Transcript Monotheism - inglenookreligion

Monotheism
WHEN WE HEAR THE WORD MONOTHEISM,
WHAT RELIGIONS DO YOU THINK OF?
Judaism
 Considered the first of the three main monotheistic
religions
 Both Christianity and Islam connect directly back to
Jewish stories and beliefs
The story of Abraham
 It was not one of the
polytheistic, Mesopotamian
Gods that spoke to Abraham
but rather a single “God.”
 Abraham was instructed to
move to a special land to raise a
nation.
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 Around 2000 BCE Abraham
received a vision from God that
instructed him to leave his
home in the Mesopotamian city
of Ur and move to Canaan.
This story represents for some
that people of Jewish faith are
“Gods chosen people” and that
they have a “promised land.”
The story of Abraham and later, Moses
 By the time Ramses II became
Pharaoh, slavery was a fact of
Hebrew life, with liberation a distant,
idealistic dream…
 Often idealistic dreams can become
 When a severe drought struck the
Jewish area of Canaan, the
decedents of Abraham were forced
to move to Egypt.
 Eventually the Egyptians turned on
the Hebrews and enslaved them.
reality, and as the Hebrew people
longed for liberty, a liberator did
emerge. Moses was born of Hebrew
slaves, but was later adopted by the
Pharaoh’s daughter and grew up in
the imperial court.
 Moses was favored by the Pharaoh
until he killed and Egyptian who was
harassing a Hebrew slave.
The story of Moses
 Fearing the wrath of Pharaoh,
Moses fled.
 Moses encountered God through a
burning bush. God revealed that
the cries of the Israelites had been
heard and that they would be set
free through the person of Moses.
 God said that they would be
brought out of slavery and into a
“Promised land.”
 Moses embarked on his mission
and God brought ten plagues on
the Egyptians in order to convince
the Pharaoh to let the Hebrew
people go.
The Tenth Plague: The Angel of Death
 The tenth plague called on the angel of death to descend on
Egypt and take the first-born of all who lived in the region.
 God instructed Moses to tell the Hebrews they could escape
this plague by smearing lamb’s blood over their doors.
 This would signal to the Angel of death that the people in
the home are descendants of Abraham.
 The celebration of Passover celebrates this event and that
the Hebrews were set free.
The Ten Commandments
 Later, on Mount Sinai, God
appeared to Moses again, this
time sharing with him the Ten
Commandments.
 The Ten Commandments
emphasized the nature of God’s
existence as well as the laws
that the people would need to
follow in order to maintain a
relationship with God.
Hebrew Traditions
 Synagogues were built during the time of exile,
these are places for congregational worship
 Rabbis are revered Jewish-Hebrew teachers. They
interpret scriptures in a manner that makes the
stories in the bible easier to understand for the
average person.
 Jewish heritage, often to be considered Jewish
one’s mother is Jewish or one has converted to
Judaism.
Hebrew Traditions
 Torah scroll is the text of five of the books of
Moses. It is the most sacred object of Jewish life and
is essential for worship.
 Kashruth are Jewish dietary laws (also known as
Kosher foods).
 Shabbat or Sabbath is a period every Friday at
sundown where families come together, attend the
synagogue, light candles and have a special dinner.
Jewish Festivals
 Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year; falls in
September or early October. It begins a ten-day
period of repentance, ending with the festival of
Yom Kippur.
 Yom Kippur is known as the day of atonement. It is
the most solemn religious day in the Jewish
calendar. It includes…
A 25 hour fast and prayers of repentance
 Comfort and luxury are not allowed… often no makeup is worn
and sex between husband and wife is not permitted.

Jewish Festivals
 Hanukkah the Jewish festival of light. After the
Maccabean revolt, there was only enough oil in the
temple lamp to last one day but according to legend
the lamp continued to burn for eight days. This
celebration often falls in December.
 Passover is usually held in April and it celebrates
the freeing of the Hebrews from slavery (Exodus).
Christianity
CHRISTIANITY HAD ITS START IN JUDAISM.
ACCORDING TO CHRISTIANS HOWEVER,
JESUS CHRIST WAS A MESSIAH OR SAVIOR…
Jesus Christ… Who was he?
 According to Christian
scriptures, Jesus was conceived
by the power of the holy spirit
in the womb of a virgin named
Mary who was betrothed to
Joseph.
 Mary and Joseph came to
Bethlehem to register for the
census.
 They needed a place to stay so
they took shelter in a stable.
 Mary gave birth to baby Jesus
and placed him in a manger
 Nearby, an angel
appeared to shepherds
who were tending to
their sheep and
announced the birth of
Jesus.
 The shepherds spread
the news! Many went to
visit Jesus.
Jesus Christ… Who was he?
 According to Mathew’s gospel,
three magi or wise men from
the East followed a star that
lead them to the place where
Jesus was born.
 They brought with them gifts of
gold, incense and myrrth
 The three gifts had a spiritual
meaning:
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gold as a symbol of kingship on earth,
frankincense (an incense) as a symbol
of deity,
and myrrh (an embalming oil) as a
symbol of death
Jesus
 Became baptized and the Holy
 His perspective challenged
 He was born into Jewish faith
 He was part of many ‘miracles’
Spirit spoke and explained that
Jesus was the son of God.
and practices.
 Around age 30, Jesus retreated
to the desert for 40 days where
he fasted and was tempted by
the devil.
 He then returned and began
preaching from a Jewish
perspective.
accepted views and he was not
popular in religious circles.
and spoke to many people
about his beliefs and religious
connections.
Jesus
 Jesus was seen as the “Son of
God” which was considered
blasphemous by some religious
authorities.
 After the dinner, Jesus learned
that one of his men, Judas had
betrayed him.
 Jesus was arrested and charged
 Before being arrested Jesus had
his last mean, which was a
Passover meal with his twelve
disciples (religious
teachers/supporters).
 This is known as the Last
Supper.
with blasphemy.
 As punishment he was nailed to
a wooden cross.
 This is the crucifixion which
Christians believe brought
about the forgiveness of sins
and promise of eternal life.
Jesus
 Jesus’ body was then placed in
a tomb cut out of a rock.
 Three days later his followers
went to treat the body with
herbs and spices, but the body
was gone!
 An angel appeared and told
them that Jesus had risen from
the dead.
 Jesus appeared to some of his
followers in the days that
followed… This is referred to as
the resurrection.
Islam
IS AN ARABIC WORD THAT MEANS
“SUBMITTING TO GOD”
Islam
 A person who follows the teachings of Islam is called
a Muslim.
 Their primary belief is that “There is no god but God
and Muhammad is the Messenger of God.”
How did the belief in Muhammad begin?
 Muslims believe that, in the
seventh century, God sent a series
of revelations through the
Archangel Gabriel to a man named
Muhammad, who is seen as the
last Prophet sent to humanity by
God.
 A revelation is a clear and vivid
experience that teaches a
profound, spiritual truth.
Before Muhammad…
 The people of Arabia held a belief in a variety of different gods in the
form of religious expression known as polytheism.
 In 610, Muhammad had his first revelation, and during the next 23
years, he received a series of revelations which were assembled to form
the sacred text of Islam called the Qur’an.
Beliefs
 Muslims believe God’s proper name is Allah.
 Place of worship is called a Mosque. There are no human or
animal representations.
 Muslims believe that every person living on earth has one
soul that lives on earth for one lifetime and, upon the death
of the body, moves onto an after-life.
 Once one dies, the individual experiences the day of
judgement and the soul is sent to Paradise or Hell.
The Five Pillars of Islam
 First Pillar:
 Shahadah – Declaration
of faith
 Fourth Pillar:
 Sawm – Mandatory
fasting
 Second Pillar:
 Salat – Mandatory
prayer five times daily
 Fifth Pillar:
 Hajj – mandatory
pilgramage to Makkah
 Third Pillar:
 Zakat – Mandatory
almsgiving (the practice of
giving money or food to
poor people) usually 2.5%
of surplus wealth.