1. Religions Guided Reading Check

2. Ethnic and Religious
An ___ethnic_____ group is a group of people who share _cultural__ ideas and beliefs that have been a part of their community for _generations_.
Ex: Including a __language_, a _religion_, a shared history, types of _food__, and a set of traditional stories, beliefs or celebrations.
A _religious_ group shares a belief system in a _god_ or __gods____, with a specific set of rituals and _literature__.

3. Judiasm
_Judiasm__ is a monotheistic religion. Its followers ___believe_ in only one _God_.
Its origins are traced back to _Abraham_. He was one of the first _people___ to profess the belief in a __single_ God.
The _Torah_, the first five books in the _Hebrew_ Scriptures, says that God made a _covenant_ (agreement) with _Abraham_, promising to set him as the head of a new _nation_ if he would dedicate himself and the _Hebrew_ people to the worship of _one_ God.
Abraham left Mesopotamia and eventually came to the land of _Canaan_(part of present day _Israel_). Abraham believed God promised this land to him and his _decendants_.

4. Judaism
In Canaan, Hebrews lived, worshipping Yahweh, the God they _believed__ would protect them for their _faithfulness_.
Abraham had a son, _Isaac_ and a grandson, _Jacob. They are seen as the patriarchs, or _founders_, of the _Hebrew_ nation.
The Bible says that around _1300_ to _1200 BC the Hebrews were forced into slavery in _Egypt_. After years of suffering, _Moses__ led them out of _slavery. The escape from slavery is known as the “_Exodus”, and is remembered each year by the celebration of _Passover_ in the Jewish calendar.

5. Judaism
During the Exodus, and wondering in the Sinai desert, the _Jewish_ faith teaches that God renewed his covenant with the _Hebrew_ people, revealing to them the _Ten Commandments_.
After returning to Canaan, the Hebrews lived in _12_ generally self- governing tribes. They gradually extended their territory to the south along the _Jordan_ River. The largest of these tribes was that of Judah, from which the names _Judaism_ and _Jews__ developed.
Around 1000 BC, the Hebrew people united under a series of kings, _Saul_, _David_, and _Solomon_, in the kingdom of _Israel_. David established his capital in the city of _Jerusalem___, and Saul later built a great _temple__ there and dedicated it to the one true God of the Jewish_ people.

10. Christianity
_Christianity_ is a religious movement that grew out of _Judaism_ during the time of _Roman_ rule in _Palestine_.
The founding figure in Christianity is _Jesus_, a man who was born in _Bethlehem_ to a _Jewish_ family around _4_ BC.
Tradition holds that he lived a _modest_ life in _Nazareth_ as a carpenter until he began to attract attention as a _teacher_ and _preacher_ when he reached the age of about _30_.
While he followed _Jewish_ law and _belief_, he spoke of a more personal _relationship_ with God, focusing on both the _love_ of God and the __generous_ treatment of neighbors and acquaintances.

11. Christianity
He had a number of followers who became known as his _diciples_, and their writings __provide_ much of what is known about the life and teachings of _Jesus_.
The first _FOUR_ books of the New Testament are made of these writings, and known as the __gospels__.
Many had issues with the attention surrounding Jesus. The Roman ruler, _Pontius Pilate_, saw Jesus as a _threat_ to his authority and that of the _Roman_ Empire. As a result, _Jesus_ was sentenced to _death_ by _crucifixion_, a form of execution in those days in which a person either was _tied_ or _nailed_ to a cross and _suspended_ there until _death_.

12. Christianity
After his _death_, his followers believed that he was able to _rise_ from the dead and walk among them _again_ before going to _Heaven_. They continued to call him the _Messiah_ (savior of man) or the Greek “_Christo_”, which was shortened to “_Christ_”. They called him the “_Son of God_”.
Word of Jesus _rising_ from the dead began to spread quickly, and along with his _teachings_ became the basis for a new religion called Christianity_.
His followers _emphasized_ this new religion’s _willingness_ to take in all who _wished_ to _believe_.
This _angered_ the Romans, as they refused to worship _Roman_ gods and goddesses. Many of the early _Christians_ were put to death by _Roman_ authorities in the years following the death of _Jesus_.
The religion _continued_ to have growing appeal among _many_ who did not like Roman _rule_ and who wanted a religion that emphasized both _Old Testament_ teachings and the _loving_ and _forgiving_ God described by _Jesus_.

14. Islam
_Islam_ is a religion that began in the city of _Mecca_ in the _Arabian____ Peninsula in the _600s_AD. Mecca was a _trading_ center located along a _main_ route on the _Red Sea_ coast connecting the _Byzantine_ Empire with the shipping and trading centers coming from the _Indian Ocean and the Far East.
_Muhammad_ was born in Mecca in _570_AD. _Orphaned_ at an early age, he was _taken_ in by his uncle and trained to become a _merchant_. He became a _respected_ member of the _Mecca_ community.
At the age of _40_, while spending an evening in one of the _cooling_ caves in the hills around _Mecca_, Muhammad began to hear the voice of the _angel Gabriel_, calling on him to tell the word of _God_ to the people.

15. Islam
He told people they _needed_ to rededicate_ themselves to the worship of _one_ God, who he called _Allah_.
Those who were willing to agree to this belief became known as “_Muslims_,” or “_ones who submit_” to the will of _God__.
Many in Mecca _worried_ his teachings would hurt their trade by _angering___ those who worshipped other _gods_, and some of his followers began to face _threats__ and _violence_.
To escape these threats, in _622_AD, Muhammad and his _followers_ moved about _200_ miles north to Yathrib, a city Muhammad _renamed_ Medina, which means “_the city of the prophit_”. This move came to be known among Muslims as the “_Hijrah_”, and the date serves as the first _year_ of the Islamic _calendar_.

16. Islam
The people of _Medina_ accepted _Muhammad_ as both a political and religious leader and many joined the new religion of _Islam_.
_Muhammad_ returned to Mecca as head of an army in 630AD, and the city surrendered.
After Muhammad’s death, his _followers__ collected the teachings from the angel _Gabriel_ into the Quran (the _holy book_ of Islam).
Muslims believed there is only _one_ God, and they view _Muhammad__ as his final prophet. Much of the Old Testament and New Testament are also included in the Quran, so Muslims see the Quran and Islam as the final and complete word of _God_.

17. Islam
All _Muslims_ believe they must meet the five ______________ obligations, known as the _Five Pillars_.
Five Pillars:
_No God but Allah and Muhammad is his Prophit.___________
_Pray 5 times a day facing Mecca.______
_Provide charity to the poor_______
_Observe the holy month of Ramadan______
_Take a Hajj—Pilgrimage to Mecca_____

18. Islam The Quran offers a _handbook_ for leading a respectable life.
After Muhammad’s death, the religion of _Islam_ spread rapidly through out the Arabian _Peninsula_ and parts of the Byzantine and _Persian_ Empires.