Transcript Major Religions 1 - Beavercreek City Schools

Major Religions of the World
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What does religion mean to you?
something one believes in and follows devotedly
 usually has some form of “higher power”
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Why do you think religion causes so many
conflicts and wars in the world when it is
supposed to promote peace?
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What religion are you?
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Why do you practice that religion?
Numbers
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Christianity: 1.9 billion people
Islam: 1.1 billion
Hinduism: 800 million
Buddhism: 325 million
Judaism: 13 million
Christianity
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Based on the life and teachings of Jesus
Christ
Originated in Palestine in the 1st century
AD
Believe that Jesus was the son of God who
came and died for people’s sins and then
rose so that all people could be saved
Believe in one God(monotheistic) who
created the universe and all things in it
Christianity originally developed as a part
of Judaism
Christian Way of Life
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Fellowship with God
Our relationships with others
Obedience to God's commands
Discipline
Ten Commandments
Important Days
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Ash Wednesday-Lent
Palm Sunday
Maundy Thursday
Good Friday
Easter
Ascension
Pentecost
Advent
Christmas
Epiphany
Judaism
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Is a monotheistic religion
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The fundamental beliefs of Judaism are:
-There is a single, all-powerful God,
who created the universe and
everything in it.
-God has a special relationship with the
Jewish people due to covenant that
God made with Moses on Mount
Sinai, 3500 years ago.
The Written Torah (first 5 books of the Bible) and
Oral Torah were given to Moses
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The Jewish place of worship is called a
Synagogue
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The religious leader of a Jewish
community is called a Rabbi
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Unlike leaders in many other faiths, a
rabbi is not a priest and has no special
religious status
The Jewish holy day, or Sabbath(Shabbat),
starts at sunset on Friday and continues
until sunset on Saturday
7 Holy Days
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Rosh Hashanah-Jewish New Year
Yom Kippur-A day of fasting and praying
which occurs 10 days after the first day of
Rosh Hashanah. The holiest day in the
year
Sukkot-8 day festival of thanksgiving
Hanukkah-The Feast of Lights is an 8 day
Feast of Dedication. It recalls the war
fought by the Maccabees in the cause of
religious freedom
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Purim-The Feast of Lots recalls the defeat by
Queen Esther of the plan to slaughter all of
the Persian Jews, circa 400 BC
Pesa(Passover)-The 8 day festival recalls the
exodus of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt
circa 1300 BCE. A holiday meal, the Seder, is
held at home
Shavouth-Pentecost recalls God's revelation
of the Torah to the Jewish people
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Menorah-It is a
symbol of the nation
of Israel and a
mission to be "a light
unto the nations.
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A Yarmulke is worn
during prayer to shoe
respect to God
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The Star of David is
the international
symbol of Judaism
Flag of Israel has it
Islam
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Islam is the world's second most followed religion
It began around 1400 years ago in Arabia, but swiftly
become a world faith, and now has around 1.2 billion
people
"Islam" is an Arabic word which means “surrendering
oneself to the will of God”
One will achieve peace and security by doing so
A person surrenders to the will of Allah by living and
thinking in the way Allah has instructed.
Islam is more than a system of beliefs. The faith
provides a social and legal system and governs things
like family life, law and order, ethics, dress, and
cleanliness, as well as religious ritual and
observance—Islamic Republic
Where is Islam practiced?
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The countries with the largest Islamic
populations are not in the Middle East as
most would think
The largest are Indonesia (170 million),
Pakistan (136 million), Bangladesh (105
million), and India (103 million)
Islam's three holiest places, the cities of
Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem, are all in
the Middle East
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The present form of Islam began in Arabia in
622 AD
It is based on the ministry of a man named
Muhammad and on the words that Allah gave to
the world through him
Muhammad did not found Islam. Islam was
created by Allah at the beginning of time, and in
fact Muslims regard Adam as the first Muslim
Muhammad was the final messenger through
whom Allah revealed the faith to the world
There had been earlier messengers, among
them Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus.
5 Pillars of Islam
1. Shahada(witness) is the Muslim
profession of faith
- "I witness that there is no god but
Allah, and that Muhammad is the
prophet of Allah"
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Muslims say this when they wake up in
the morning and just before they go to
sleep at night
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2. Salat(daily prayer) is a prayer ritual
performed 5 times a day by all Muslims
over the age of 10
Between first light and sunrise
After the sun has passed the middle of
the sky
Between mid-afternoon and sunset
Between sunset and the last light of the
day
Between darkness and dawn
3. Sawm(fasting) is abstaining each day during
Ramadan
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Sawm helps Muslims develop self-control, gain
a better understanding of God's gifts and
greater compassion towards the deprived.
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Ramadan is the holiest day for Islam. It marks
when Muhammad had the Qur-an revealed to
him
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Sawm is usually described as fasting, but it
actually involves abstaining from all bodily
pleasures between dawn and sunset
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Not only is food forbidden, but also things like
smoking, chewing gum, negative thoughts and
sexual activity
4. Zakat(almsgiving) is giving alms to the
poor
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This is a compulsory gift of 2.5 % of
one's savings each year
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Giving in this way is intended to free
Muslims from the love of money
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It reminds them that everything they
have really belongs to God.
5. Hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca that all
physically/financially able Muslims should
make at least once in their life
 Mecca is the most holy place for Muslims
Other Info
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The Qur’an is the Islamic holy book
The Qur'an is the actual word of God, and
contains the fundamental beliefs of Islam
Mecca, Medina and Jerusulem are holy
cities
According to tradition, the Qur'an was
dictated to Muhammad
Hinduism
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Hinduism includes a very wide range of
beliefs and practices, so there aren't many
things that are common to all Hindu
groups
Hinduism has no founder, no single book
of faith, no creed,
Hinduism is very individualistic but a big
part of a person’s everyday life
There are 750 million Hindus in the world,
mostly in India
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Behind Hindu practice is the belief that every
soul is trapped in a cycle of birth-deathrebirth(reincarnation). Every Hindu wants to
escape from this cycle and move toward
Moksha.
Hindus aim to live in a way that will cause each
of their lives to be better than the life before.
Whether one is reborn into a better life, a worse
life, or even to live as an animal, depends on
Karma, which is the value of a soul's good and
bad deeds.
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Dharma is a “cosmic natural law” that forms the basis
for Hindu philosophies, beliefs and practices and holds
everything together
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People that live in harmony with Dharma proceed more
quickly toward Moksha
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Hindus ultimate aim is escape from the life cycle
altogether and achieve the ultimate liberation—Moksha
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Hindus believe the universe doesn't have a beginning
and an end. It's a cyclical pattern, so once it ends, it
begins again.
Hindu Gods
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There is only one ultimate God, Brahman, but
shows itself in many forms
The gods Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, for
example, are different aspects of Brahman:
Brahma reflects God's divine work of creating
the universe
Vishnu reflects God's work in keeping the
universe in existence
Shiva reflects God's work in destroying it
Buddhism
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Founded in India around 500 BC by
Siddhartha Guatama who became Buddha,
the Enlightened One, when he was 29
Buddhism has no unique creed, no single
authority and no single sacred book
Buddhism focuses on each individual
seeking to attain enlightenment
His main teachings was to eliminate
human wants as they are the cause of
suffering in the world
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Key beliefs and values are contained in "The
Four Noble Truths“
1. Life means suffering
2. The origin of suffering is attachment to
worldly things
3. The end to suffering is attainable through
eliminating physical wants/needs , breaking
free from the cycle of rebirth and reaching
Nirvana.
4. The path to the end of suffering and
achieving Nirvana is to follow the Eight Fold
Path
Eight Fold Path
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1. Right View
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2. Right Intention
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Think and do the right things at all times
3. Right Speech
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To see and view things as they really are
Attained true wisdom
Do not lie, curse, slander, or gossip
4. Right Action
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Do not harm yourself or others, do not steal,
and no sexual misconduct
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5. Right Livelihood
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6. Right Effort
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Give 100% effort in what you do
7. Right Mindfulness
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No jobs dealing in weapons, in living beings
(including raising animals for slaughter as well
as slave trade and prostitution), working in
meat production and butchery, and selling
alcohol and drugs
Having the power to control our thought
process and see the truth behind things
8. Right Concentration
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Ability to have deep concentration and ability
to focus on wholesome thoughts and actions