Transcript Main Idea 1

Birthplace of
Three Religions
© Copyright 2008
Mrs. Kelly Stevens & Mrs. Chantal Lerebours
Origin of Religion
• Humans have always been curious about
the world around them and have tried to
answer questions about where the world
came from and what happens once they
die.
• These needs resulted in the development
of a variety of religions and philosophies
that can be found throughout the world
today
Spread of religion
• At first, humans developed belief
systems that were localized to the
area in which they lived.
• As civilizations developed and people
from different areas interacted,
religions began to spread out.
Religion defined
• The belief in and legends about a
higher being who created the world
and influence people’s lives.
• The belief that a person can be
transformed by performing certain
practices.
Religious Values
As we’re studying about religions, think
about the following things….
– A way one sees the world
– Ideas about the world
– How does God rule over the world?
– How does God and handle his/her
followers?
– How should one live?
– What are your responsibilities to your
faith?
Types of religion
• In some religions, followers believe in
more than one god.
– POLYTHEISM
• The belief in MANY Gods
• While other religions, the followers
believe in a single, all-powerful god.
– MONOTHEISM
• The belief in ONE God
• Still some followers of other religions do
not focus on worshiping a god or gods.
They search for a higher state of being
where they are free from suffering.
Birthplace of Three religion
• At the crossroads of
Europe, Africa, and
Asia, there is an area
called the Middle East.
• Three of the world's
great religions have
their origins in the
region:
– Judaism,
– Christianity,
– and Islam.
COMMON TRAITS
Sacred
Writings
MONTHEISTIC
Judaism
Christianity
Islam
Led by a
Single
Person
All started
in SW
Asia
Origins of Judaism
The Big Idea
The Hebrews formed a great kingdom in Israel
and started a religion called Judaism.
Main Ideas
• The Hebrews’ early history began in Canaan and ended
when the Romans forced them out of Israel.
• Jewish beliefs in God, justice, and law anchor their society.
• Jewish sacred texts called the Torah describe the laws and
principles of Judaism.
• Traditions and holy days celebrate the history and religion
of the Jewish people.
Main Idea 1:
The Hebrews’ early history began in Canaan
and ended when the Romans forced them out
of Israel.
• Hebrews under Abraham settled in Canaan about 2100 BC.
• Some Hebrews later moved to Egypt, where they were enslaved.
• About 1200 BC Moses led his people in a journey out of Egypt
called the Exodus.
• Many years later Israel was divided into two kingdoms, Israel
and Judah.
• Both kingdoms fell to invaders by 586 BC, and the Jews were
scattered outside of Israel and Judah in the Diaspora.
• Some Jews returned, but were eventually conquered by the
Romans who killed, enslaved, or drove away much of the Jewish
population.
Main Idea 2:
Jewish beliefs in God, justice, and law
anchor their society.
One God
Justice
• 1st people to believe in One God!
• The Jews believed they were God’s chosen
people.
• Kindness and fairness in dealing with all other
people
Righteousness • Doing what is proper
• Most important are the Ten Commandments
Law • Mosaic law, recorded by Moses, guides many
areas of Jews’ daily lives.
Main Idea 3:
Jewish sacred texts describe the laws and
principles of Judaism.
Torah
Hebrew Bible
• Most sacred text
of Judaism
• Also called the
Tanach
• Five books
containing most
of the ancient
Jewish laws
• First part: Torah
• Also contains
history of the
Jewish people
until the death of
Moses
• Second part:
Eight books of
messages of the
Hebrew prophets
• Third part: Eleven
books of poetry,
songs, stories,
lessons, and
history, with
Psalms and
Proverbs
Worship held in a Synagogue led by a Rabbi
Commentaries
• Explanations of
the Torah and
laws by scholars
and rabbis, or
religious teachers
• Especially the
Talmud, produced
between AD 200
and 600
Origins of Christianity
The Big Idea
Christianity, a religion based on the life and teachings of
Jesus of Nazareth, spread throughout the Roman Empire.
Main Ideas
• The life and death of Jesus of Nazareth inspired a new
religion called Christianity.
• Christians believe that Jesus’s acts and teachings focused
on love and salvation.
• Jesus’s followers taught others about Jesus’s life and
teachings.
• Christianity spread throughout the Roman Empire by 400.
Main Idea 1:
The life and death of Jesus of Nazareth
inspired a new religion called Christianity.
• Many people believe Jesus was the Messiah– a great
leader the ancient Jews predicted would come to restore
the greatness of Israel.
• Jesus’s life and teachings form the basis of a religion
called Christianity.
• What we know of Jesus’s life is contained in the Bible, the
holy book of Christianity.
• Worship is held in a church lead by a priest.
• Highest church is the Vatican led by the Pope.
The Life of Jesus
• Jesus was born in a small town called Bethlehem at the end of
the first century BC.
– Jesus’s mother, Mary, was married to Joseph, a carpenter.
– Christians believe God was Jesus’s father.
• Jesus began to travel and teach when he was about 30,
challenging the authority of political and religious leaders.
• In or around AD 30 they arrested and tried him. He was
executed by crucifixion.
• Christians believe in Jesus’s Resurrection, his rise from the
dead three days after he was crucified.
• After the Resurrection, Jesus appeared to some groups of his
disciples, or followers, and taught them about how to pass on
his teachings.
Vatican City
Main Idea 2:
Christians believe that Jesus’s acts and
teachings focused on love and salvation.
Acts
• According to the
Bible, Jesus
performed
miracles.
• Miracles are
events that
cannot normally
be performed by
a human.
• The New
Testament says
that people
became Jesus’s
followers after
seeing him
perform miracles.
Parables
• Parables are
stories that teach
lessons.
• Jesus taught
using parables.
• Through parables,
Jesus linked his
beliefs and
teachings to
people’s everyday
lives.
Message
• Love God
• Love all people,
even your
enemies
• Salvation, the
rescue of people
from sin
• How people can
reach God’s
kingdom
Main Idea 3:
Jesus’s followers taught others about
Jesus’s life and teachings.
• Twelve men whom Jesus chose to receive
special teaching
The Apostles
• Sent by Jesus to spread his teachings
• Continued teaching after the Resurrection
• Led by Peter after Jesus died
• Accounts of Jesus’s life and teachings written
attributed to his disciples
The Gospels
• New Testament contains four by Matthew,
Mark, Luke, and John
• Best source of information about Jesus’s life
Paul
• Paul is probably the most important person in the spread of
Christianity.
• Paul never met Jesus.
• At first he worked against the spread of Jesus’s message.
• According to the Bible, Paul experienced an event which caused
his conversion to Christianity.
• After his conversion he traveled spreading Christian teachings
and wrote letters to communities throughout the Roman world.
• After he died he was named a saint, a person known and
admired for his or her holiness.
Main Idea 4:
Christianity spread throughout
the Roman Empire by 400.
Christians wrote down and distributed the Gospels and other
teachings.
Local Roman officials challenged the spread of Christianity.
Christianity was banned by emperors during the 200s and 300s.
Local Christian leaders led each Christian community. Leaders,
or bishops, of larger cities had more influence, especially the
bishop of Rome, also known as the pope. As the pope’s
influence grew, Christianity spread throughout Rome.
Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity and removed
bans against its practice.
Eventually, Christianity spread from Rome all around the world.
Origins of Islam
The Big Idea
In the harsh desert climate of Arabia,
Muhammad, a merchant from Mecca, introduced
a major world religion called Islam.
Main Ideas
• Arabia is mostly a desert land, where two ways of life,
nomadic and sedentary, developed.
• A new religion called Islam, founded by the prophet
Muhammad, spread throughout Arabia in the 600s.
Main Idea 1:
Arabia is mostly a desert land,
where two ways of life, nomadic and
sedentary, developed.
Physical Features and Climate
• Arabia is located in the southwest corner of Asia.
• It’s in a region with hot and dry air, where summer
temperatures reach 100°F daily.
• This climate has created a band of deserts where sand
dunes, or hills of sand shaped by the wind, can rise to 800
feet high and stretch across hundreds of miles.
• Water exists mainly in scattered oases. An oasis is a wet,
fertile area in a desert.
Two Ways of Life
• Lived in tents
Nomads
• Raised herds of sheep, goats, and camels
• Traveled across the desert in search of food
and water for their animals
• Water and land belonged to tribes
• Lived in oases where they could farm
Townspeople
• Towns became centers of trade.
• Nomads traded animal products and herbs.
• Merchants sold spices, gold, leather, and other
goods brought by caravans.
Main Idea 2:
A new religion called Islam, founded by the
prophet Muhammad, spread throughout
Arabia in the 600s.
Muhammad was born around 570 in Mecca.
Wealthy people traditionally had helped the poor, but as Muhammad
was growing up, many rich people ignored the needy.
Concerned about these changes, Muhammad often prayed. One day,
when he was about 40, writings say that an angel spoke to
Muhammad.
The messages that Muhammad received form the basis of the religion
called Islam. In Arabic, the word Islam means “to submit to God.”
Muslims, or people who follow Islam, believe that God chose
Muhammad to be his messenger to the world.
Messages received by Muhammad were collected in the Qur’an, the
holy book of Islam.
Muhammad’s Teachings
There was only
one God, Allah,
which means
“the God” in
Arabic.
All people who
believed in Allah
were bound
together like
members of a
family.
People should
help those who
are less
fortunate.
Islam Spreads in Arabia
The number of Muhammad’s followers slowly grew, and Mecca’s
rulers grew worried. They threatened Muhammad.
In 622 Muhammad and many of his followers moved to
Medina. The name Medina means “the Prophet’s city.”
Muhammad’s departure from Mecca is called the hegira, or
journey. It is so important that Muslims made 622 the first year
of the Islamic calendar.
Muhammad was a spiritual and political leader in Medina. His
house became the first mosque, or building for Muslim prayer.
Eventually, most people in Arabia had accepted Muhammad and
become Muslims. Muhammad died in 632.
Islamic Beliefs and Practices
The Big Idea
Sacred texts called the Qur’an and the Sunnah
guide Muslims in their religion, daily life, and laws.
Main Ideas
• The Qur’an guides Muslims’ lives.
• The Sunnah tells Muslims of important duties expected of
them.
• Islamic law is based on the Qur’an and the Sunnah.
Main Idea 1:
The Qur’an guides Muslims’ lives.
Muslims consider the Qur’an to be the exact word of God as it
was told to Muhammad.
The central teaching is that there is only one God—Allah—and
that Muhammad is his prophet.
Islam teaches that the world had a definite beginning and will
end one day. Muhammad taught that on the final day God will
judge all people.
People who have obeyed his orders will be granted life in
paradise. People who have not obeyed God will suffer.
The Qur’an describes Muslim acts of worship, guidelines for
moral behavior, and rules for social life.
Main Idea 2:
The Sunnah tells Muslims of
important duties expected of them.
• Muslims study the hadith, the written record of Muhammad’s
words and actions. It is the basis for the Sunnah.
• The Sunnah refers to the way Muhammad lived, which
provides a model for the duties and the way of life expected of
Muslims.
• The Sunnah guides Muslims’ behavior.
A Mix of Cultures
• Muslims generally practiced tolerance, or acceptance,
with regard to the people they conquered.
• Muslims did not ban other religions. Christians and Jews in
particular kept many of their rights. They did, however,
have to pay a special tax, and were forbidden from
converting anyone to their religions.
• Many people conquered by the Arabs converted to Islam.
They often adopted other parts of Arabic culture, including
the Arabic language. The Arabs, in turn, adopted some
customs from them.
• This cultural blending changed Islam from a mostly Arab
religion into a religion that included many cultures.
Growth of Cities
The growing cities of the Muslim world reflected the blending of
cultures.
Baghdad
• In what is now Iraq
• Became the capital of the
Islamic empire in 762
• One of the world’s richest
cities
• Center of culture and
learning
Córdoba
• In Spain
• Showplace of Muslim
civilization
• Largest and most
advanced city in western
Europe by the early 900s