The Six Major Religions Social Studies Religions Unit October 2011 Copyright © 2002 Glenna R. Shaw and FTC Publishing All Rights Reserved

BluePrint Skill: Grade 7 History Compare and contrast the tenets of the five major world religions (i.e., Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, and Judaism).

Main Menu Christianity Buddhism Islam Judaism Hinduism Sikhism

Christianity The early Hebrews who eventually developed into the Jewish religion became the foundation of Christianity. Jesus, or the Messiah, was a Jewish boy who disagreed with some of the Jewish principles of his day began to profess a new way of thinking. This eventually led to the beginning of the Christian religion.

Christianity Christianity started about 2000 years ago about the same time of Jesus. The central point of Christian belief is that God, the Father, entered into human history as the Son, Jesus of Nazereth, and arose as the Holy Spirit. 

Christian Philosophy God is the Creator of the universe. There is one God, Who is Three  Persons-      Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Jesus is both fully man and fully God.  He was born of the Virgin Mary  Crucified, resurrected from the dead, and ascended to the Father.

Christian Philosophy Sin and Evil are realities in our existence. The Bible is the Holy Book that records God's revelation. All believers are promised life everlasting. The leader of Christianity was Jesus, and the followers was his 12 disciples.

Buddhism Founding person of Buddhism is Guatama, the Buddha The Dalai Lama is a Buddhist monk who remains the leader of the Tibetans. Buddhism is a major religion in China, Japan, India, and Tibet.

The Major Philosophy of Buddhism Love: without conditions Compassion: or feeling at one with the person who is suffering Sympathetic Joy:Celebrate the happiness of others, and do not resent their good fortune. Impartiality: Treat everyone equally, and do not use others for personal gain or to win approval.

The Major Philosophy of Buddhism Buddhism states that existence is a continuing cycle of death and rebirth called reincarnation. Each person's position in life is determined by his or her behavior in the previous life. This is known as their "karma" (also a Hindu belief).

Buddhism Buddhism is the world's oldest universal religion and it is the second fastest growing religion.    

Islam ISLAM is the name given to the religion preached by the prophet Muhammad in the 600s A. D. The Islamic religion started in the area known as Palestine in the year 600AD. It has about 850 million followers, most of them in the region north and east of the Mediterranean Sea.

Islam The holy book of Islam is the "Koran." Muslims believe its words to be those of Allah himself, spoken to Muhammad by an angel. Allah, is the Islamic God. People who believe these ideas are called Muslims.

Islamic Philosophy Muslims learn that life on earth is a period of testing and preparation for the life to come. Angels record good and bad deeds. People should behave themselves and help others, trusting in Allah's justice and mercy for their reward.

Islam Muslims pray five times daily in their mosques (churches). While praying, they face the holy city of Mecca (in Saudi-Arabia) and sometimes kneel with faces to the ground. All Muslims are required to make a pilgrimage (trip to a sacred place) to Mecca at least once in their lifetime.

Hinduism HINDUISM is one of the world's oldest religions. Over 2/3's of the world's Hindus live in India; large numbers reside in Africa also. Hindus believe in many gods, numbering into the thousands. They recognize one supreme spirit called Brahman ("the Absolute.")

Hindu Philosophy Hindus believe in many gods, numbering into the thousands. They recognize one supreme spirit called Brahman (the Absolute). The goal of Hindus is to someday join with Brahman. Until that union takes place, believers are in a continuous process of rebirth called "reincarnation."

Hindu Philosophy At death, the Hindu's deeds (karma) determine what the next life will be. Followers work to break this cycle--birth, death, re-birth-- (referred to by writers as the "Wheel of Life") and gain release. The Hindu's soul then merges with Brahman in a condition of spiritual perfection (moksha).

Hinduism Hinduism has many sacred books, the oldest being a series called the "Vedas.“ Traditional Hindu society was divided into groups of four classes (or varnas). This was known as the "caste system."

Judaism JUDAISM is a religion of just one people: the Jews. JUDAISM was the first to teach belief in only one God. Two other important religions developed from Judaism: Christianity and Islam.

Judaism Jews think that God will send a Messiah (a deliverer) to unite them and lead them in His way. Christians believe that Jesus was the Messiah. The Jewish people do not agree; they anticipate His arrival in the future. Judaism teaches that death is not the end and that there is a world to come.

Judaism The "Torah," the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, is the most important Jewish scripture. It contains the basic laws of Judaism. Another important book is the "Talmud," serving primarily as a guide to the civil and religious laws of Judaism.

Judaism The Jewish house of worship is called a synagogue. Rabbis (spiritual leaders) conduct services, act as interpreters of Jewish laws, and deliver sermons. Today there are over 18 million followers of Judaism scattered throughout the world. A large number of those people live in the Jewish nation of Israel. Over six million live in the United States.

Jewish Philosophy God is one and unique God is the creator God is transcendent God is immanent. God is lawgiver God is personal We have the obligation to worship The Torah is God's law God is judge The Messiah will come.

What is Sikhism? A 500 year old, monotheistic religion of Northwest India, followed by some 20 million Seeks to make religion a uniting rather than dividing force All people – male and female, Brahmin and Shudra, Hindu and Muslim – are united as brothers and sisters in devotion to the one God: "there is no Muslim, there is no Hindu; all are equal human beings because they are the children of the same Father, God.“ – Guru Nanak

The founder of the faith Guru Nanak (1469-1538) Hindu by birth and upbringing Influenced by the Bhakti and Sant tradition of medieval northwest India A disciple of both Hindu and Muslim mystics Composing and singing devotional songs (kirtan) Drew his own disciples (“sikhs”) following a mystical realization in 1499 - Sikhs are disciples of the gurus and of the ultimate (wahe) guru, God

Nanak’s teaching Preached a unifying message that overcame religious differences, uniting both Hindu and Muslim in common devotion to the same God Recognized that behind all human names and forms for God, is one True God (Sat Nam – the “true name”) Rejected meaningless ritual, images and idols of gods in favor of simple, heartfelt devotion

Beliefs One God (whom people call by many names) Sat Nam (“true name”), Waheguru (“great guru”) Equality of all human beings (reject caste distinctions) Karma and reincarnation Reject asceticism (no monastic life in Sikhism) The spirit of the guru (Nanak) continued for 200 years through a succession of ten human gurus…

Development of the faith 2nd guru (Angad Dev) developed written form of Punjabi language for recording hymns 3rd guru (Amar Das) instituted the community kitchen (Langar) to feed all in need 4th guru (Ram Das) built the Sikh holy city of Amritsar (in Punjab) 5th guru (Arjun Dev) built the Golden Temple in Amritsar as the center of the Sikh world; also compiled hymns of the earlier gurus, creating the Sikh holy book: Adi Granth

Martyrdom and defense 5th guru was martyred, 6th guru (Har Gobind) began a tradition of training Sikhs in martial arts to protect those persecuted for their religion (Sikh, Hindu or otherwise) 7th guru (Har Rai) best known for opening hospitals and offering free medical treatment to those in need 8th guru (Har Krishan) was just a child but continued caring for the sick (died at age 8) 9th guru (Tegh Bahadur) worked to combat religious persecution, ultimately became the 2nd Sikh martyr

The 10th Guru – Gobind Singh Wrote hymns and completed the compilation of the Adi Granth In 1699, Initiated the Sikh Khalsa (“brotherhood”) as a military defense force Declared the end of the line of human gurus, transferring guruship to the Khalsa community and the holy book, now known as “Guru Granth Sahib” Died 1708

The Khalsa Today, the Khalsa is simply the community of the faithful Amrit ceremony as baptism and initiation into the Khalsa (male and female, must be at least 16 years of age) Khalsa members take a new last name: Singh (“lion”) for men, Kaur (“princess”) for women Khalsa members wear the “Five K’s” as symbols of their faith…

The Five K’s Kesh: Long, uncut hair (both men and women) Men wear a turban to cover their hair Kangha: a comb to keep the hair clean and presentable Kara: a steel bracelet worn on the right wrist as a reminder to think of God and do one’s duty Kachh: undergarments as a reminder of chastity (outside of marriage) and purity Kirpan: a defensive sword symbolic of God’s power and the Sikh duty to protect the weak and persecuted

Other Sikh symbols The Khanda: the double edged sword represents God’s power, the circle is for continuity, the two outer swords for spiritual and political balance “Ek-Onkar” meaning “one God” The Golden Temple: a place of worship, pilgrimage, and seat of worldwide Sikh leadership; open on four sides for access by all people; surrounded by a pool of water for purification rites

The Gurdwara – the Sikh temple “Door to the Guru,” housing and honoring the Guru Granth Sahib A “Granthi” (priest) is caretaker of the Gurdwara and the holy book as well as spiritual leader of the community

The Gurdwara – the Sikh temple Contains a kitchen and dining hall (for Langar) and prayer hall for singing of Kirtan (hymns) from the holy book Open daily (in India) with continuous reading and singing from holy book, serving food to all who come Following worship, all partake in the Langar, sitting (on the floor) and eating a meal together (equality)

Sikh holy days and ceremonies Vaisakhi: April 13th, anniversary of founding of the Khalsa Guru Nanak’s birthday (November) Baby naming Amrit/Baptism (Initiation into Khalsa) Marriage (Anand Karaj): takes place in the Gurdwara with the community before the Guru Granth Death: cremation of body

The Sikh way of life Mediation and personal prayer morning and evening Honest and hard work Charity Service to humanity, God, and guru Strong family values Strong identity with the Sikh community Khalsa members abstain from smoking, drinking and illicit drugs

Sikhism on the Web: The Sikhism Home Page: http://www.sikhs.org/topics.htm The SikhNetwork: a virtual worldwide Sikh community (includes areas for on-line discussion and live chats with Sikhs from around the world) http://www.sikhnet.com/

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