Transcript Religion in Southwest Asia

Religion in Southwest Asia
The meeting place of three
religions
Judaism
• Judaism is the oldest
monotheistic religion.
• MONOTHEISTIC
means belief in one
God
• It was founded by
Abraham almost 4000
years ago.
• Those who practice
Judaism are called
Jews.
What do Jews believe?
• Jews believe that God made a special
agreement with Abraham to bless his
descendants and give them land if they
worshipped and remained faithful to God.
• They are called “The Chosen People”
• The sacred texts of the Jews include
– The Hebrew Bible (the Tanakh)which has three
parts
• The Torah ( the law)
• The Prophets
• The Writings
– The Talmud
Where do they pray?
• Jews pray in a synagogue.
– They are led by a rabbi who teaches
and interprets Jewish law
– The Cantor chants prayers in Hebrew
– Male worshippers should wear a
yarmulke (yah-ma-kah) or a skull cap.
Jewish Holidays
• Rosh HashanahJewish New Year
• Yom Kippur- Day
of Atonement
• Hanukkah- Feast of
Lights
• Passover- celebrates
the Exodus from
Egypt
Jerusalem, Israel
The Western Wall is sacred to Jews
Christianity
• Christians make up the largest religious
group in the world - 2 billion
• It was founded by Jesus Christ and his
Apostles
• There are many denominations (groups)
of Christians.
– The largest group is the Catholic
Church which is based in Rome
• It is led by the Pope in Vatican City
– Eastern Orthodox
– Protestant
What do Christians believe?
• Christians believe that there is only one
God, Jesus was his Son sent to save
humanity from eternal sin. The way to
heaven is to be absolved of all sin.
• The sacred book of Christians is called
The Bible
– Old Testament: creation; covenant with the
Jews; prediction of the coming Messiah
– New Testament: life of Jesus Christ;
development of the early church; end
of the world.
Where do they pray?
• Christians pray in a church. Large
churches can also be called cathedrals.
• They can be led by people who are called a
variety of names
– Father
– Reverend
– Deacon
Special Days
• Christmas
• Easter
• Pentecost
Islam
• Islam is a religion that
began in 610 A.D.
• It was founded by
Muhammad, a
merchant from Mecca ,
a city in Saudi Arabia.
• He is called a prophet.
• Those who practice
Islam are called
Muslims.
What do Muslims believe?
• They believe in one God, whom they call by the
Arabic name for God, Allah.
• This means they are monotheistic. Which other
religions are monotheistic?
• The sacred book of Muslims is called The Qur’an
• There are 5 duties, or pillars, a Muslim must
follow
– Faith - Iman
– Prayer - Salat
– Charity - Zakat
– Fasting - Ramadan
– Pilgrimage - Hajj
The Ka’aba in Mecca
Where do they pray?
• Friday is the holy day
in Islam
• They pray in a mosque.
It can also be called a
masjid
• Why are some Muslims
called Sunni and others
called Shi’ite?
Special Days
• Eid-ul- Adha - celebrates
the beginning of Hajj
• Ramadan- the most holy
month in the Muslim
year. Fasting from sunup to sundown ends with
a feast every evening
• Eid- ul- Fitr- celebrates
the end of Ramadan
Why does Islam affect the
government?
• Unlike other religions, the Qur’ an gives
instructions on living daily life and how
laws should be enacted, so the government
in these Muslim countries follow the
shari’a or religious law creating a
theocracy. This type of government is one
in which religious leaders are in control.
How is Islam similar to
Judaism and Christianity?
• They all believe in one God
(monotheistic)
• How else?
• They all claim Jerusalem as a sacred
site. Look at p. 494.
• How could this cause conflict?