Transcript The Five Major Religions

COMPARING THE FIVE MAJOR WORLD RELIGIONS
COMPARE MAJOR WORLD RELIGIONS

Compare and contrast
the tenets of the five
major world religions

Monotheism:
Judaism
Christianity
Islam
•
•
•

Nontheism


Buddhism
Polytheism

Hinduism

Theo means
MONOTHEISM

Monotheism is the
belief in only one
God.
 Judaism
 Christianity
 Islam
JUDAISM

JUDAISM is a religion of just one people: the Jews.

JUDAISM was the first to teach belief in only one God.

Two other important religions developed from
Judaism:
 Christianity
 Islam
JUDAISM

Jews think that God will send a Messiah (a deliverer)
to unite them and lead them in His way.

Christians believe that Jesus was the Messiah. The
Jewish people do not agree; they anticipate His arrival
in the future.

Judaism teaches that death is not the end and that
there is a world to come.
JUDAISM

The Jewish house of worship is called a synagogue.

Rabbis (spiritual leaders) conduct services, act as interpreters
of Jewish laws, and deliver sermons.

Today there are over 18 million followers of Judaism scattered
throughout the world.
 A large number of those people live in the Jewish nation of
Israel.
 Over six million live in the United States.
JUDAISM

The "Torah," the first five books of the Hebrew
Bible, is the most important Jewish scripture.

It contains the basic laws of Judaism. These
laws are called the Ten Commandments.

The Torah describes God’s covenant, or special
agreement, with Abraham, the founder of the
Jewish religion.
JEWISH PHILOSOPHY
God is one and unique
 God is the creator
 God is lawgiver
 God is personal
 God is judge
 We have the obligation to worship
 The Torah is God's law
 The Messiah will come.

JEWISH HOLIDAYS
Passover: This holiday commemorates (a
ceremony that shows respect) the Exodus of
the Israelites from Egypt.
 Often coincides with Easter.
 Celebrated with a dinner called seder
(pronounced SAY-der).

JEWISH HOLIDAYS

Rosh Hashanah – Jewish New Year
 Falls
between Labor Day and Columbus Day
 Time for reflection (like American New Years)
MAP OF JUDAISM IN THE US
MONOTHEISM - CONTINUED
CHRISTIANITY

Christianity started about 2000 years ago.

The central point of Christian belief is that God,
the Father, entered into human history as the
Son, Jesus of Nazareth, and arose as the Holy
Spirit.
CHRISTIANITY

The early Hebrews who eventually developed into the
Jewish religion became the foundation of Christianity.

Jesus, or the Messiah, was a Jewish boy who
disagreed with some of the Jewish principles of his
day began to profess a new way of thinking.

This eventually led to the beginning of the Christian
religion.
CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHY
God is the Creator of the universe.
 There is one God, Who is Three PersonsFather, Son and Holy Spirit.
 Jesus is both fully man and fully God. He
was born of the Virgin Mary,
crucified, resurrected from the dead, and
ascended to the Father.

CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHY

The Bible is the Holy Book.

All believers are promised life everlasting.

The leader of Christianity was Jesus, and the
followers were his 12 disciples.
CHRISTIAN HOLIDAYS

Today Christians around the world celebrate:
 Jesus’
birth at Christmas
 His resurrection at Easter
WHERE IS CHRISTIANITY PREVALENT?
LEADING CHURCH BODIES, US
MONOTHEISM CONTINUED
ISLAM

ISLAM is the name given to the religion preached by
the prophet Muhammad in the 600s A. D.

Islam started in the area known as Palestine in the
year 600AD.

It has about 850 million followers, most of them in the
region around the Mediterranean Sea.
ISLAM
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The holy book of Islam is the
“Qur’an” (Koran).
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Muslims believe its words to be
those of Allah himself, spoken to
Muhammad by an angel.
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Allah, is the name for God.
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People who believe these ideas are
called Muslims.
ISLAM
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Muslims pray five times daily in their mosques (churches).
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While praying, they face the holy city of Mecca (in SaudiArabia) and sometimes kneel with faces to the ground.

All Muslims are required to make a pilgrimage (trip to a
sacred place) to Mecca at least once in their lifetime.
MUSLIM PHILOSOPHY

Muslims learn that life on earth is a period of testing
and preparation for the life to come.

Angels record good and bad deeds.

People should behave themselves and help others,
trusting in Allah's justice and mercy for their reward.
MUSLIM HOLIDAYS

Ramadan occurs in the ninth month of the
Muslim calendar. It marks the month when,
according to Muslim belief, Muhammad
received the verses of the Qur’an sent by God.
It is a month of fasting from sunrise to sunset.
Ramadan is a time for prayer and charitable
acts.
MUSLIM HOLIDAYS

The end of Ramadan is a joyous occasion known as ‘Id
al-Fitr, which lasts three days.

During this celebration there are special feasts, giftgiving, and prayers.

This celebration is an opportunity for Muslims to
gather in joy and remember those less fortunate than
they are.
MAP OF ISLAM IN THE UNITED STATES
The absence of a belief in a personal god(s).
NONTHEISM
BUDDHISM
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Founding person of Buddhism is Guatama, the
Buddha

The Dalai Lama is a Buddhist monk who
remains the leader of the Tibetans.

Buddhism is a major religion in China, Japan,
India, and Tibet.
BUDDHISM
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Buddhism is the world's oldest universal
religion and it is the second fastest growing
religion.
THE MAJOR PHILOSOPHY OF BUDDHISM
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Love: without conditions

Compassion: or feeling at one with the person who is suffering

Sympathetic Joy: Celebrate the happiness of others, and do not
resent their good fortune.

Impartiality: Treat everyone equally, and do not use others for
personal gain or to win approval.
THE MAJOR PHILOSOPHY OF BUDDHISM
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Buddhism states that existence is a continuing
cycle of death and rebirth called reincarnation.

Each person's position in life is determined by
his or her behavior in the previous life. This is
known as their "karma" (also a Hindu belief).
BUDDHIST HOLIDAYS

Buddhist New Year: The Buddhist New Year is
observed on various days, depending on
specific Buddhist sects, as well as where in the
world you are located.
 For
example, if you are in Cambodia, Laos, Sri
Lanka or Thailand, the new year is celebrated three
days following the first full moon within the month
of April.
BUDDHIST HOLIDAYS

Vesak (Buddha Day): Serving as one of the most
important festivals in Buddhist culture, Vesak is
observed on the day of the first full moon in May.

This is when all Buddhists pay their respects to the
birth, enlightenment, as well as death of the Buddha.
Belief in more than one god.
Hinduism
Egyptian mythology
Greek mythology
Roman mythology
POLYTHEISM
HINDUISM

HINDUISM is one of the world's oldest
religions.
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Over 2/3's of the world's Hindus live in
India; large numbers reside in Africa also.

Hindus believe in many gods, numbering
into the millions. They recognize one
supreme spirit called Brahman ("the
Absolute.")
HINDUISM
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Hinduism has many
sacred books, the
oldest being a series
called the "Vedhas”.
Traditional Hindu society
was divided into groups
of four classes (or
varnas).
This was known as the
"caste system."
HINDU PHILOSOPHY

The goal of Hindus is to someday join with
Brahman.

Until that union takes place, believers are
in a continuous process of rebirth called
"reincarnation."
HINDU PHILOSOPHY

At death, the Hindu's deeds
(karma) determine what the
next life will be.

Followers work to break this
cycle--birth, death, re-birth-(referred to by writers as the
"Wheel of Life") and gain
release.

The Hindu's soul then
merges with Brahman in a
condition of spiritual
perfection (moksha).
HINDU HOLIDAY

Diwali (The Festival of Lights)
 Marks the beginning of the New Year, which
15th day of the Hindu month of October.
 The
is the
celebration lasts five days, and each day has
its own significance.