Transcript Religions of the Middle East

Religions of the Middle East
Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
Judaism, Christianity, and Islam share common traits
they are all monotheistic
monotheism: belief in one, all-powerful God
they believe in prophets
prophet: holy person who reveals the word of God
Abraham: prophet important to all 3 religions
Judaism: Origins and Development
According to Jewish scripture:
God visited Abraham and made a covenant with him
covenant: sacred agreement
Abraham promised that he and his descendents would follow God’s
teachings and God promised to love them
Abraham’s descendents known as Israelites or Hebrews
they were the ancestors of the Jewish people
Judaism: Origins and Development
According to the Torah, Abraham and his family moved to
Canaan, later called the Land of Israel
Torah: Judaism’s holy book, consists of the first
books of the Hebrew Bible
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Judaism: Origins and Development
Abraham’s descendants formed the 12 tribes of Israel
These tribes traveled to Egypt to escape famine and were
enslaved for 400 years
Judaism: Origins and Development
On the return from Egypt, Moses, a prophet received the 10
Commandments
10 Commandments: laws that formed the basis of Judaism
Israelites settled again in Canaan
Canaan = “promised land”
By 1000 BCE, Kingdom of Israel established
Judaism: Origins and Development
In 930 BCE the Kingdom of Israel separated into 2
kingdoms: Israel and Judah
Jerusalem is in what was the Kingdom of Judah
Both were later invaded and conquered
When Judah was conquered, the people, now known as Jews, were forced into exile
This was the start of the Jewish Diaspora
Jewish Diaspora: the spread of the Jewish people outside their homeland, beginning about
586 BCE
Judaism: Origins and Development
Rabbis kept the Jewish religion alive by preserving Jewish
teachings and discussing how to apply the teachings to
their lives
Rabbi: Jewish religious leaders; “teacher”
The Divided Kingdom
Judaism: Beliefs
Main teachings are in the Torah
Torah contains the 10 Commandments plus other teachings handed down by God to Moses
1st Commandment: “You shall have no other gods but me” = monotheism
most other religions at the time were polytheistic
Another Commandment requires Jews to set aside a holy day each week = sabbath
Other Commandments lay down moral values
Honor your father and mother
Do not kill, steal, commit adultery
Judaism: Beliefs
Jews worship in their holy buildings called synagogues
Important holy days include:
Rosh Hashanah: Jewish New Year
Hanukkah
Yom Kippur
Spread and Influence of Judaism
➢ The Diaspora threatened the survival of the Jews as a
people
○ they were cut off from their roots in Israel and had to find ways to maintain their traditions
➢ The Jewish migration from Israel helped spread the ideas
of Judaism
○ Jews settled all over the world
○ Judaism was not adopted widely among other cultures but Jews built a strong community that
helped them preserve their culture and traditions
Spread and Influence of Judaism
The teachings of Judaism have had great impact on the
world
○ influenced Christianity and Islam
● Today there are approximately 14 million Jews in the
world
○ 42% live in Israel
○ 40% live in the US
Christianity: Origins and Development
Jerusalem, part of the ancient Kingdom of Israel, was the
birthplace of Christianity
Christianity: Origins and Development
The first Christians were Jews and maintained many Jewish
beliefs
they worshipped 1 God
they valued caring for the needy
they recognized Abraham as a prophet
they believed the Jewish Bible was holy
Christianity: Origins and Development
Christianity soon developed its own doctrine and a much
larger following
doctrine: a belief or set of beliefs taught by a religion,
political party, or other group
The origins of Christianity are in the life and teachings of
Jesus
Christianity: Origins and Development
Christians believe Jesus is the Son of God
Jesus was born in Judea around 6 BCE
He was a Jewish teacher
At around age 30, Jesus left home and traveled around
Judea teaching the Word of God
Jesus taught that God was merciful and loving and that
people should love God and their neighbors
Christianity: Origins and Development
The Christian Bible says that Jesus healed the sick and
performed many miracles
He gained many followers including 12 apostles
apostle: disciple of Jesus, designated to spread his
message
Judea
Christianity: Origins and Development
People began calling Jesus the Messiah, chosen by God to
save humankind
Messiah: anointed one
he later became known as Christ, the Greek word for
Messiah
Christianity: Origins and Development
The Romans who ruled Judea saw Jesus as a troublemaker
they feared he might start a rebellion among the Jews
they arrested him and sentenced him to death
Christianity: Origins and Development
The New Testament of the Christian Bible teaches that
around 30 CE Jesus was put to death by crucifixion
According to the New Testament, Jesus was placed in a
tomb and 3 days later he rose from the dead and
appeared to his disciples (Resurrection)
Christianity: Origins and Development
For Christians, the Resurrection proved that Jesus was a
holy savior
they said that anyone who believed in him as the Messiah
would enter the Kingdom of God
Christianity: Origins and Development
Christians were often persecuted by Romans but Christianity
spread through the Roman empire
Christianity eventually became the official religion of the
Roman Empire
Christianity: Origins and Development
The Christian faith eventually divided into Catholic, Orthodox,
and Protestant branches
Christianity as a whole continued to expand
Today there are approximately 2.2 billion followers worldwide
The Beliefs of Christianity
The Christian holy book is the Bible
There are 2 parts to the Bible
1) Old Testament: Christians recognize as the word of
God
2) New Testament: records the life and teachings of
Jesus and his earliest followers
The Beliefs of Christianity
Many different interpretations, denominations, of the
Christian doctrine but there are some key ideas
Trinity: God consists of 3 beings in one - the Father, the
Son, and the Holy Spirit
Resurrection
Salvation: God can save people from sin and grant them
everlasting life after death
The Beliefs of Christianity
Christians practice their faith by trying to follow Christ’s moral
teachings and by observing certain customs, rituals, and
holidays
Spread of Christianity
By the 1st century C.E., Christianity had spread to many
parts of the Roman empire
in later centuries it gained followers in Persia (Iran),
China, and India
Christian missionaries carried it to Africa and the
Americas
Spread of Christianity
Today, Christianity is the most widely practiced religion in the
world
The spread of Christianity was not always peaceful
conversion was sometimes done through force
Christians and Muslims clashed over religious beliefs
Influence of Christianity
Christianity has influenced codes of law in many countries
Christian charity has helped millions of poor and suffering
people
Christian beliefs have influenced politics and government
Many rulers have depended on the support of Christian
churches to gain and hold power
Islam: Origins and Development
Islam emerged in the 600s C.E. - after Judaism and
Christianity
it grew rapidly and became one of the world’s major religions
Islam was taught by Muhammad
born around 570 C.E. in Mecca, in present day Saudi
Arabia
Mecca was an important trade center and pilgrimage site
Islam: Origins and Development
Muhammad was a successful merchant but became more
drawn to spiritual matters
According to Islamic teachings, in about 610 C.E. he was
meditating in a cave when an angel appeared before
him and revealed the word of God, or Allah.
The angel told him he had been chosen as Allah’s
prophet
Islam: Origins and Development
In 613 C.E., Muhammad began to preach in Mecca
he called on Arabs to worship the one, true God
in Arabic, Islam means “to submit”
Muhammad’s followers became known as Muslims =
“those who submit to God”
Local leaders saw Islam as a threat to their power and began
to persecute Muslims
Islam: Origins and Development
In 622, Muhammad and his followers left Mecca and
travelled to Medina
His teachings continued to gain a following and by 630
Muslims retook Mecca and established Islam as the
dominant faith of Arabia
Islam: Origins and Development
Muhammad died in 632
Muslim leaders continued to expand the religion
By 750, Islam was the main religion of Middle East and North
Africa
it spread to Spain, Central Asia, and India
Spread of Islam
Beliefs of Islam
Muslims recognize Jewish and Christian prophets including
Abraham, Moses, and Jesus
Beliefs of Islam
Beliefs
Muhammad is the last and greatest prophet who revealed the complete
message of God
The Qur’an, the Muslim holy book, contains the word of God as revealed to
Muhammad
Muslims follow the Sunnah
Sunnah: practices, customs, and traditions of Muhammad; example for
how Muslims should live
The Sunnah is recorded in a collection of stories called the Hadith
Beliefs of Islam
Five Pillars of Islam = the required acts of worship for
Muslims
1st Pillar: the profession of faith; emphasizes the duty of Muslims to worship
one God only
2nd Pillar: daily prayer; Muslims are expected to pray 5 times/day facing
Mecca
3rd Pillar: charity: Muslims are supposed to give 2.5% of their wealth, after
family expenses and obligations
4th Pillar: fasting; abstain from food/drink during daylight hours in the month
Spread and Influence of Islam
Islam was a missionary religion
missionary religion: religion that seeks to convert people
Muslims sometimes waged “holy war” - clashes with
followers of other religions
Spread and Influence of Islam
They also respected other faiths and often lived alongside
them peacefully
Islam is the 2nd largest religion in the world
over 1 billion followers
Spread and Influence of Islam
In Muslim lands, Islam is more than a religion - it’s a way of
life
impacts culture, society, and politics
Shari’ah Law, based on Qur’an and Sunnah, provides
guidance on all aspects of life including clothing, food,
education, finance and forms the basis of legal codes
in many Muslim countries
Spread and Influence of Islam
Islamic Countries: claim to follow Shari’ah Law in a very
strict way: Iran, Saudi Arabia, ISIS
Islamicate Countries: follow the religion of Islam but use
Western laws: Egypt, Turkey, many American Muslims
Fatwa: a judgement, decision, or law passed by a Muslim
expert in religious law
Hinduism: Origins and Development
• No clear starting point or founder
• Started in 2000 B.C.E. in India by combining
traditions of ancient civilizations and Aryans
• Aryans: nomadic people who entered India in 1000 B.C.E.
Hinduism: Origins and Development
• Hinduism traces its early roots to the Vedas
•
Vedas: a collection of religious hymns, poems,
and prayers; considered holy even today
• Hinduism is very complex
•
It combines many different beliefs, gods, forms of worship
Hinduism: Origins and Development
 Vedic religion called for division of society into 4
classes:
 1. Top: Brahmins (Priests)
 2. Kshatriyas: rulers and warriors
 3. Vaishyas: herders and merchants
 4. Shudras: servants, farmers, laborers
Hinduism: Origins and Development
• These divisions became the caste system
• Caste system: hereditary social class in Hindu society
• After 1000 B.C.E. Hindus started to look for a more
personal faith that didn’t require complicated rituals
and priests
Hinduism: Beliefs
• Very complicated belief system – no uniform ideas
or practices
• Basic common elements
1. Polytheism
2. Reincarnation: time moves in a circle; birth, life, and death
repeat themselves
3. Dharma: law, duty, and obligation; your dharma reflects your
Hinduism: Beliefs
• Common elements
4. Karma: belief that the good and evil done in a past
life will determine a person’s next life
•
Ultimate goal for a Hindu: escape reincarnation and attain
moksha , or release
Hinduism: Spread and Influence
• Did not spread far beyond India
•
Through trade and migration Hindu beliefs spread throughout SE Asia
• 900 million followers of Hinduism – most in SE Asia
Buddhism: Origins and Development
• Started from teachings of Siddhartha Gautama,
who became the Buddha
•
“Buddha” = enlightened one
• Lived from 563-483 B.C.E.; from a royal family
• He was trying to achieve higher consciousness
through meditation and giving up worldly pleasures
Buddhism: Origins and Development
• After several years he hadn’t found the “release”
he was seeking so he started to meditate
• After many nights he reached a new level of
consciousness
• By the next morning he had attained nirvana
nirvana: an ideal state of happiness, attained through
enlightenment
Buddhism: Beliefs
• Basic beliefs of Buddhism = Four Noble Truths
1. Suffering is inevitable; recognize this and try to help those who
are suffering
2. Desire causes suffering
3. Removing desire removes suffering
4. To remove desire, follow the “Eightfold Path”
a. Eightfold Path = a set of guidelines
Buddhism: Spread and Influence
• Buddhism spread slowly in India until 200s B.C.E. when Emperor Ashoka
helped spread Buddhism through missionaries and traders
• Spread throughout Southeast and Central Asia
• Today: 4th largest religion with 350 million followers
Confucianism: Origins and Development
• Based on teachings of Confucius
• Born in China around 550 B.C.E. during a time of
turmoil
• As he grew he focused on learning classics of
Chinese literature and philosophy
Confucianism: Origins and Development
• He believed that a revival of Chinese culture would
help restore order
• He became a great teacher but really wanted to
influence government
This never happened during his lifetime
• His ideas became more popular after his death
Confucianism: Beliefs
• He honored traditional Chinese beliefs including
worship of gods and spirits
• He said his teachings came from heaven
• His main focus was on human society and life on
earth
Confucianism: Beliefs
• Main belief: live a virtuous life and treat others how you want to be treated
• Believed it was very important to respect and obey those with higher social
status
most important relationship is between a parent and child
•
Stressed respect for all people, regardless of social status
•
Believed in universal education
Confucianism: Spread and Influence
• His teachings were collected in a book after he
died; this helped spread ideas throughout China
• Chinese rulers adopted Confucianism as a state
religion
• It remains an important part of Chinese culture