Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism

What is religion? A way of explaining the mysteries in life Why and how was the world created? Why is there life and what happens after death? A way of explaining supreme being(s) One god (monotheism) or many gods (polytheism) Who created Earth and why? A way of explaining how to lead a good life and what happens if you don’t Code of behavior (like the 10 commandments) Final Judgment Day or bad karma A way of worshipping

2/3 of the world follows one of the five major world religions Christianity (2.1 billion Christians) Islam (1.3 billion Muslims) Hinduism (860.1 million Hindus) Buddhism (378.8 million Buddhists) Judaism (15.1 million Jews)

The histories of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are very closely tied.

It all began with Abraham Before 1800 BC, most everyone believed in many gods (polytheism) Abraham was born in Mesopotamia in 1800BC He made a covenant with God to believe in only one God and was told if he went to Canaan he would be blessed

Abraham was married to Sarah who at first couldn’t have any children, so Abraham had a child with her maidservant Hagar Sarah then got pregnant with Isaac and wanted Hagar and her son Ishmael sent away Hagar and Ishmael wondered the desert and ended up in Mecca (modern day Saudi Arabia)

The Holy Family Tree JewsChristiansMuslims Jacob (Israel) IsaacIshmael SarahHagar Abraham

Abraham’s followers who became known as Hebrews had to leave Canaan because of drought, they went to Egypt In Egypt the king or pharaoh of Egypt enslaved the Hebrews

Birth of Moses The pharaoh of Egypt said all Hebrew boys must be killed Moses was born as a Hebrew in Egypt His mother sent him adrift down the Nile River and he was found by the Pharaoh’s daughter and raised by her

When Moses grew up, he became a Sheppard. He came across a burning bush which told him to lead the Hebrews out of Egypt Moses asked the pharaoh if it was okay and he said no 10 plagues were cast on Egypt (one plague was that all first born Egyptian sons died)

Exodus of Moses Moses led the Hebrews out of Egypt, the pharaoh’s men chased them, Moses parted the Red Sea to get away from the Egyptians

On their way to Canaan, Moses and the Hebrews wondered around lost in the desert for 40 years During this time Moses received the 10 commandments from God, Judaism began

Hebrews arrived in Canaan and lived there for many years 1000 BC, under King David the Israelites (Hebrews who lived in Canaan aka Israel aka Palestine) set up a kingdom and the capital was in Jerusalem

Jesus Christ Jesus, whose parents were from Nazareth, was born in Bethlehem By 30 AD, Jesus began teaching about compassion and love, his word began to spread, some Jews chose to accept his message, others were threatened by Jesus

Jesus was crucified In 33 AD, with the support of Jews who disagreed with Jesus, the Romans crucified Jesus His followers claimed that he was resurrected. They said he was the Son of God and the messiah or savior. His followers spread his message and began Christianity, those who didn’t believe in Jesus remained Jews

Romans conquered Jerusalem 70 AD, The Romans, whose empire was vast and powerful, conquered Jerusalem and destroyed everything except one wall (the Wailing Wall or the Western Wall) Jews were forced to leave their lands In 313 AD, the Roman Empire converted to Christianity

That wall still stands! That one remaining wall, the Western Wall or the Wailing Wall, still stands today and is very sacred to Jews. They believe their messiah will show up there.

Muhammad In 570 AD, Muhammad was born in Mecca and later worked as a merchant When he was 40 years old, an Angel told him that he was the messenger of God or Allah, and that he needed to spread his word. He was told he was the last prophet in a long line of prophets that included Moses and Jesus (Jesus was NOT the son of God)

Remember the Holy Family Tree? Followers of Muhammad, Muslims, believed that he descended from Ishmael. JewsChristiansMuslims Jacob (Israel) IsaacIshmael SarahHagar Abraham

The creation of the Muslim Empire Muhammad left Mecca and went to Medina, his followers known as Muslims formed an army and conquered Mecca. They continued to conquer the lands around them and created a Muslim Empire

Muhammad’s Death It is believed that Muhammad died in Jerusalem and ascended into heaven while standing upon this rock. Today the Dome of the Rock is one of the most sacred places for Muslims

Jerusalem is sacred to 3 religions Dome of the Rock and Western Wall Also the Holy Church of Sepulcher, church built on the site where Jesus was crucified Since the land is holy to three religions, conflicts have occurred.

The Muslim Empire Grew and Grew

Mecca is the most sacred place for Muslims Muslims believe that it is important that they make a pilgrimage at least once in their life to Mecca (called the Hajj), where Muhammad was born The Kaaba is believed to be a building built by Ishmael

Both of these religions began around India They are NOT monotheistic

History of Hinduism Began about 1500 BC Began in South Asia around the Indus River The beliefs of Aryan people who conquered the region mixed with the beliefs of people already living in the region, and Hinduism was developed

History of Hinduism There was no single founder Beliefs from different people were written down in the Vedas, which is the sacred text of Hindus

Hindus Believe everything is part of the god, Braham Also believe in many other gods/goddesses (polytheism) Believe Hindus have duties they must perform, called dharma

Reincarnation Believe that there is a cycle of life, death, and rebirth Souls are reborn again in different bodies How you behave in this life determines what or who you will be reborn into (Karma) Escape from this cycle is called Moksha

The beginning of Buddhism 500s BC, A prince named Siddhartha Gautama was born in Northeast India (modern day Nepal) His family most likely practiced Hinduism

Siddhartha’s Journey Siddhartha left the comfort of his palace While he was gone he saw a sick person, an old person, a dead person, and a poor monk He realized that there was a lot of suffering the world

The Enlightened One, Buddha He realized that people suffer because of greed and their wants If people would stop wanting so much then they would stop suffering Siddhartha became the Enlightened One or the Buddha

Buddhism began The Buddha taught people for 45 years He said not to worship him like a God He taught people to believe in his four noble truths about suffering and to follow the Middle Way (Eightfold Path and Five Precepts)

Important beliefs of Buddhists People who followed the Buddha’s teachings became known as Buddhists Buddhists also believe in reincarnation, their goal is to escape this cycle of suffering and reach Nirvana Some Buddhists believe in Gods, like Gods of Nature, but Buddhism technically does not include the belief in Gods or one all powerful God