Transcript Geography History and Review

Section 2: World Religions
 Located in the Americas and Africa
 All things in nature have spirits
Teachings and Beliefs
• Animists practice nature worship
• They believe that everything in the universe has a spirit
• Animists also believed that ancestors watch over the
living in the spirit world
• This belief resulted in ancestor worship as a means of
communicating with and showing respect to ancestors
• No one person is considered the founder
• Developed simultaneously in different parts of the world
 Siddhartha Gautama is the founder of
Buddhism
 He is also known as Buddha which means
the enlightened one
 The main belief of Buddhism is the Four
Noble Truths
Teachings and Beliefs
• Developed in India
• The Dalai Lama is the spiritual leader of the Tibetan sect
of Buddhism
Four Noble Truths
• All life is suffering
• Human desire caused this suffering
• By putting an end to desire, humans can end this suffering
• Humans can end desire by following the Eightfold Path
Eightfold Path
• Know that suffering is caused by desire
• Be selfless and love all life
• Do not lie, or speak without cause
• Do not kill, steal, or commit other unrighteous acts
• Do not do things which promote evil
• Take effort to promote righteousness
• Be aware of your physical actions, state of mind, and
emotions
• Learn to meditate
 Developed in Judea which is now
Jerusalem
 Currently practiced in North America,
South America, Europe, and Russia
Teachings and Beliefs
• Monotheistic religion. One god known as God
• Significant writing is known as the Bible
• Because Christianity evolved from Judaism, there are concepts that
these two religions share.
• A moral set of guidelines known as the Ten Commandments
• Christians are expected to attend church services regularly, usually on
Sundays and holy days such as Christmas and Easter
• On these occasions Christians take part in sacraments, which are
religious practices such as baptism, and receiving the Eucharist
 Confucianism was developed in China
 It was taught that if everyone knew their
place in society, then order would prevail.
Teachings and Beliefs
• Confucianism teaches that there is a natural social order to society
which can best be explained through the Five Relationships
1. Ruler to ruled
2. Father to son
3. Older brother to younger brother
4. Husband to wife
5. Friend to friend
• Filial Piety – One should respect their elders
• Confucianism also believed that the brightest and the best educated
should be in government.
• He developed the concept of a civil service exam to make sure
the best got the best jobs
• Confucianism provided social order to China during a time of great
chaos
 Country of origin is India
 Hinduism is a result of cultural diffusion that
occurred between Aryan invaders and the
native peoples of India sometime around
1500 BC
 The Ganges River is considered a holy site
 Dharma means fulfilling one’s duties in life
 Karma is the belief that whatever you do,
good or bad, comes back to you.
 Good Karma means good things will
happen to you.
Teachings and Beliefs
• The Caste System is a rigid class structure based on
Hinduism which is found in India
• It is believed that if one leads a good life, following good
dharma and karma, then they will be rewarded by being
reincarnated as a person belonging to the next highest level
in the Caste System
• However, if one is wicked during their life, they will be
demoted and possibly even removed from the Caste System
altogether
• Outcastes, or Untouchables, are members of Hindu society
thought to have been removed from the Caste System, with
no hope of returning to it, due to their misdeeds in previous
lives.
• Work that is deemed unclean for all other Hindus is reserved
for these Outcastes
• The Caste System has been outlawed in India. Even so, it is
still practiced.
 Islam is most dominant in the Middle East.
 The third most holy place is Jerusalem which also has
significance in Judaism and Christianity
Teachings and Beliefs
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Holy book – Koran
Place of worship – Mosque
Founder – Mohammed
Set of moral codes is known as the Five Pillars of Islam
1. There is no God but Allah
2. Face east and pray five times a day
3. Muslims must give alms to the poor
4. During Ramadan, all Muslims must fast during daylight hours
5. If possible financially and physically, all Muslims must make a
pilgrimage or haji to the holy city of Mecca
• Islamic holy war is called a jihad
• A Muslim is someone who submits to the will of Allah.
 Oldest known monotheistic religion still being
practiced
 Developed in Middle east around the area that is
currently Israel
Teachings and Beliefs
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Holy book – Torah
Place of worship – temple
Founder – Abraham
Set of moral codes is known as the Ten Commandments
The Jewish escape from Egypt is known as the exodus
Like Islam and Christianity. Judaism believe in only one God. This is
known as monotheism
 Most commonly practiced in Japan
Teachings and Beliefs
• Traditional religion of Japan that focuses on nature
• Shrines are usually located near places of great natural beauty such as
rivers, lakes, or mountains
• Traditionally, the emperor of Japan was considered to be a direct
descendent of the Sun God.
• Shintoism is one of three religions, along with Taoism and Animism,
which believes that all things in nature have spirits.
 Yin and Yang – The natural harmony and
balance in the world
 (Light and Dark; Male and Female; Heavenly
and Earthly)
Teachings and Beliefs
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Developed in China
Tao translates to The Way
All things in nature have spirits
People should passively accept the way of nature