Transcript World religions

World religions
World religions
Christianity
Buddhism
Islam
Hinduism
Judaism
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Christianity
 Christianity is the world's biggest religion,
with about 2.1 billion followers worldwide.
It is based on the teachings of Jesus Christ
who lived in the Holy Land 2,000 years
ago.
 For ease of navigation, we include as
Christian any group that sincerely regards
itself as Christian, and whose beliefs are
based on the teaching of Jesus.
Christianity
 Christians believe that Jesus was the Messiah promised in the Old
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Testament.
Christians believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
Christians believe that God sent his Son to earth to save humanity
from the consequences of its sins.
One of the most important concepts in Christianity is that of
Jesus giving his life on the Cross (the Crucifixion) and rising
from the dead on the third day (the Resurrection).
Christians believe that there is only one God, but that there are
three elements to this one God:
 God the Father
 God the Son
 The Holy Spirit
Christianity
 Christians worship in churches.
 Their spiritual leaders are called priests
or ministers.
 The Christian holy book is the Bible, and
consists of the Old and New Testaments.
Christianity
Paradoxically a symbol of suffering and
defeat but also of triumph and salvation,
the cross is the universal Christian
symbol, acknowledged by all
denominations as the single visual
identifier of their faith.
Holy days
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All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day
The Feast of the Annunciation
Ascension Day
The Christian year
Candlemas
Christmas
Corpus Christi
Easter
Epiphany
Guardian Angels
All Hallows' Eve
Holy Week
Lent
Mothering Sunday
Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
Pentecost
Christmas
The birth of the baby Jesus stands as the most significant event in
all history, because it has meant the pouring into a sick world
the healing medicine of love which has transformed all manner
of hearts for almost two thousand years...
Easter
Easter or Pascha is a Christian festival and
holiday celebrating the resurrection of Jesus
Christ on the third day after his crucifixion at
Calvary as described in the New
Testament.Easter is the culmination of the
Passion of Christ, preceded by Lent, a fortyday period of fasting, prayer, and penance.
Christian Philosophy
 God is the Creator of the universe. There
is one God, Who is Three PersonsFather, Son and Holy Spirit.
 Jesus is both fully man and fully God. He
was born of the Virgin Mary
Crucified, resurrected from the dead, and
ascended to the Father.
Christian Philosophy
 Sin and Evil are realities in our existence.
 The Bible is the Holy Book that records God's
revelation.
 All believers are promised life everlasting.
 The leader of Christianity was Jesus, and the
followers was his 12 disciples.
Buddhism
Buddhism is a tradition that focuses on personal spiritual
development. Buddhists strive for a deep insight into the true
nature of life and do not worship gods or deities.
Buddhism
 Founding person of Buddhism is
Guatama, the Buddha
 The Dalai Lama is a Buddhist monk who
remains the leader of the Tibetans.
 Buddhism is a major religion in China,
Japan, India, and Tibet.
The Major Philosophy of Buddhism
 Love: without conditions
 Compassion: or feeling at one with the
person who is suffering
 Sympathetic Joy:Celebrate the happiness
of others, and do not resent their good
fortune.
 Impartiality: Treat everyone equally, and
do not use others for personal gain or to
win approval.
The Major Philosophy of Buddhism
 Buddhism states that existence is a continuing cycle
of death and rebirth called reincarnation.
 Each person's position in life is determined by his
or her behavior in the previous life. This is known
as their "karma" (also a Hindu belief).
Buddhism
 Buddhism is the world's oldest universal religion
and it is the second fastest growing religion.
Holy Days
 Dharma Day
 Kathina
 Losar
 Parinirvana
 Sangha Day
 Wesak
Islam
 Islam began in Arabia and was revealed to
humanity by the Prophet Muhammad. Those who
follow Islam are called Muslims.
 Muslims believe that there is only one God. The
Arabic word for God is Allah.
Islam
Holy days
 Muslim holy days
 Al-Hijra
 Ashura
 Eid ul Adha
 Eid ul Fitr
 Lailat al Miraj
 Lailat al Qadr
 Lailat ul Bara'h
 Milad un Nabi
 Ramadan
Islamic Philosophy
 Muslims learn that life on earth is a period of
testing and preparation for the life to come.
 Angels record good and bad deeds.
 People should behave themselves and help
others, trusting in Allah's justice and mercy for
their reward.
Islam
 Muslims pray five times daily in their mosques
(churches).
 While praying, they face the holy city of Mecca (in SaudiArabia) and sometimes kneel with faces to the ground.
 All Muslims are required to make a pilgrimage (trip to a
sacred place) to Mecca at least once in their lifetime.
Islam
 The Qur'an is the holy book for Muslims, revealed in stages to the Prophet
Muhammad over 23 years.
 Qur'anic revelations are regarded by Muslims as the sacred word of God,
intended to correct any errors in previous holy books such as the Old and
New Testaments.
Eid al-Adha
Eid al-Adha ("feast of sacrifice"), or Feast of the Sacrifice or Greater Eid,
is an important religious holiday celebrated by Muslims worldwide to
honor the willingness of Ibrāhīm (Abraham) to sacrifice his son Ismā'īl
(Ishmael) as an act of obedience to God, before God intervened to provide
him with a sheep to sacrifice instead.[The festival is also known as Id-ulZuha. The word "id" derived from the Arabic "iwd" means "festival" and
"zuha" comes from "uzhaiyya" which translates to "sacrifice".
Eid-ul-Fitr
Eid ul-Fitr is festive celebration and a Muslim holiday, which marks the end
of the Holy month of Ramadan- the month of fasting and self-denial from
worldly enjoyments. It is the time for the Muslims all over the world to
express joy and take pleasure in enjoying this great occasion with their
loved ones.
Hinduism
 HINDUISM is one of the world's oldest religions.
 Over 2/3's of the world's Hindus live in India; large numbers
reside in Africa also.
 Hindus believe in many gods, numbering into the thousands.
They recognize one supreme spirit called Brahman ("the
Absolute").
 Unlike most other religions, Hinduism has no single founder, no
single scripture, and no commonly agreed set of teachings.
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Hindu Philosophy
Hindus believe in many gods, numbering into the thousands.
They recognize one supreme spirit called Brahman (the Absolute).
The goal of Hindus is to someday join with Brahman.
Until that union takes place, believers are in a continuous process
of rebirth called "reincarnation."
Hindu Philosophy
 At death, the Hindu's deeds (karma) determine what the next life will be.
 Followers work to break this cycle--birth, death, re-birth-- (referred to by
writers as the "Wheel of Life") and gain release.
 The Hindu's soul then merges with Brahman in a condition of spiritual
perfection (moksha).
Holy days
 Diwali
 Ganesh Chaturthi
 Hanuman Jayanti
 Holi
 Krishna Janmashtami (Krishna Jayanti)
 Mahashivratri
 Makar Sankranti
 Navaratri (Navratri)
 Raksha Bandhan
 Rama Navami
 Swaminarayan Jayanti
 Thaipusam
 Vaisakhi
 Varsha Pratipada
Hinduism
 Hinduism has many sacred books, the oldest
being a series called the "Vedas.“
 Traditional Hindu society was divided into
groups of four classes (or varnas). This was
known as the "caste system."
Judaism
 Judaism is one of the oldest monotheistic religions and was
founded over 3500 years ago in the Middle East.
 Jews believe that God appointed the Jews to be his chosen
people in order to set an example of holiness and ethical
behaviour to the world.
Jewish faith and God
 Jews believe that there is a single God who not only created the
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universe, but with whom every Jew can have an individual and
personal relationship.
They believe that God continues to work in the world, affecting
everything that people do.
The Jewish relationship with God is a covenant relationship. In
exchange for the many good deeds that God has done and
continues to do for the Jewish People...
The Jews keep God's laws
The Jews seek to bring holiness into every aspect of their lives.
Converting to Judaism
 Converting to Judaism is not easy. It involves many lifestyle
changes and about a year of studying.
 Becoming a Jew is not just a religious change: the convert not
only accepts the Jewish faith, but becomes a member of the
Jewish People and embraces Jewish culture and history.
Holy days
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Major Jewish festivals
Days of Repentance (Days of Awe)
Hanukkah
Passover
Purim
Rosh Hashanah
Sabbath
Shavuot
Sukkot
Tisha B'av
Tu B'Shevat (Tu Bishvat)
Yom Hashoah
Yom Kippur - The Day of Atonement
Judaism
 JUDAISM is a religion of just one people: the Jews.
 JUDAISM was the first to teach belief in only one
God. Two other important religions developed from
Judaism: Christianity and Islam.
Judaism
 Jews think that God will send a Messiah (a
deliverer) to unite them and lead them in His
way.
 Christians believe that Jesus was the Messiah.
The Jewish people do not agree; they anticipate
His arrival in the future.
 Judaism teaches that death is not the end and
that there is a world to come.
Judaism
 The "Torah," the first five books of the Hebrew
Bible, is the most important Jewish scripture.
 It contains the basic laws of Judaism.
 Another important book is the "Talmud," serving
primarily as a guide to the civil and religious laws of
Judaism.
Judaism
 The Jewish house of worship is called a
synagogue.
 Rabbis (spiritual leaders) conduct services, act as
interpreters of Jewish laws, and deliver sermons.
 Today there are over 18 million followers of
Judaism scattered throughout the world. A large
number of those people live in the Jewish nation
of Israel. Over six million live in the United States.
Jewish Philosophy
 God is one and unique
 God is the creator
 God is transcendent
 God is immanent.
 God is lawgiver
 God is personal
 We have the obligation to worship
 The Torah is God's law
 God is judge
 The Messiah will come.