Transcript World Religions

WORLD
RELIGIONS
By: Lauren Swanson
WORLD RELIGIONS
Our world is full of thousands of religions. Each
religion has their own beliefs and customs that they
follow. Places all over shape everything around
their religion because that is their way of life and
what they believe.
HINDUISM
 900 million followers
 Three main Gods: Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva.
 Hinduism was not founded by one person, it was developed over thousands of years.
 There is no one holy book but they have books used in their religion called Vedas,
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and Puranas.
Hinduism is lead by Guru, a holy man, or a Brahmin Priest.
Basic Beliefs :
The soul never dies and is continually reborn
Persons achieve happiness an enlightenment after they free themselves from their
earthly desires.
Freedom from earthly desires come from a lifetime or worship, knowledge, and
virtuous actions.
MORE ABOUT HINDUISM
 Holi - festival of colors and spring (February-March)
 Mahashivaratri (Shiva Ratri) - night sacred to Shiva (February-March)
 Rama Navami - birthday of Lord Rama (April)
 Krishna Jayanti - birthday of Lord Krishna (July-August)
 Raksābandhana - renewing bonds between brothers and sisters (July-August)
 Kumbh Mela - pilgrimage every 12 years to four cities in India (July-August; last one
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2003)
Ganesha-Chaturthi (Ganesha Utsava) - festival of Ganesh (August-September)
Dassera - victory of Rama over demon king Ravana (September-October)
Navaratri - festival of Shakti (in Bengal) or Rama's victory over Ravana (South
India) (September-October)
Diwali - festival of lights and Laksmi (September-October)
Hinduism is located mostly in India but
also there are some in South America at
the top.
BUDDHISM
 400 million followers
 They do not teach deity in Buddhism
 The founder of Buddhism is Siddhartha
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Guatama
In Buddhism there is no one holy book, but
they have common text which is a book about
it
It is lead by Buddist monks and nuns
Basic Beliefs
Persons achieve complete and happiness,
known as Nirvana by elimination their
attachment to worthy things.
Nirvana is reached by following the noble
Eightfold path
-Right Views -Right Aspirations -Right Speech Right Conduct -Right Livelihood -Right
Endeavor -Right Mindfulness -Right Meditation
Buddhism is mostly practiced in
Southeastern Asia but is also
found all around the world in
little percentages.
MORE ABOUT BUDDHISM
 Holidays
 Vesak: Buddha's Birthday is known as Vesak and is one of the major festivals of the year. It is celebrated on the first
full moon day in May, or the fourth lunar month which usually occurs in May or in June.
 Magha Puja: Magha Puja is an important religious festival celebrated by Buddhists in Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos
on the full moon day of the third lunar month usually in March. .
 Buddha's Birthday: is celebrated April 8 and in Japan baby Buddha figurines are ceremonially washed with tea.
 Asalha Puja Day: celebrates the Buddha's first teaching on the full moon day of the 8th lunar month, approximately
July.
 Uposatha: there are four holy days on the new moon, full moon, and quarter moon days every month. Kathina
Ceremony: This robe offering ceremony, is held on any date within the end of the Vassa Retreat
 Abhidhamma Day: According to Burmese tradition, this day celebrates when the Buddha went to the Tushita
Heaven to teach his mother the Abhidhamma. It happens in April.
 Songkran: This Thai festival goes on for three days during April during which people clean their houses and clothes
and sprinkle perfumed water on the monks, novices, and each other.
 Loy Krathong: when water is plenty, this festival happens in parts of Thailand on the full moon night of the twelfth
lunar month. Bowls made with leaves are placed in the water, and represent bad luck disappearing.
JUDAISM
 14 million
 Their deity is God (Yaweh)
 The founder of Judaism is Abraham
 The Judaism holy book is the Torah and the Hebrew Bible
 It is led by Rabbis
 Basic Beliefs
 There is only one God, who watches and cares for his people.
 God loves and protects his people, but also holds people accountable
for their sins and shortcomings.
 Persons serve God by studying the Torah and living by its teaching.
MORE ABOUT JUDAISM
 The map on the left shows where Judaism is around
the world. The darkest blue parts are where most
jews are. Those dark blue spots are mostly in North
America, Europe, and Austrailia
JEWISH HOLIDAYS
Pesach or Passover-Passover celebrates God liberating the Israelites from Egyptian bondage and is probably the
single most theologically important holiday in the Jewish calendar. The holiday lasts eight days, though some
communities may celebrate only a week.
 Yom Ha-Shoah — Holocaust Remembrance Day-Europeans commemorate the Holocaust on the
anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, Jan. 27, 1945, but the Israeli government wanted a date that would
honor Jewish resistance to the Nazi genocide of World War II.
 Yom Ha-Atzmaut — Israel Independence Day-The modern State of Israel formally declared independence
from Great Britain on May 14, 1948. In order to make this political milestone into a religious holiday, Jews decided
to tie the holiday to the Hebrew date, Iyar 5. Jews outside the Land of Israel also celebrate this as a holiday
 Rosh Hashanah-A solemn holiday beginning the calendar year with repentance from sin and the hope of renewal.
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Yom Kippur-A fast day of prayer and collective confession.
 Sukkot-In ancient times when the Temple stood in Jerusalem, this was a pilgrimage holiday to celebrate the
harvest. In our time it still coincides with the harvest.
 Simchat Torah-At the end of Sukkot, there is one more holiday to celebrate finishing the reading of the Torah
scroll for the year and starting it over again.
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Hanukkah-Hanukkah is an 8-day holiday that commemorates the Jewish recapture and rededication of the
Temple in Jerusalem in 164 BCE. Shabbat- A day of rest and enjoyment at the end of every week that religious
people undertake in imitation of God, who rested on the seventh day of creation.
CHRISTIANITY
 1.9 billion followers
 God is their deity
 Christianity was founded by Jesus Christ
 The Christian holy book is the Bible which includes the New Testament and
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the Old Testament
It is lead by a Clergy (priest/ministers)
Basic Beliefs
There is only one God, who watches over and cares for his people.
Jesus Christ was the son of God
He died to save humanity from sin
His death and resurrection made eternal life possible for others.
MORE ABOUT CHRISTIANITY
Christianity is all over the globe. It is
mostly in North America, some in
South America, Greenland, and
Europe.
 Holidays
 Lent-Self-examination and preparation for Easter
 Palm Sunday-Sunday before Easter, Jesus' entry into Jerusalem
 Maundy Thursday-Thursday before Easter, the Last Supper of Jesus
 Good Friday-Friday before Easter, Crucifixion of Jesus on the cross
 Easter-First Sunday after the first full moon after March 21, Resurrection
of Jesus Christ
 Pentecost-40 days after Easter, Coming of the Holy Spirit
 Advent-Period marked by the four Sundays before Christmas, Preparation
for Christmas and Christ's Second Coming
 Christmas-December 25, Birth of Jesus Christ
ISLAM
 1.2 billion followers
 Their deity is God (Callah in Arabic)
 The founder of Islam is Muhammad
 The holy book is the Quran
 In their leadership there is no clergy
 Basic Beliefs
 Persons achieve salvation by following the the four pillars of Islam and living a just
(good) life
 The five pillars
 1. Faith 2. Almsgiving-charity to poor. 3.Fasting-which Muslums perform during the
month of Ramadan. 4. Pilgrimage-to Mecca at least once in their lifetime. 5. Prayerfive times a day Muslums face Mecca whenever they are in the world and pray.
MORE ABOUT ISLAM
Islam is usually practiced in North Africa,
Northwest Asia, and some of Europe.
HOLIDAYS OF THE ISLAM RELIGION
Muharram (1 Muharram) The Islamic New Year
 The month of Muharram marks the beginning of the Islamic liturgical year. The Islamic new year is celebrated
relatively quietly, with prayers and readings and reflection upon the hegira.
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Mawlid al-Nabi (12 Rabi 1) Prophet Muhammad's Birthday
 This holiday celebrates the birthday of Muhammed the founder of Islam. The day is commemorated with
recollections of Muhammad's life and significance.
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Eid al-Fitr (1 Shawwal) The Celebration concluding Ramadan
 Ramadan the month of fasting, ends with the festival of Eid al-Fitr.At Eid al-Fitr people dress in their finest
clothes, adorn their homes with lights and decorations, give treats to children, and enjoy visits with friends and
family.
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Eid al-Adha (10 Dhu'l-Hijjah) The celebration concluding the Hajj
 Eid al-Adha, or the Feast of Sacrifice, commemorates the prophet Abrahams willingness to obey Allah by
sacrificing his son Ishmael. The sacrifice symbolizes obedience to Allah and its distribution to others is an
expression of generosity, one of the five pillars of Islam.
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WHAT I LEARNED
 From this project I learned a lot about world religions. I did
not know what Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, or Judaism was
before I did this project. It helped me to understand how
the world is shaped by their religions and religions shape
peoples cultures and customs.
Eastern
Religions:
Hinduism and Buddhism
Western
Religions:
Christianity, Judaism, and
Islam
Comparing and Contrasting Eastern and Western
Religions
Comparing
Contrast
Eastern religions believe that people
who practice the religion that they have
to achieve certain things in their life.
They both believe that the soul is
reborn in different kinds
Western religions all believe that God is
the only God.
Both Judaism and Christianity believe in
Jesus Christ but Islam does not.
The eastern religions are different
because Hinduism has their leader as a
Guru, and a holy man, but in Buddhism
has monks and nuns as their leaders.
SOURCES FOR PICTURES
 http://www.bu.edu/pardee/files/news-cms/photos/world-religions2.gif
 http://www.sociology.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Why-Do-We-Have-Religion.jpg
 http://www.kidsmaps.com/geography/images/fullsized/buddhist-distribution.png
 http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2f/Gdp_per_capita_ppp_world_map_2
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005.PNG
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/38/World_Christian_Population.png
http://www.whyislam.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/map.jpg
http://www.religioustolerance.org/1world.jpg
http://www.ancient-symbols.com/images/hindu-symbols/original/om.jpg
http://www.religionfacts.com/islam/images/symbols/crescent-200.gif
http://atschool.eduweb.co.uk/carolrb/christianity/images/cross2.gif
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/38/World-religions.PNG
TEXT SOURCES
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhist_holidays
 http://www.infoplease.com/spot/islamicholidays.html
 My religion poster