Religions of SW Asia Judaism, Christianity, Islam

Religions in Europe, Asia, and Africa Major religions in Europe, Africa, and Asia

Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all…  come from SW Asia, 1. come from SW Asia #1, 18

2. have roots dating back to Abraham *Judaism is the oldest of the 3 (#8) (That is why they are called Abrahamic religions.)

3. are monotheistic (Yahweh, God, Allah) #11, 13, 25, 26

4. have ties to Jerusalem Pictured: Western Wall and Dome of the Rock #19

The Holy Books Torah Judaism #17 Christianity #6 Islam #2

Beliefs/ foundation of each religion is centered around these key figures…

(belief in covenant that God first made with Abraham that the Jews are God’s “chosen people”) Judaism- Abraham ( among others ) #9

Christianity- belief in the life, teachings, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ… (Son of God, Savior, Messiah) # 4,12,27

Islam- Muhammad… the last and most important prophet according to Islamic belief (Abraham, Moses, Jesus, Muhammad) #16, 21, 22, 23

Places for public worship…

Judaism- synagogue; temple #14

Christianity - church or cathedral

Islam- mosque #20

Important leaders, ministers, or teachers…

Judaism- rabbi #33

Christianity- priest, minister, reverend, preacher, pastor

Islam (Shi’a branch)- Imams examples

Islam- (Shi’a Branch)- Ayatollahs In a country like Iran- an Islamic theocracy- the ayatollahs are believed to be the representatives of the Imams.

Major branches of each religion

Judaism  Orthodox  Conservative  Reform (Reform offers the most “liberal” interpretations of Jewish code or law…Orthodox is the most strict) (Reform offers the most “liberal” interpretations of Jewish code or law…Orthodox is the most strict) #24, 37

Christianity  Eastern Orthodox  Roman Catholic  Protestant (There are approx. 2 billion Christians worldwide- 1/3 of the world’s total population) (There are approx. 2 billion Christians worldwide- 1/3 of the world’s total population) #12, 15, 24, 27, 34, 35, 36

Islam  Sunni- 90 % of Muslims follow this branch  Shi’a (Shiite)- (mostly found in Iran, Iraq, Bahrain) (Islam has about 1.2 billion followers worldwide and is the fastest growing world religion) (Islam has about 1.2 billion followers worldwide and is the fastest growing world religion) #5, 21, 24, 28, 31, 32

Other key characteristics of Islam (the most widely practiced religion in SW Asia)…

Followers of Islam are called Muslims #21

#7, 10

Hajj (Mecca) Hajj (Mecca, Saudi Arabia) #7, 10

Hijab- (veil)

burka (Afghanistan)

chador (Iran)

abaya

Other facts about Islam…  youngest and fastest growing world religion (#5, 28)  The country with the most Muslims in the world is Indonesia – which is NOT a SW Asian country SW Asian country  Most (but not all) Arabs are Muslims  Most Muslims in the world are not Arab

Religious extremism

suicide bombings

Extremism (with religious ties) in other parts of the world… Northern Ireland- I.R.A.

The Ku Klux Klan (in the United States)