The Birthplace of Three Religions

Father AbrahamAbraham

Age: 105

SarahAge: 90

HagarHousemaid

IsaacIshmael

Jews believe that Isaac was promised Zion- the

holy land.

Muslims believe the promised land belonged to Ishmael- Ishmael was the one to be sacrificed, not

Isaac.

And so the conflict begins.Arabs/Muslims Jews/Christians

Religious CenterThree Religions:•Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all began in Southwest Asia (The Middle East)Jerusalem (located in Israel)•A city where Jews, Christians, Muslims have lived for centuries

The Basics

• One God– monotheism

• Each led by a single person

• Set of sacred writings

Jerusalem

Three Religions Believe:

JUDAISM

History• Hebrews - 1st

monotheists • Sacred writings

– The Torah – 1st 5– Talmud – serves as

“guide”/laws and traditions.

• Called God “Yahweh” or“Adonai” Written:“G-D”

• Yahweh spoke to Abraham, “Go to Canaan” (present day Israel, the West Bank, Gaza Strip, parts of Lebanon, and Syria.)

• Abraham’s descendants are Jews

Interesting Facts: Noah had a son named Shem. This is where the Arabs come from. Eber was Noah’s grandson (Hebrew comes from this).

Map of Abraham’s Journey

God told Abraham to leave Ur (South of Iraq near Basra). Abraham went to Hara (Turkey), then to Canaan. Canaan became Judea, thus Judaism.

A Story of Exile

• Babylonians ruled Mesopotamia

• Babylonians (King Nebuchadnezzer) destroyed the First Temple built by Jews in Jerusalem

• Jews exiled to Babylon

1st Temple built by King Solomon

586 BC:

Rebuilding the Temple

• Persians took control of Mesopotamia

• Jews allowed to return to Jerusalem

• Temple was rebuilt Second temple

2nd Temple in Jerusalem Built by King Herod

536 BC: 50 years later…

Second Temple Destroyed

• Jews revolted in 66AD• Second Temple

destroyed by Titus (Romans) in 70 AD

• Romans forced the Jewish people to leave-Jewish diaspora

• The Wailing Wall remains

Roman Control:

Diaspora- Latin for “disperse”

Jewish Leaders…• Encouraged Jews to

replace worship in the Temple with prayer, study, and good deeds.

Places of Worship• Jewish temple• Synagogue

1800 Years Later…

•Jews lived outside of Jerusalem hoping it would once again be home of Judaism.

The star is a symbol of Zion

The Jewish Diaspora

How can a dandelion remind us of the Jewish Diaspora?

Diaspora-

Jews living outside Israel

･ the dispersion of the Jews beyond Israel.

･ the dispersion of any people from their original homeland

Dia- “across” disperse

This is what happened to the Jewish people and explains why they are in Europe and around the world.

What is Zionism?• Zion- the hill of Jerusalem on which the city of David was built.

･ Jerusalem.･ (in Christian thought) The heavenly city or kingdom of heaven. ･ the Jewish people or religion.

･ the Christian Church.

• Zionism- the movement for the development and protection of a Jewish nation in what is now Israel.

Just so you know… On this land

Is the temple mount. The temple mount (Jewish holy site) is where Abraham was going to sacrifice

Isaac.

70 AD- 1947- Arab people lived on the land (for 2,017 years). The conflict is 3,500 years old.

1947- Declaration of Independence was kept a secret.

Terminology & Dietary Restrictions

• Creation of Israel- Some Jewish people do not believe in the creation of Israel. They believe that it is God’s place to find Israel.

• Mizrahi- Jews living in Muslim lands• Sephardim- Spanish Jews

• Kosher- beef, chicken, bread are kosher.• Shrimp is not because by the time that got it from the sea, it was

bad. Jews are instructed not to eat anything that has not been prepared in a kosher way (i.e. the animal was killed correctly (hit the main artery in the neck); the process was done the correct way. The rabbi must certify that the food does not violate kosher laws as prescribed by the Hebrew Bible.

“No IFS, ANDS or BUTTS”- Use the front of the cow/animal• Kosher salt?- I have no idea!

Prayers during Rosh Hashana

Orthodox Judaism: A major branch within Judaism that teaches strict adherence to rabbinical interpretation of Jewish law and its traditional observances.

Newly Discovered Synagogue

The Birth of Christianity

8 BC to 4 BC

• Jesus, Jewish boy

• Born in Bethlehem

in ancient Palestine

(Israel)

The Four Gospels

• Story of his life written 30 years after Jesus’ death

• The Bible – Christian

sacred writings (Old and

New Testaments)

Early Life• Jesus grew up Galilee.

• Baptized by his cousin, John the Baptist• Jesus traveled preaching religion of love and forgiveness, and performing miracles.• People (disciples) came to hear his words.

MESSIAH

Messiah:• Some people believed Jesus was

the Messiah

Jewish People:• Believed a Messiah, or Savior would come to lead them out of exile

• Jesus became know as Christ, Greek for Messiah means (Anointed One)

Christians: People who believed in Jesus’ ideas and teachings Government & Religious Leaders:•Feared Jesus’ teaching as threat to their power•Jesus came to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover and was betrayed by Judas, a Disciple•Jesus was arrested, tried, crucified, and died. Disciples spread the word that He had risen from the dead.

Gospels- Jesus’ life and teachings

Canaan

The WordJesus’ Disciples:• Spread his teachings and their

belief that he was the Messiah promised in Jewish scripture

Roots in Judaism:• New religion, Christianity, developedChristianity:• Based on life and teaching of Jesus• Spread to other parts of world from Jerusalem• Christianity evolved from JudaismPlaces of Christian Worship:

• Church or Cathedral

MuhammadProphet of Islam

Muhammad

• Muhammad was born in Mecca (Saudi Arabia)

• Founder of Islam

Mecca during Hajj

570 AD:

The Basics

• Believe in one god and Muhammad is his Prophet (person who speaks through Divine inspiration)

Muslim:• A believer in Islam

610 AD:• Muslims believe God spoke to Muhammad

Islam:

BeliefsMuhammad’s

Teachings:• Came from angel

Gabriel, who revealed the will of God

Qur’an:• Collection of

revelations, sacred text of Islam

Gabriel:• Sent revelations to Muhammad for 22 years

Muhammad:• Encouraged people to worship one God, aid the poor (included in the 5 Pillars of Faith)

622 AD• Muhammad left Mecca

for Medina (where he later died)

Mosque in Medina, Saudi Arabia

Blue Mosque Istanbul, Turkey

• Government thought he was a threat to traditions and business

• Muslim calendar begins from this year • Ramadan is at different times because of the Lunar calendar; Mullah/Meuzzin (priest)

Medina

The Qur’an (Koran)

•Muslims believe that the Koran was the direct word of god and Muhammad.

•Muslims read the Koran from right to left. •God spoke to Muhammad through the angel, Gabriel.

Muhammad could not read or write. He dictated the Koran to scribes. The Koran is believed to be the actual word of god.

•Qur means “recite this”, thus the Koran means recitation.

•Muslims are supposed to be able to speak Arabic to read the Koran.

•Muslims believe that Jesus was a great prophet and was sent to preach exclusively to the Jews; believe that He will return to judge everyone, including Muslims.

The Qur’an

Pages of the Qur’an

Religion’s Role in World Conflicts

“It’s not that simple!”

The “Pillars” of IslamProfession

“There is no god but Allah, and Mohammed is his messenger.”Prayer

Pray formally five time a day. Almsgiving

Pay a specified amount of money to assist the poor and sick. Fasting

During Ramadan, no eating, drinking, & smoking from dawn to sunset. Pilgrimage

Make at least one visit to Mecca.

These are the Five Sunni Pillars of IslamDifferent Shi’i groups have seven or even ten pillars,

and recently some fundamentalist Shiites havebeen trying to add Jihad as a sixth pillar.

The Five Pillars of Islam

•All Muslims practice the five pillars of Islam. It is like a checklist and if you follow it, your faith is good.

•The pillar of prayer is at certain times of the day.•Muslims used to pray toward Jerusalem, then

restored the Kabba (rid of pagan idols)•Ramadan- You cannot let anything past your lips

once Ramadan begins from sun up to sundown, including water. You know that Ramadan begins if you can tell the difference between a white/black thread in the dark.

•Dietary restrictions: No pork! Beef must be drained of blood before you eat it.

The HajjMecca was a pagan city. The Kabba (black stone) was filled with idols. The black stone was built by Abraham and was a rock that fell out of the sky. Abraham built it, thus Muslims worship the god of Abraham. Muhammad tore out all the idols and restored it back to what Abraham built.

Hajj customs: Muslims circle it 7 times; counter clockwise. Saudi Arabia is holy for Muslims. Only Muslims are allowed to go to the holy land that they call Mecca.

The Pilgrimage:•Ishmael was to be sacrificed instead of Isaac; Muslims visit a well.•Muslims throw stones under a bridge; Muslims believe they are throwing stones at the devil.

Prayer at Mount Arafat

Station of Abraham

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are needed to see this picture.

The Kabba

Diagram of the Kabba

Mosques

Muslims in New Delhi, India

Muslims in New Delhi, India

Notice the Muslim architecture

Someone is always watching!

Night at Muzdalifah

Location of the Zamzam Well

Dome of the RockJerusalem, Israel

The Dome of the Rock• Earliest Islamic monument, begun 684.

octagonal plan.

• Site where Muhammad was taken to heaven by the angel Gabriel and deemed the messenger of Islam.

Sunni or Shia?

• The Five Pillars are for Sunni only• Secular- what you do that is not

determined by religion• Saddam was Sunni; Sunni accepts

a more secular government (of the world)

• After Muhammad died, his followers were deciding who should lead. They wanted Muhammad’s apostles to lead. The followers of Muhammad should lead. The civil war between the Sunnis and the Shiites began.

• The Shiites wanted Muhammad’s son-in-law (Ali) to lead. During the battles, Ali was killed in southern Iraq, thus the south of Iraq is holy to the Shiites. The Shiites were the ones to break off from the Sunnis. Fighting led to Ali being killed on the banks of the Euphrates River.

• Some Muslims want to add additional pillars. Some have 7-10 in addition to the 5 pillars. Examples: Forbid what is evil; promote what is good; jihad (this will not happen because it is only the external struggle).

• Iran is Shiite

Sunni Shia

ARABS

Religion’s Role in World Conflicts

“It’s not that simple!”

KURDSSUNNI

ARABS

SHI’IARABS

SUNNI

Religion’s Role in World Conflicts

“It’s not that simple!”

Religion, War, & TerrorismJihaad is an Arabic word meaning “effort” or “struggle”

It can mean an external struggle like a war,or an internal struggle, like fighting sin and temptation

Some Muslims even speak of jihaads against poverty, political corruption, or disease

What type of jihaad is most important?

Is suicide terrorismtied to religion?

Do religious philosophies cause the most violence,

suffering, and war?

Tens of thousands ofAl-Qaeda terrorists…

out of roughly1.5 billion Muslims

Religion’s Role in World Conflicts

“It’s not that simple!”

Every religious group has many internal conflictsas well as external conflicts with other religions

Religion is a useful tool for attracting people to a political cause they might not otherwise support

The Breakdown

Therefore, understanding the religious factors canstill help people understand political conflicts

Religion’s Role in World Conflicts

“It’s not that simple!”

Islam’s Warriors• Most conflicts are world-wide due to political reasons,

not religion; It is who is going to be in control of the political structure?; Who will own the land?

• The PLO (Palestinian Liberation Organization) was originally political, for land, ethnic differences; later promoted a religious tone.

• Hezbollah means “Party of God”• In the Koran, Muslims talks about wars; much of this is

taken out of context by radicals; “kill the infadel” refers to wars during Muhammad’s time. Radicals take this out of context and use for present day.

• Jihad means “struggle” or “effort”. The most important struggle is the internal struggle. This means that if you have an urge for sin and temptation. There are jihads against poverty, political corruption, and disease.

Arabs and Jews are closely related. Islam is the fastest growing religion

Religion’s Role in World Conflicts

“It’s not that simple!”

Individuals and small groups often do political acts in the name of an entire religion

All groups of people, including religions,are made up of individuals & smaller groups

who often disagree with each other

Members of different religions have oftenlived side by side in peace all over the world

It’s never so simple…

Is it truly Religion?• Tamal tigers- secular, non-religious group• Tamal Tigers trying to take over Sri Lanka were

the first suicide bombers. They were trying to assassinate Rajvi Ghandi in early 90s (1992). Tamal tigers created the suicide vest. There ideas are actually good-equal rights for women and children, they want/are fighting for good things.

Al-Qaeda • 1 out of 75,000 would be a terrorist. Roughly

20,000 out of 1.5 billion = 20,000 that is 1/75 would be a member of Al-Qaeda.

The Importance of Jerusalem

• Sacred to Jews- Isaac; Adam was buried there; 1st & 2nd temples built by God are there

• Muslims- Muhammad was carried and ascended into Heaven- Dome of the Rock; Dome of the Rock is also where Adam was buried.

• Christians- Galgotha/Calvary