Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Judaism 5 Major World Religions Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Judaism

Overview Timeline Explanation Key Terms Polytheistic Religions Hinduism Buddhism Monotheistic Religions Judaism Christianity Islam

Timeline

Key Terms: Polytheism Polytheistic Religion: A religion that has more than one god. Poly = many, theos=god Ancient religions, such as the Greeks, Sumerians, and the Egyptians, had numerous gods. Sometimes, pantheons had thousands of gods.

Key Terms: Monotheism Monotheistic Religion: A religion in which only one god is worshipped. Mono = sinlge, theos = god Judaism is often credited as being the first monotheistic religion in human history. Think how incredible it must have been!

Polytheistic Religions Hinduism Buddhism

Hinduism – 1700 BC Place of Origin: India Founder: No single founder Holy Books: Vedas Beliefs: Brahman is the source of all divinity (holiness) Reincarnation (soul is reborn many times based on Karma). Caste System

Hindu Gods SHIVA VISHNU BRAHMA

Hinduism Caste System: A social structure (or hierarchy) that determines a persons role in society. The only way to change castes is through the process of reincarnation.

Buddhism – 500 BC Origins: India and then spread to Asia Branched off of Hinduism about 500 BCE. Founder: Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha) Holy Book: Sutras Beliefs: Eightfold Path

Buddhism

Buddhism Basic Tenets (Beliefs) of Buddhism The world is full of suffering Meditation is our only escape Nirvana is the ultimate goal Follow the Eightfold Path

Buddhism Eightfold Path Right Understanding Right Thought Right Speech Right Action Right Livelihood Right Effort Right Mindfulness Right Concentration

Monotheistic Religions Abrahamic Faiths Judaism Christianity Islam

Judaism – 2000bc Origin: Middle East Founder: Abraham Holy Book: Torah Holy City: Jerusalem Worship in a SYNAGOGUE Beliefs: God created the universe God continues to govern the universe The Ten Commandments were given to Moses by God on Mt. Sinai and must be followed

JUDAISM Adherents are worldwide, but most are in Israel. During WW2, the Nazis murdered 8 million Jews during their “Final Solution.” After the war, the United Nations helped establish the state of Israel, which is the only democracy in the Middle East. There are roughly 16 million Jewish adherents.

Christianity – AD 3 Origins: Middle East Founder: Jesus, the Western calendar is based on his birth Holy Book: The Bible Holy City: Jerusalem Worship in a CHURCH Beliefs: Jesus is the Messiah and the son of God. He was crucified in order to cleanse mankind of sins.

Christianity There are roughly 2 billion adherents to Christianity worldwide. Christianity is broken into many denominations, such as Catholic, Baptist, Presbyterian, Anglican, Eastern Orthodox, Coptic Christian, and many more. While they have distinct differences, they all believe Jesus is the Son of God.

ISLAM – AD 600 Origin: Middle East Founder: Muhammad Holy Book: Koran Holy Cities: Jerusalem and Mecca Worship in a MOSQUE Beliefs: The Muslim name for God is Allah. The Angel Gabriel gave Muhammad The Koran in the desert in the 7th Century CE. It is the Muslim holy book. The Five Pillars of Faith

ISLAM