not rounding" them means not shaving the hair there, or cutting it very short. Together, both the curls and the untrimmed beard are a symbol of obedience to the laws of God. Many Hasidic men also cut the rest of the hair very short. This is not really required, but is more comfortable under a hat. Also, some Hasidim see the entire haircut -- very short hair with beard and payos -- as part of the "uniform" of their group.

Most men twist them while still wet. If you do this often enough, the hair gets trained that way. A boy starts wearing payos at age three. Before that, his hair is not cut at all, and is allowed to grow long. On his third birthday, there is a special ceremony where the hair is cut short except for the sidecurls.