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.