W ORLD R ELIGION C OMPARISON Christianity, Islam, Judaism

R ELIGION A set of beliefs existence of a higher power, spirits, or god an explanation of the origins and purpose of humans and their role on earth Involves rituals, festivals, and rites of passage Ethnic Religions Judaism and Hinduism Universalizing Religions Christianity, Islam, Buddhism Monotheism Belief in existence in one god Polytheism Belief in existence in more than one god

H OW DO U NIVERSALIZING AND E THNIC R ELIGIONS D IFFER ? Universalizing Appeal to people everywhere Individual founder (prophet) Message diffused widely (missionaries) Followers distributed widely. Holidays based on events in founder’s life. Ethnic Has meaning in particular place only. Unknown source. Content focused on place and landscape of origin. Followers highly clustered. Holidays based on local climate and agricultural practice.

3 A BRAHAMIC R ELIGIONS Judaism, Christianity, Islam

I NTRODUCTION P RE -T EST Directions: For each statement below, determine whether the question applies to Christianity, Islam, or Judaism. Each statement may apply to more than one religion. Write the appropriate letter (C, I, or J) 1. _____ Their Holy Book is called the Koran 2. _____ Jesus is considered the son of God 3. _____ This religion accepts both the Old and New Testaments as Holy Books 4. _____ Followers participate in a pilgrimage to Mecca 5. _____ This religion is the oldest of the three 6. _____ This religion believes in one Supreme Being 7. _____ This religion accepts the Old Testament as its only Holy Book 8. _____ Jerusalem is considered a holy city 9. _____ Followers of this religion call themselves Muslims 10. _____ The Ten Commandments are accepted as guidelines for ethical behavior 11. _____ This religion has a number of sects or denominations 12. _____ Place of worship is a church 13. _____ Place of worship is a mosque 14. _____ Place of worship is a synagogue

I NTRODUCTION A NSWER K EY 1. I 2. C 3. C,I 4. I 5. J 6. C,I, J 7. J 8. C, I, J 9. I 10. C, I, J 11. C, I, J 12. C 13. I 14. J

J UDAISM - N UTS AND B OLTS Monotheistic Current Adherent: 14 million, 12 th largest religion Adherents: Jews Major concentration: Israel, Europe, USA Sacred Text: Torah Religious Law: 10 Commandments Clergy: Rabbis House of Worship: Synagogue View of other Abrahamic Religions: Islam and Christianity are false interpretations- extensions of Judaism

C HRISTIANITY - JUST THE BASICS Monotheistic Current Adherent: 2 Billion, largest religion Adherents: Christians Major concentration: Europe, North/South America, rapid growth in Africa Sacred Text: Bible Religious Law: 10 Commandments Clergy: Priests, ministers, pastors, bishops House of Worship: Church, chapel, cathedral View of other Abrahamic Religions: Judaism is a true religion, but with incomplete revelation; Islam is a false religion

I SLAM : A LL YOU NEED TO KNOW Monotheistic Current Adherent: 1.3 Billion, 2 nd largest religion Adherents: Muslims Major concentration: Middle East, South/ Southeast Asia Sacred Text: Koran Religious Law: 5 pillars Clergy: imams / ayatollah (informal) House of Worship: mosque View of other Abrahamic Religions: Jews and Christians are respected as “people of the book,” but they have wrong beliefs and only partial revelation

Branch: A large and fundamental division within a religion. Denomination: A division within a branch of a religion. Sect: A relatively small denominational group that has broken away from an established church. R ELIGIOUS D IVISIONS

Christianity Catholic OrthodoxProtestant Baptist Westboro Baptist Mormon Polygamist (Fundamentalist Mormons) Lutheran Spiritual Baptist Religion Branch Denomination Sect

R ELIGIOUS C ONFLICT Two Big Questions: Can secular society exist alongside traditional and fundamentalist religious sects and states? –We are quick to notice fundamentalism abroad (i.e. Salman Rushdie’s death sentence by Shia clerics) and not so quick to recognize it at home (abortion clinic bombings; Southern Baptist Convention’s calls for women to submit to their husbands’ authority). –American evangelical Christianity and Islamic fundamentalism are the two most influential fundamentalist movements in the world. –Fewer and fewer states are governed by an official church. How well do different religions exist next to each other –Let’s look at Israel and Palestine…