1. Major Religions of the Middle East World Geography
Judaism – based on the ancient Hebrew religion
Christianity – based on the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, evolved from Judaism
Islam – based on the teachings of Muhammad, evolved from Judaism

2. Sacred Symbols Judaism – Star of David Christianity – Cross
Islam – Star and Crescent

3. Judaism
Unique compared to most ancient religions because of its monotheistic belief.
Originated in Palestine
Holy book: Torah - This includes, but is not limited to the “Old Testament”
Jews still await the coming of a Messiah, or savior promised by God.

4. Rituals of Judaism God is called Yahweh
Jews observe the Sabbath on Saturday
Gather in synagogues for worship
Pray three times a day
Major holidays include Passover, celebrating the Exodus from Egypt. Shabuoth is identified as the time of the giving of the Torah on Sinai. Sukkot celebrates the autumn harvest and is preceded by a 10-day period of communal purification.

5. Bar Mitzvah Ceremony

6. Jewish Ten Commandments
(1) the prologue; (2) prohibition of the worship of any deity but Yahweh, and prohibition of idolatry; (3) prohibition of the use of the name of God for vain purposes; (4) observance of the Sabbath; (5) honoring of one's father and mother; (6) prohibition of murder; (7) prohibition of adultery; (8) prohibition of stealing; (9) prohibition of giving false testimony; and (10) prohibition of coveting the property or wife of one's neighbor.

7. Christianity Based on belief that Jesus was the Messiah, son of God
Monotheistic: belief in the Holy Trinity- Father, Son and Holy Spirit
Jesus’ teachings and his apostles’ gospels are added to the ancient Hebrew beliefs to form the Holy Bible

8. Christian Rituals Observe the Sabbath on Sunday
Worship in churches or cathedrals
Sacraments include: baptism, confirmation, Eucharist, marriage, penance, and extreme unction
Major holidays are Christmas, celebrating the birth of Jesus, and Easter, celebrating Jesus’ resurrection

9. Islam Based on the teachings of the prophet Muhammad
Monotheistic, call God Allah
Emerged in Arabia in 600’s
Worship in mosques; Friday is their holy day
Revelations to Muhammad written down in Koran, or Qur’an, stressed by Sunnis Muslims; life of Muhammad is considered by Shiites to be as important as the teachings of the Koran

10. Islam
Unlike the Bible or the Torah, the Qur’an is considered the direct words of god.
Qur’an was dictated to Muhammed in a cave by the angel Gabriel.
Muslims do not allow pictures of Muhammad because he is a prophet, and only God should be worshiped.

11. The Five Pillars of Faith
Profession of faith (shahada): “There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is His prophet.”
prayer (salat): five times a day, facing the city of Mecca
almsgiving (zakat): expected to practice charity toward those less fortunate (2.5% of savings after living expenses)
fasting (sawm): in the month of Ramadan, they do not eat from sunrise to sunset
pilgrimage (hajj): if possible, they are to visit Mecca at least once in their life.

12. Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia

13. Common Ancestry All three religions worship the same God
Legend links the Jews and Arabs as both descendants of Abraham, the Jews by his son Isaac, the Arabs by his son Ishmael
All three recognize the earlier prophets and teachings until their religion branches off
All three religions consider Jerusalem a holy city; Muslims originally faced Jerusalem when praying

14. Differences Jews believe Jesus was a prophet, but Muhammad was not
Christians believe the age of prophets ended with Jesus, so they do not recognize Muhammad
Muslims view Jews and Christians as “people of the book” but believe they corrupted God’s message.

15. Misconceptions
Early in the Christian period, Jews believed Christians were cannibals; sharing the body and blood of Christ in the Eucharist
Christians blamed Jews for the death of Christ; tended to see all Muslims as militaristic
Muslims view the Christian Holy Trinity as a form of polytheism

16. Religions of the World 2.2 Bln: Christianity 1.6 Bln: Islam
1.1 Bln: Unaffilliated
1.0 Bln: Hindu
14 Mln: Judaism