Transcript Worship and Spiritual Practice

They’ve got the whole world
Religions
of
the World
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In Their Hands….
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Why Study World Religions?
Global integration has accelerated recently with
enormous consequences for people all over the world. It
has resulted in changes in traditional behavior and has
challenged the adaptability of individuals, families,
organizations, institutions, and nations. Wealth has
been created and redistributed as economic, political,
and social systems have striven to adapt. Governments
have had to reassess their roles and responsibilities as
governing elites have worked to maintain their influence.
The historic trend has had dramatic effect on the
civilizations characterized generally as Christian and
Islamic in addition to influencing all world religions.
Religions of the World
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Christianity
Judaism
Islamism
Hinduism
Confucianism
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Christianity - 30+ CE
 Christianity started out as a breakaway sect of
Judaism nearly 2000 years ago.
 Jesus, the son of the Virgin Mary & Joseph,
conceived through the Holy Spirit.
 Reform the laws and practices of Jewish faith.
 Son of God sent to earth to save humanity
from our sins.
Christianity and Judaism share the same history
up to the time of Jesus Christ.
Christianity - 30+ CE
• Christianity and Judaism share the same history up to the
time of Jesus Christ.
•
There are two primary differences:
–
Christians believe in original sin and Jesus died to
save us from that sin: salvation.
–
Jesus was fully human and fully god and as the son
of god is part of the Holy Trinity.
•
There are many forms of Christianity that have
developed from:
– Disagreements on dogma - specific tenant or
doctrine laid down by an authority like a church
– Adaptation to different cultures.
Christianity - Catholicism
• 62 million followers
• Found worldwide
• Founded in Palestine
year 1 by Jesus Christ
and his disciples
(followers).
• Followers called
Catholics
Catholicism
• Catholics are
Christians; believe that
Jesus was son of god
• Believe in one all
powerful god
• Jesus is spiritual leader
• Earthly leaders are
first the pope, then
cardinals, bishops, and
priests
Catholicism
• Place of worship;
church
• Use prayer
• Core belief:
morality
• Follow the 10
commandments
• Follow the
teachings of the
Bible
Catholicism
• Catholics believe in
life after death
• Believe that all sins
can be forgiven with
prayer
Catholic or Nothing!
• Not until the 1400s and with man called Martin
Luther and the Protestant Reformation
would the other
religions be born.
• Up until then you were
considers by most of the world
to be either Catholic, Jewish,
Islamic or NOT RIGHT AT ALL!
Christians Come in Many Types
• Catholics
• Protestants
Catholics believe
Protestants believe
-authority comes
from the top down.
The Pope is the
Papa/father of the
church. His word
is directly the
word of God.
-authority comes
from the bottom
up. There is a head
of the church but
people can know
God from reading
the Bible
themselves
- females can not
serve as priests
-Priests must
remain celibate
- females can serve
as ministers
-Ministers may
marry
Judaism
• 13 million followers
• Founded by Abraham
2,000 B.C. (4000
years ago)
• Jewish religion is
practiced worldwide,
especially U.S. and
Israel
• Followers are called
Jews or the Jewish
people
Judaism
• Jews are not Christians,
they believe Jesus was an
important prophet but do
not believe he was the
son of God
• Believe in one god called
Yahweh
• Spiritual leader was
Moses, the prophet
• Earthly leaders are rabbis
Judaism
• Place of worship;
synagogue
• Use prayer
• Core belief is faith
and patience
• Follow 10
Commandments
• Follow the Bible
and the Talmud
Judaism
• Jews believe in life after
death
• They have strict dietary
laws about what is good
or not good to eat
• They have their own
language called Hebrew
• The picture is of the
Torah scrolls, the first
five books of the Bible
that god gave to Moses
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Islam
• 1 billion members-more
than 1/5 of the world’s
population
• Practiced everywhere in
the world, especially the
Middle East
• Founded by Muhammad
in AD 610 in Arabia
• Followers of Islam are
called Muslims
Founder Major Figures
* The prophet Muhammad, an Arab and a descendant of Abraham,
received the divine revelations of Allah contained in the Muslim
scriptures, the Holy Qu'ran [Koran].
* The Qu'ran names twenty-five messengers of God, including
Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Moses, and Jesus.
*Muhammad is believed to be the final messenger until the Day
of Judgment.
Beliefs
The Arabic word "Islam" means the submission or surrender of one's
will to the one true God worthy of worship.
Muslims believe that Islam is the one true religion given to Adam and
to all the prophets after him.
Muslims believe in one God, creator of all things, unique in life,
power, mercy and justice.
Sharia - Code of Islamic life based
on religious principals
Islam sets forth the duties for human life in a clear way. Life
has serious purpose. A Muslim's life is one of social
responsibility.
Muslims place themselves directly in the line of those who worship
one God, so they feel kinship with Jews and Christians.
Worship and Spiritual Practice
Muslim faith and practice is grounded in the Five Pillars of Islam:
1. Iman (Faith): "There is none worthy of worship except God and Muhammad
is the messenger of God". The only purpose of life is to serve and obey God.
2. Salah (Prayer): Obligatory prayers are performed five times a day. Since
there are no priests in Islam, prayer is the direct link between the worshiper and
God.
3. Zakah (Financial Obligation): Since everything belongs to God, wealth is
held in trust by humankind. Muslims are enjoined to set aside a portion of what
they have (a fortieth of one's capital annually) for those in need. They may also
give as much as they like in secret.
4. Sawn (Fasting): All Muslims fast from dawn to dusk during the month of
Ramadan. Fasting allows the faithful to focus on the presence of God.
5. Hajj (Pilgrimage): Those who are physically and financially able to do so,
are called on to make a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in their lifetimes, during
the twelfth month of the Islamic calendar. Mecca, in Saudi Arabia, is connected
not only with the life of the prophet Muhammad, but also, and even more
importantly for the pilgrimage, with Abraham, the spiritual father of Muslims.
Worship
Worshippers follow the leadership of a person
called the Imam
•
Every Friday at noon Muslims
gather for communal prayer.
Although the prayers can be held
in any kind of room or hall,
special buildings, or mosques, are
often built or adapted for
worship.
•
The prayer room is bare of
furniture, the floor covered with
carpets. Worshippers leave their
shoes at the door and gather
facing in the direction of Mecca,
Saudi Arabia, where Islam began,
the men in one group and the
women in another. They stand in
rows close together to carry our
the ritual acts of prayer, its
gestures, prostrations, recitations
and periods of silence.
Worship
•
Mecca - holiest city for Muslims
•
Mosque - Muslim place of worship
•
Kaaba - holiest shrine of Islam
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Hinduism
“Truth is one, the wise perceive it in
many ways".
Hinduism is different from most religions.
•The Hindu tradition is more of a way of life than a
set of beliefs. Hindus have many different practices
from country to country.
Sacred Texts
Hindu tradition is contained in the Vedas, a body of ancient
hymns and chants recited orally in verse.
Each Veda has an associated literature called Brahmanas
(rituals) and Upanishads (explorations of deeper
understandings of the universe).
Veda can also mean more generally the wisdom and
authority of the whole Hindu tradition.
The sacred books tell about the indescribable essence, or
world-soul, and the existence of thousands of deities, all of
which are concerned with sustaining the world.
Gods & Goddesses
• Most Hindus believe that the whole universe is permeated with
the Divine, a reality called the Brahman. This Divine can be
known by many names and take many forms, and it is fully
present in the human soul.
• Hindus believe there is one God and that God can take many
forms, expressed as gods and goddesses. For example:
•
•
•
* Brahma is Creator
* Vishnu is Sustainer
* Shiva is Destroyer
•Hindus believe that everything is cyclic. The universe has been
created, sustained, and destroyed many times
Worship
They do not worship as a congregation. Nor is
there any day set aside for worship
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For Hindus, Karma (action) is one's acts and their
consequences. The path of action involves one in the
world and its concerns without claiming the results of
one's actions for oneself.
Hindu tradition is centered in the home altar, where
family members may spend time in prayer each day.
Families also study the Hindu scriptures and sing hymns
at home. They light an oil lamp, burn incense, or place
fresh flowers at the home altar.
On festival days or the special days of certain deities,
many Hindus go to the temple for festivals and
pilgrimages.
Temples in the United States are large buildings housing
offices, meeting and classrooms.
Hinduism - 4000 to 2500 BCE
The caste system
Hindus believe in reincarnation, the belief that the soul's journey to selfrealization takes many lifetimes and that its journey from one life to
the next is influenced by the deeds one performs in a lifetime. What
people do in the way of good or evil influences how they will be
reborn after death, that is, their goodness may be rewarded with a
higher level of existence or else they may be reduced to a lower level.
• The final goal lies beyond unending rebirths. All Hindus long for the
eventual union of their soul with the world-soul thereby breaking free
from the cycle of births and rebirths.
• The good life, tending toward ultimate fulfillment, consists of
– * Moral behavior
•
•
•
* Service to others
* Seeking knowledge
* Worship and devotion to one's personal deity who helps in the
struggle with evil.
Caste System and Reincarnation
•Today these four original divisions have been divided into thousands of
different castes.
•For each caste there are definite rules and regulations that dictate with
whom they could marry, with whom they could socialize, and what they could
eat.
•Those that did not belong to any caste were thought to be created from
darkness that Brahma discarded when he was creating the universe.
•These are known as outcasts or untouchables.
•The government has tried to outlaw the caste system, especially
untouchables, but it has been difficult in the small villages.
Lacto-Vegetarians Or Save the Cows
Hindus believe that all living things contain
a part of the divine spirit.
Therefore, all life is sacred.
Most pious Hindus, especially Brahmins, are
lacto-vegetarians. This means that the only
animal food that they eat are dairy foods.
The pious do not eat eggs since they are
the beginning of life.
Avoiding meat is thought to contribute to
inner self-improvement and physical wellbeing.
Buddhism
• 300 million followers
• Found all over the
world, especially in
Asia
• Founder: The historical
Buddha, Prince Siddhartha
Gautama, is said to have
been born in India in 635
BCE (before the common
era).
• "Buddha" is a title of
honor, meaning
"Enlightened One."
Buddhism
• The Buddha was an
original thinker, a genius
of spiritual psychology,
and his teachings diverged
from Hinduism, the
prevalent thought of his
culture.
• He saw human beings as
free moral agents,
autonomous in their
ability to work out their
own destiny by adhering
to certain principles.
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Buddhists
• Believe in reaching nirvana
(peace) through self; not
through one god
• nirvana reached through a
simple life; having very few
material possessions
• Sacred writings are The
Dharma - (the sermons and
teachings of the Buddha).
•Spiritual leader is Buddha (the enlightened one)
•Earthly leaders are first the Dalai Lama,
other lamas, monks, and nuns
Buddhism
• Place of meditation is
called a temple, or
monastery, but is done
everywhere, especially in
gardens
• Use mediation as prayer to
reach the real meaning of
life
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Buddhism
•Believe in rebirth after
death
•Purposefully become
poor
•Two main goals in life
are simplicity and peace
•Strict followers of
morality; do not kill,
steal, lie, etc.
Worship and Spiritual Practice
The Four Noble Truths
1. Life is filled with suffering
2. Suffering is caused by people's wants.
3. Suffering can be ended if people stop wanting things, like more pleasure
or more power.
4. To stop wanting things, people must follow 8 basic laws, called the
Eightfold Path.
* Right belief
* Right thought
* Right speech
* Right action
* Right livelihood
* Right effort
* Right mindfulness
* Right meditation
Eightfold Path: In brief, these are the laws of the
Eightfold Path:
1.
To know the truth
2.
To intend to resist evil
3.
To not say anything to hurt others
4.
To respect life, property, and morality
5.
To work at a job that does not injure others
6.
To try to free one's mind from evil
7.
To be in control of one's feelings and thoughts
8.
To practice appropriate forms of concentration
Worship and Spiritual Practice
The Five Precepts, ceremonially read, which summarize Buddhist
moral standards, in which followers undertake to abstain from:
* Taking the life of any living being
* Taking anything that is not given
* Sexual misconduct and other forms of overindulgence
* Bad speech
* Taking intoxicants
Proverbs: Buddhists everywhere live by Buddha's
teachings, which were written down as proverbs.
Here are two of Buddha's proverbs, from an ancient
Buddha text written in B.C. times, about 100 B.C.
(Over 2000 years ago!)
•As a solid rock is not shaken by the wind, even
so the wise are not ruffled by praise or blame.
•Hatreds never cease by hatred in this world; by
love alone they cease. This is an ancient law.
The Laughing Buddha:
Have you ever wondered why the
Buddha is laughing?
•The laughing Buddha reminds us
that to be happy we need to have a
loving heart.
•A big heart gives you tolerance.
•Buddha says that the best way to solve a problem we might have with
someone else is to have a warm and loving heart.
• By not being resentful, by not bearing grudges, only then are we able to
smile like the Buddha - only then can we be truly happy.
• It helps you to greet each day with joy and all people with gladness. It
helps you to tolerate a great many things with a big happy smile that
reaches your eyes and your heart.
Buddhism teaches that a person is successful
not because he or she is better than someone
else, and not because they received a higher
grade on a test or won a Gold Medal at the
Olympics, or beat out other ants to see who
could carry the biggest and heaviest grain of
rice.
True achievement does not come from
competition or comparison. A person (or an ant,
or a horse) is successful because he or she has
given their best within their means.
For this reason, every single person can become
the greatest person in the world, all at the
same time.
Today
Buddhism is a
major world
religion:
There are
over 330
million
Buddhist in
the world.
Taoism - 440 CE
.
 Taoism was founded by Lao-Tse, a contemporary of Confucius in China.
 A philosophy to end the feudal warfare and other conflicts.
 The Tao-te-Ching describes life, the way to peace & how to rule.
 Taoism was adopted as a state religion in 440 CE.
 Roughly translated Tao means path.
 It is a force which flows through all life & is the first cause of everything.
 The goal of everyone is to become one with the Tao.
 Tai Chi is a technique of exercise using slow deliberate movements.
 Used to balance the flow of energy or "chi" within the body.
 One should develop virtue and seek compassion, moderation & humility.
 Plan actions in advance and achieve them through minimal action.
 Yin (dark side) and Yang (light side) symbolize opposites, i.e. good and evil,
light and dark, male and female.
 Civilization upsets the balance of Yin and Yang.
Color your map accordingly:
Green - all Christian sects
Blue - dark blue for Sunni and light blue for Shia
Brown - Hinduism
Red- Buddhism
Yellow- Judaism
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