1. Middle East: The Birthplace of Religion
Comunicación y Gerencia
Middle East: The Birthplace of Religion
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4. Jerusalem, Holy City

5. Judaism Oldest major religion 1300 BCE First to teach monotheism
Trace ancestry to Abraham
Three main branches: Orthodox, Conservative, Reformed

6. Belifs/Teachings
Only one God, Yahweh
Obey God’s commandments
Live a moral and ethical life

7. Covenant with God
Promise with God
Ten Commandments from Moses
God’s Chosen People & would live in the promised land, Canaan
Assures Jews of God’s love & protection

9. Holy Book
Torah (Old Testament)
First 5 books crucial
Basic laws & history
Talmud, serves as a “guide”

10. Structure
Synagogue – house of worship
Rabbi – spiritual leader
Religious day: sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday
Do not actively seek converts

11. Holy Days/Festivals
Rosh Hashanah, New Year
Yom Kippur, Day of Atonement
Hanukkah, Festival of Lights
Bar Mitzvah/Bat Mitzvah
Passover, freedom from Egypt

12. Orthodox Customs
No pork or shellfish
Dietary Laws: store meat & milk products separately, separate sets of utencils, Kosher (ritually correct)
Do not work, travel, or carry money on the Sabbath

13. Jews over the ages
have built a series of temples in Jerusalem
They are the focus of Jewish practices and beliefs
Western Wall: (Wailing Wall) symbolizes the site of ancient temples
Jews say prayers to this stone wall, and write prayers on small pieces of paper left in the cracks of the wall.

15. Christianity 2nd oldest major religion, 30 CE Largest religious group
Monotheistic
Salvation through Jesus
Three main branches: Roman Catholic, Orthodox, & Protestant

16. Spread of Christianity
Spread orally by 12 apostles
First Christians were Jews
New Testament

17. Beliefs/Teachings
Only 1 God
God created the Universe
Holy Trinity, God has 3 parts: Father, Son, & Holy Spirit
2 important practices: baptism, Holy Communion
Based on life & teachings of Jesus

18. Holy Book/Holy Days
Bible, Old & New Testament
Sabbath, day of rest
Lent, preparation for Easter
Palm Sunday
Good Friday
Easter
Christmas

19. Islam 3rd oldest major religion, 622 CE in Mecca
Fastest spreading religion
2nd largest group
Founder: Muhammad
Monotheistic
Two main branches: Sunni & Shi’i

20. Spread of Islam
Spread orally by Muhammad & his followers
Muslim armies conquered empires that had weakened over the years.
Qur’an/Koran, written words of Allah, as spoken to Muhammad
Followers of Islam: Muslims

22. Beliefs/Teachings
Only 1 God, Allah
Series of prophets, including Moses & Jesus
Day of Judgement, submit to the will of God
Moral behavior
Five Pillars

23. Holy Book/Holy Days
Qur’an/Koran, foundation for Islamic social law
Ramadan, holiest month in Islam, month of fasting
Hajj, pilgrimage to Mecca
Muhammad’s Birthday

24. Customs/Traditions
Five Pillars: Faith, Prayer (5 times/day), Alms, Fasting, Pilgrimage
Dietary Laws: no pork or alcohol
Mosque, holy place of worship
Imam, prayer leader
Hijab: head covering/body covering, principle of modesty
Men may have more than 1 wife
Babies named on 7th day

25. Islam
Kabba: This place is considered to be the center of the earth. It is the world's first and oldest worshiping place since the
times of Adam and Eve.
All of the Allah's
Prophets have come
and prayed here, one
time or another. It’s
known as Kabba,
meaning square or four
sides, East ,West, North,
South.

26. Dome of the Rock
The sacred rock over which the Dome of the Rock is built was considered holy before the arrival of Islam. Jews believed, and still believe, the rock to be the very place where Abraham prepared to sacrifice his son Isaac.

27. In addition, the Dome of the Rock is believed by many to stand directly over the site of the Holy of Holies of both Solomon's Temple and Herod's Temple.
The Dome of the Rock was built in 688 to 691 AD.
It was not intended to be a mosque, but a shrine for pilgrims.
According to tradition, the Dome of the Rock
was built to commemorate
Muhammad's ascension
into heaven after his night
journey toJerusalem.

30. Religion in the Middle East
Jerusalem is holy to the three largest monotheistic religions in the world: Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. Many of the holiest places of Christianity are found in present-day Israel. Christianity spread out towards Western Europe where the majority of Christians lived by the Middle Ages.
Islam flourished in the Middle East in the 800’s and Arabic became the official language of this region.
Except for the Crusades, the Middle East has been dominated by Muslims for almost 1400 years.

31. WWII: Jewish claims to the region, especially the land of Palestine; the creation of the State of Israel has brought religious tension to the region and the continuous fight over who rightfully owns the land.
Dominance over the region has shifted from one religious affiliation to another over the years, bringing battles both political and religious that continue to this day.