Religion Pairs with Chapter 4

Religion Definition Set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe.

Distribution of Religions Universalizing Religions: appeals to people living in a wide variety of locations. Seeks converts. Christianity Islam Buddhism Ethnic Religions: most people are born into the religion or religion is distinct to an area. Hinduism Judaism

World Distribution of Religions Fig. 6-1: World religions by continent.

World Population by Religion Fig. 6-1a: Over two thirds of the world’s population adhere to Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, or Buddhism. Christianity is the single largest world religion.

Judaism, Christianity, & Islam Abrahamic Religions Judaism, Christianity, & Islam

Judaism Monotheistic – believes in one god Religions book – Torah Founder – Abraham Place of worship - Synagogue

Jewish Religious Holidays Rosh Hashanah – Jewish New Year Yom Kippur – Day of Atonement Passover – Festival each year to remember Jewish freedom from slavery in Egypt Hanukkah – Commemorates the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem

The religious center of Judaism is the city of Jerusalem The “Wailing” or Western Wall (the last remaining part of King Solomon's Temple

The Temple Mount, Jerusalem Temple Mount contains sites holy to both Jews and Muslims, including the Western Wall of the Second Temple, al-Aqsa Mosque, and the Dome of the Rock.

Jerusalem Fig. 6-15: The Old City of Jerusalem contains holy sites for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

Boundary Changes in Palestine/Israel Fig. 6-16: The UN partition plan for Palestine in 1947 contrasted with the boundaries that were established after the 1948-49 War. Major changes later resulted from the 1967 War.

Israel’s Barrier in the West Bank Fig. 6-1.2: The planned route of Israel’s security barrier in the West Bank includes many of Israel’s settlements in the territory.

Section of Israeli Security Barrier Fig. 6-1.1: A typical section of the security barrier built by Israel in the West Bank.

Christianity Offshoot of Judaism Founder – Jesus (seen as Messiah promised in Jewish holy texts) Holy book – Bible Place of Worship – Church Major Holidays – Christmas & Easter

Comparison: Judaism & Christianity Similarities Monotheistic Old Testament of Bible and Torah Differences According to Jewish belief, the Messiah is a leader sent by god to earth. Christians believe that Jesus is the Messiah.

Diffusion of Christianity Fig. 6-5: Christianity diffused from Palestine through the Roman Empire and continued diffusing through Europe after the fall of Rome. It was later replaced by Islam in much of the Mideast and North Africa.

Branches, Denominations, & Sects Branch – large and fundamental division within a religion Roman Catholic & Eastern Orthodox Christianity Sunni and Shi’a Islam Denomination – subgroup within a religion that operates under a common name, tradition, and/or identity Baptist, Methodist, Lutheran Sect – a small group that has broken away from an establish church/denomination FLDS

Christian Branches in Europe Fig. 6-2: Protestant denominations, Catholicism, and Eastern Orthodoxy are dominant in different regions of Europe – a result of many historic interactions.

Christian Branches in the U.S. Fig. 6-3: Distribution of Christians in the U.S. Shaded areas are counties with more than 50% of church membership concentrated in Roman Catholicism or one of the Protestant denominations.

Distribution of Protestants in Ireland, 1911 Fig 6-14: When Ireland became independent in 1937, 26 northern districts with large Protestant populations chose to remain part of the United Kingdom. Example of religious conflict that affects political structure.

Islam Islam means “to submit to the will of god” in Arabic Followers are called Muslims Founder – Muhammad, seen as last prophet of god Born in Mecca around 570 C.E. Abrahamic religion – means that it is an offshoot of Judaism Jesus and Moses are also seen as prophets Holy book – Quran Place of worship - Mosque

The 2 main branches of Islam are Sunni & Shiites

5 Pillars of Islam basics of Islamic laws & teachings Pray 5 Times a day toward the city of Mecca Believe in one god (Allah) and Muhammad was his last prophet Pay alms Make a pilgrimage to Mecca called the Hajj Celebrate Ramadan (fast during daylight)

Mecca, Islam’s Holiest City Fig. 6-10: Makkah (Mecca) is the holiest city in Islam and the site of pilgrimage for millions of Muslims each year. There are numerous holy sites in the city.

Makkah during the Haj Pilgrimage The Ka’ba stands at the center of the Great Mosque (al-Haran al Sharif) in Makkah.

Kabba The foundation of the Kabba is said to have been built by Abraham

Diffusion of Islam Fig. 6-6: Islam diffused rapidly and widely from its area of origin in Arabia. It eventually stretched from southeast Asia to West Africa.

Eastern Religions Hinduism & Buddhism

Hinduism Oldest of the five major religions No single founder – oral tradition Holy book – Vedas Place of worship – temples & in-home worship

Hinduism Major beliefs Directed towards selfless living Reincarnation – your soul, or atman in Hinduism, survives death Karma – influences position after rebirth Defined academically as polytheistic (believing in many gods) In practice, god assumes many different forms including: Brahma, the Creator Vishnu, the Preserver Shiva, the Destroyer Different representations based on geographic location within India

Brahma

Vishnu

Shiva

Hindu Holy Places Fig. 6-11: Hierarchy of Hindu holy places: Some sites are holy to Hindus throughout India; others have a regional or sectarian importance, or are important only locally.

Ritual Bathing in the Ganges River Hindu pilgrims achieve purification by bathing in the Ganges.

Historically, Indian culture was separated by a caste system, where people were assigned to different social classes.

Hinduism: Cremation is more important/typical than burial

Buddhism Is an offshoot of Hinduism Buddhism arose from the inspiration and teachings of Siddhartha Gautama It is a complete way of life concerned with the wholesome development of the individual. Buddhism can be best summarized by the words of Buddha himself: Learn to do good, Cease to do harm, Control the mind, And benefit others. Concentrated in one region of the world

The 4 Noble Truths (i) the world is full of suffering (ii) suffering is caused by desire (iii) suffering can be removed (iv) in order to remove suffering one has to overcome desire.

Both Hindus & Buddhist believe in reincarnation, the consent cycle of birth, death & rebirth

Diffusion of Buddhism Fig. 6-7: Buddhism diffused gradually from its origin in northeastern India to Sri Lanka, southeast Asia, and eventually China and Japan.

Buddhist Temple Bodh Gaya, India

Animism Animists believe that inanimate objects and natural events have spirits.

Exit Ticket Notebook paper & blue/black ink pen. Create a double-bubble chart to compare 2 of the 5 major world religions. You must have 3 similarities & 3 differences. Your differences should be related (ex. Oranges are orange, apples are red).