1. Page 1 Major World Religions Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism

2. Page 2 Dominate World Religion by Location

3. Page 3 Judaism -1 st monotheistic (one god) faith -Abraham is the earthly founder -Sacred text is the Torah -Old Testament -5 books of Moses -Believes that the messiah is still to come -Believes Jesus was a great prophet, but not of a miracle birth -Beginning: dawn of time -10 Commandments: core laws of behavior Hinduism -Oldest organized polytheistic faith -No 1 founder, Aryan people as a whole -Sacred text are the Vedas -Hymns, prayers, and moral stories -Born into the faith system -Believes in reincarnation & karma -Trinity -Brahma: Creator -Vishnu: Preserver -Shiva: Destroyer

4. Page 4 Buddhism -Nontheistic: no god -Founded by Siddhartha Gautama in Nepal around 2,500 years ago -Sacred text Tripitaka “Three Baskets” -Believe in reincarnation, goal is to achieve “enlightenment” to get to Nirvana (heaven) -8-Fold Path is their laws/rules -Peaceful -Theravada: Very traditional -Mahayana: Modern, less strict Buddhism

5. Page 5 Christianity -Monotheistic -Founded by Jesus of Nazareth in 33 A.D. -Believe Jesus was the son of God sent as the savior to the people -Sacred text: Bible (Old Testament, and New Testament) -Symbol: Cross to represent the death of Christ -10 Commandments core laws as are the teachings of the New Testament Christianity -Jesus was raised as Jewish -Christianity is considered to be the next stage of the Jewish faith -Open to anyone, no class requirements, or financial requirements -Part of the reason it spread so rapidly

6. Page 6 Islam -Monotheistic -Founded by Muhammad 632 A.D -Muhammad is believed to be a great prophet who God revealed that he has 4 functions: creation, sustenance, guidance, and judgment -Sacred text: Quran -Core laws: 5 Pillars of Islam -Can trace origins back to Abraham, controversy is the role of Ishmael and Isaac Islam

7. Page 7 Islam -Two branches of Islam -Sunni: Caliph (leaders) devout followers of Muhammad -Shia: Caliph (leaders) must be a direct descendent of Muhammad -Shiite: enact “jihad” to an extreme Islam

8. Page 8 Timeline of Major Events in Judaism 1812 BC: Abraham’s teaching begins 1428 BC: Israelites enslaved in Egypt 1392 BC: Moses born (raised by Egyptian princess) 1312 BC: Exodus from Egypt 877 BC: King David establishes kingdom of Israel 836 BC: King Solomon takes over 796 BC: Israel splits into 2 kingdoms King Rehoboam leads Kingdom of Judea 10 Northern tribes establish Kingdom of Israel 555 BC: Assyrians conquer Israel 547 BC: Sennacherib (Babylonian) attacks Jerusalem 442 BC: Babylonians take over, Jews kicked out of Israel 370 BC: Jewish return 347 – 245 BC: Greek overrun and persecute Jewish 139 BC: Revolt of Maccabee 1 st religious war

9. Page 9 Timeline of Major Events in Judaism 37 BC: King Herod takes over Israel Mentally unstable, has children and wife killed But good with the political end of things, has strong ties to Rome with Octavian so as Rome prospers, Israel does as well 638 AD: Islam conquers Jerusalem 1096: Crusades begin Primarily between Muslims and Christians, but Jewish are a secondary target for both groups