1. The Major Religions of the World

2. How Many Do You Know?  List all of the RELIGIONS of the world that you can think of. WORLD RELIGIONS

3. We will study these….  Judaism  Hinduism  Buddhism  Christianity  Islam

4. What are the characteristics of a religion?

5. What is a Religion?  Religion – an organized system of beliefs, ceremonies, practices and worship that centers on one or more gods

6. Monotheism vs. Polytheism  Mono – “one”  Poly – “many”  Theism – the belief in god  What do these terms mean?

7. Timeline info…

8. Note-Taking Format  Important Text and Places  Important People  Symbols  Rituals and Celebrations  General Information

9. World Religion Populations

10. World Religion #1 Judaism

11.  14 million people world wide  1 st “monotheistic” religion in history  The Torah, or Jewish holy book, teaches the basic laws of Judaism

12. Judaism  The universal symbol of Judaism is the Star of David, the emblem of King David who ruled the Kingdom of Israel from 1000 – 962 BC

13. Ritual, Worship & Celebration  At age 13 Jewish children enter into the religious community – Bar Mitzvah – Men – Bat Mitzvah - Women  House of Worship – The Synagogue  Leadership – Religious services are conducted by a rabbi (“teacher”)

14. Ritual, Worship & Celebration  Many Jews make the pilgrimage to the “Wailing Wall in Jerusalem – Built in the 2 nd century BCE – Remains of a temple that had stood for close to 500 years Destroyed by the Romans – Thought to be the most sacred of places – Temple itself was thought to be the place where God resides on earth.  Praying at the Wailing Wall signifies being in the presence of the Divine

15. The “Wailing” Wall

16. Ritual, Worship & Celebration  What is “Kosher” – Strict dietary laws – Forbids the eating of “unclean” animals such as pigs or shellfish – Dictates how certain foods should be prepared  Important Jewish holy days include: – Chanukah, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Passover

17. Review Questions & Homework  What is the holy book of Judaism?  What is the role of rabbi in Jewish tradition?  What does the term “kosher” refer to?  HOMEWORK (Due tomorrow) – Define and explain: Chanukah Rosh Hashanah Yom Kippur Passover

18. World Religion #2 Christianity

19. History of Christianity  Founded c.33CE in Palestine – Founded by Jesus and his followers – Jesus is believed to be the messiah  The most important symbol is the Cross – Symbols the death of Jesus  Currently, main locations are: – North America – South America – Europe

21. Christian Population throughout the World

22. Christianity Facts  Over 2B followers…largest religion in the world  Major Sects – Roman Catholic (RCC) – Eastern Orthodox (EO) – Protestant  House of Worship – Church or Chapel  Leaders of the Church – Hierarchy of priests and Pope (RCC) and (EO)

23. Christianity Beliefs  Sacred Text – The Bible (Old and New Testament)  Important Rituals & Worship Practices – The Seven Sacraments Baptism & Communion are two examples  Major Holidays – Easter and Christmas  Belief in God – One God (a trinity of Father, Son, Holy Spirit)

24. Canterbury Cathedral, England

25. The Cathedral of The Resurrection of Christ in Saint Petersburg

26. Review Questions  Why is Jesus Christ central to the Christian religion?  What do Christians hope to achieve by following the teachings of Jesus Christ?

27. World Religion #3 Hinduism

28.  Third largest religion in the world – Over 800 million followers  One of the oldest surviving religions – Formulated by 1500BCE  Basic principles are found in The 4 Vedas – sacred writings  Priests are called Brahmins  There is no one “leader” or “founder”  It is the major religion of India

29. Early Hinduism  Polytheistic Religion – Thousands of deities – One universal spirit – Brahman – Three Major Gods Brahma, Vishnu, & Shiva  Reincarnation – passing through many lives to reach the Brahman  Karma – consequences of how a person lives

30. Hinduism Beliefs  God in Hinduism is the Supreme Being – Everywhere, all-knowing, and all-powerful  The purpose of life is to obtain liberation from the cycle of reincarnation – People reach true enlightenment and happiness when they free themselves of earthly desires

31. Hinduism Information  Rituals – Worship at home and in temples – Temples can have multiple shrines to gods – Worship as individuals and families, not as a congregation

32. Hinduism Information  Sects – Shaktism Shakti – supreme Goddess – Vaishnavites Vishnu – the Preserver – Shaivites Shiva – the Destroyer – Reform Hinduism Monotheistic & more “western”

33. Hinduism Information  Celebrations – Diwali Hindu New Year – Festival of Holi Triumph of good over evil – Pilgrimage to the Ganges River in India Hindus believe the river has healing powers

34. Hinduism Review  According to Hindu beliefs What is the importance of the Ganges River in India?  What are the three main gods of Hinduism?

35. World Religion #4 Buddhism

36. Who is the Buddha?  Founder-Siddhartha Gautama (c.520BCE) – Known as the Buddha or “enlightened one”  Present spiritual leader -Dalai Lama – Head of Buddhist Church  4 th largest religion in the world today – Over 300 million followers – Mainly found in China, Japan, Korea, SE Asia

37. Buddhist Beliefs  Purpose of life is to escape the cycle of rebirth (reincarnation) and attain nirvana – Nirvana – a state of wisdom – All living things can be reincarnated Animals can possibly be reborn into humans  How to achieve Nirvana? – Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path – Key to happiness was detachment from all worldly goods and desires

38. Buddhism Information  Worship Practices – Meditation – deep thought & reflection – Offering of gifts of food, flowers, or candles  Rituals – Importance of the lotus flower Believer can blossom while rooted in the impurity of the world

39. Buddhism Information  Major Buddhist Sects – Theravada As close as possible to Buddha’s teachings – Mahayana More accepting of the changing world

41. The Dalai Lama – The present spiritual leader of Buddhism

42. Current Population of Worldwide Buddhism

43. Buddhism Review  According to the Buddha, how does a person achieve happiness and fulfillment?  Why do Buddhists take special care as to not kill a living being?

44. World Religion #5 Islam

45. History of Islam  Founded in 622CE – Founded by Muhammad in Saudi Arabia Muhammad is considered to be a prophet –A messenger of Allah (God)  Two Major Sects (split c.650CE) – Sunni – Shi’a (or Shiite) Leader of Muslim community must be a descendant of Muhammad’s son-in-law (Ali)

46. Muhammad

47. Islamic Beliefs  Five Pillars of Islam – Faith Allah is the one true God – Prayer Five times a day – Charity Giving to the poor – Fast During Ramadan – Pilgrimage to Mecca

48. Islamic Beliefs  One God – Allah  Believe in all the prophets of Judaism and Christianity  Holy Celebrations – Id al-Fitr End of Ramadan Fasting – Eid al-Adha End of Islamic calendar

49. Islamic Beliefs  Sacred Text – Qur’an (Koran) – Hadith  Religious Law – Sharia  House of Worship – Mosque  Leaders of the Religion – imams

50. Islam Facts  Second largest religion in the world – Over 1 billion followers  Month of Ramadan – Muslims fast during the day – Most important day is the “Night of Power” The night that the angel Gabriel 1 st spoke to Muhammad  Major Areas in the World – Middle East – SE Asia

51. The Kaaba Mecca, Saudi Arabia

52. Blue Mosque Istanbul, Turkey

55. Islam Review  What is the most important night of Ramadan? Why?  What are the Five Pillars of Islam?

56. World Religion #6 Mormonism

57.  The Church of Ladder-Day Saints (LDS) – Followers are known as Mormons  Founder-Joseph Smith – Translated a sacred history of the Americas, known as the Book of Mormon in 1830

59. The Mormon Church  Way of Life – Belief in prophets (Gordon B. Hinckley) – God (Father), Christ (Son), & the Holy Ghost are three separate individuals – Must give up alcohol, tobacco, coffee, tea – Must give 10% of income to church – House of Worship: Temple or Church

60. San Diego Mormon Temple San Diego, California

61. Salt Lake Temple Salt Lake City, Utah

62. The Mormon Church  Sacred Texts – The Book of Mormon, the Christian Bible, Doctrines & Covenants  Current Headquarters: Salt Lake City, Utah  To Achieve Salvation : Faith and works…works are emphasized (missionary)  Today there are more than 12 millions followers, half outside the US

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