Transcript World Religions The Western Religions

World Religions
The Western Religions
RELIGION
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a set of beliefs concerning the cause,
nature, and purpose of the universe.
usually involving devotional and ritual
observances, and often containing a
moral code governing human activity
and conduct.
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Polytheistic
 Believing
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Monotheistic
 Believing
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in MANY gods
Deity
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god
in ONE god
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Sect
 Sections
within a religion usually
separated by subtle differences in their
beliefs within the same religion
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prophet
 a person who speaks for God or a deity, or
by divine inspiration.
Judaism
Founded about 2000 BC
Judaism's Deity
Monotheistic
 Call God “Yahweh” – to scholars
 Called “Adonai” – in the worship
services.
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 No
images of Yahweh
Judaism’s Key Beliefs
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Belief in Yahweh (God)
10 Commandments given by Yahweh (God) to Moses
who is a prophet (someone who speaks the word of
God). Includes:
Do not steal, kill, or lie
 Honor (respect your parents)
 There is only one God
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Believe in Afterlife
A person serves Yahweh (God) by studying the Torah
and living by its teachings.
Judaism's Holy Book
Bible
 First 5 books are called the Torah
 Different than complete Christian Bible
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How is it Practiced?
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Bar Mitzvah—at age 13 boys
celebrate their entrance into adult
religious community (girls=Bat
Mitzvah)
Several holidays that honor their
history and their God.
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Passover recalls events from the
departure of the Jews from Egypt
where they had been enslaved.
Sacred Place
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Jerusalem
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Western Wall: Remains of Jewish Temple destroyed
by Romans in 70 AD. Believe when Messiah (savior)
comes, temple will be rebuilt.
Worship Services
Place of worship: Synagogue
 Holy day (Sabbath or Shabbat) is from
sundown Friday to sundown Saturday
 Services led by a Rabbi (Jewish spiritual
leader)
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Divisions (Sects)
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Orthodox
Conservative
Reform
Other Information
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First monotheistic religion
Founded by Abraham
Same God as Christians and Muslims
Kosher = Various dietary restrictions
as interpreted in the Hebrew Bible
Christianity
Founded: 30 AD
Christianity’s Key Beliefs
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Belief in God
Believe Jesus as son of God
Believe in Ten Commandments and
that they were given to Moses
Believe that Jesus died and then rose
from the dead to save people from sin.
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Call him “Christ” or “Messiah”
Believe in heaven, hell, and afterlife
Christians believe that they can serve
God and achieve salvation by following
the teachings of Jesus
Christianity’s Deity
Monotheistic
 Same God as Jews and Muslims
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Christianity’s Holy Book
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Bible –divided into two sections
 Old
Testament
 very
 New
similar to the Jewish Bible
Testament
 about
the life and teachings of Jesus Christ as well
as his followers after his death
How is it Practiced?
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Many Christians also have a
practice of Baptism where
they are initiated into
Christianity
Holidays that celebrate
Jesus such as Christmas
(birth) and Easter
(resurrection after being
crucified)
Christianity’s Sacred Place
 Jerusalem
Church of the Holy
Sepulchre
Church
built where
Jesus was crucified
 Other
sites as well
Worship Services
Place of worship: Church
 Holy Day: Sunday
 Religious Leader: Priest; bishop;
archbishop; patriarch; pope; pastor;
minister; preacher; deacon
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Christianity’s Divisions (Sects)
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Some examples:
Roman Catholics
 Eastern Orthodox
 Baptist
 Lutheran
 Presbyterian
 Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints
 And many more
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Other Information about Christianity
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For many sects the cross represents symbol
of victory over death
Islam
Founded: 622 AD
Islam’s Key Beliefs
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Belief in heaven, hell, and afterlife
5 Pillars:
1)Only one God-Allah and
Muhammad is his prophet
2)Pray 5x/day
3)Charity
4)Fast during Ramadan
5)Pilgramage to Mecca
Islam’s Deity
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Monotheistic
Belief in God
Allah: Arabic word for God
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Forbidden to draw images of
Muhammad and Allah
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Colorful mosaics instead
Same God as Jews and
Christians
Islam’s Holy Book
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Qur’an
 Word
of Allah as given to Muhammad
 Muslims believe Muhammad ascended to
heaven over a period of time where he
received messages from Allah through the
angel Gabriel
How is it Practiced?
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Only Arabic can be used in worship as Muslim’s believe
the Arabic version to be true word of Allah
Ablution—cleansing before prayer
Don’t eat pork or drink alcohol
Halal-dietary restrictions based on the slaughtering of
meat
Holidays such as Id al-Fitr the celebrates the end of
Ramadan (fasting month).
Islam’s Sacred Places
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Saudi Arabia
 Cities of Mecca and Medina
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Jerusalem
 Dome
of the Rock: Muhammad ascended to heaven
to receive messages from Allah
 this is in the exact
same area as
Western Wall
Worship Services
Place of worship: Mosque
 Holy Day: Friday
 Religious Leader: Imam; Sheikh
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Islam’s Divisions (Sects)
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Sunni and Shi’a (Shiites)
 The division among Muslims began with
disagreements about who should lead after the
death of Muhammad.
 Sunnis believe that anyone with a deep
understanding of Islam and the Qur’an can lead
Muslims
 Shi’as believe that only direct descendants of
Muhammad can lead Muslims
Other Information about Islam
Muhammad is the founder, but trace many
beliefs back to Abraham
 2nd largest world religion
 Consider Jews and Christians to be “People
of the Book”
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 Both
have a holy book with many of the same
messages as Qur’an
 Muslims think of Moses and Jesus as prophets,
with Muhammad being the final prophet
World Religions
Part 2
Hinduism
Founded about 2000 BC
Holy Book
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Veda’s
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Collection of texts
Rig Veda: oldest Hindu
writings
Oldest writings of the major
religions
Upanishads
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Hindu teachers comments
on the Vedas written about
750 and 550 BCE.
Hinduism’s Deity
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Polytheistic
Examples of main gods are
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Brahma: creator of universe
Vishnu: preserver of universe
Shiva: destroyer of universe
Devi; a great mother goddess
Hindus free to choose which god or
gods they worship or none at all
Key Beliefs
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Goal of religion is to reach enlightenment (true
understanding and happiness)—Moksha
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Three paths to moksha: path of right thinking, path of right
action, or the path of religious devotion
Reach enlightenment after freeing themselves from
earthly desires
Belief in reincarnation: Individual soul is born again
and again until perfect understanding of all things is
achieved
Karma (good and bad deeds) follows you from one
life to another and influences your circumstances
How is it Practiced?
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Many use deep meditation and prayer to reach
enlightenment
Achieve enlightenment through worship, attainment of
knowledge, and virtuous acts
Sacred Place
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Ganges River in India
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Bathe in water to cleanse and purify themselves
Sick and disabled come in the belief that the holy water might
cure their illnesses.
Several other rivers
Sacred city of Varansai in India—city of Hindu god Shiva
Worship Services
Place of worship: home or at temples
 Temples contain shrines to important gods
or goddesses
 Annual festivals at temples to honor gods
 At home, worship around a shrine to a god
that is important to the family
 Spiritual Leader = Guru, Saga - These are
not service leaders, but guide people on
how to manage their lives around god.
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Divisions (Sects)
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Haktism
Reform Hinduism
(monotheistic)
Vaishnavites
Shaivites
Other Information
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No single founder
Began as a blending of cultures when the Aryans (people from
area between Aral and Caspian Seas (Modern day Uzbekistan,
Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan) moved into the Indus River
Valley
Major religion of India
Caste system: Rigid class system that dictates jobs and positions
within society—nearly impossible to change caste.
Religion is a way to free soul from illusions, disappointments,
and mistakes of life.
3rd largest world religion
Buddhism
Founded: Approx. 530 BC
Buddhism's Key Beliefs
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The Three signs of Being
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Four Noble Truths
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duhkha – life is unsatisfactory
anitya – nothing is permanent
anatman – there is no such thing as a soul
Life is filled with suffering and sorrow
The cause of all suffering is desire
The way to end all suffering is to end all desires.
You can overcome desires and attain enlightenment by following the Eightfold
Path.
Nirvana (enlightenment) —release from selfishness and pain.
Belief in reincarnation : living beings, after death are reborn and
continue to exist
All living things possess the potential for spiritual growth and the
possibility of rebirth as humans
Buddhism’s Deity
No personal deity
 Buddha is not a god, but a title of someone
who has reached Nirvana
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Buddhism’s Holy Book
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The first written collections of Buddha’s
teachings, were called canons and written
in two different languages.
 Dhammapada
 Memorable
– “Verses of Righteousness”
sayings of Buddha Including
 Four Noble Truths
 Eight fold path
How is it Practiced?
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The Eight Fold Path
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A guideline for Buddhist to follow to live the best possible life and
reach Nirvana
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Right View, Thought, Speech, Action, Livelihood, Effort, Mindfulness,
Concentration.
Buddhist strive to follow Buddha’s teaching through meditation
and hopefully achieve enlightenment
Buddhism’s Sacred Places
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Various sites in India that relate to Buddha’s life
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Birthplace: Lumbini Grove
Place of Enlightenment: Bodh Gaya
Various branches of Buddhism have their own
sites
Worship Services
Place of worship:
 Many Buddhists make offerings at shrines,
temples, and monasteries. This is carried
over as part of their cultural and less part
of Buddhism itself.
Buddhism’s Divisions
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Two branches are:
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Theravada:
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Mahayana:
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Try to stay as close as possible to Buddha’s recorded teachings
More accepting of change
There are also divisions of Buddhism that are based on
their location:
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Tibetan Buddhism
Zen Buddhism
Pure Land Buddhism
Other Information about Buddhism
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Founded by Siddhartha Gautama
 Searched
for religious truth and end to
suffering of life
 After 49 days of meditation he achieved
understanding of the cause of suffering
 Became known as “enlightened one” or
Buddha
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Buddhism was born from Hinduism
Confucianism
Founded: 500’s BC
VALUE SYSTEM
Confucianism's Holy Book
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The Analects:
 Earliest
and most authentic record of
Confucius's ideas.
 Written about 400 BC
Confucianism's Deity
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None
Confucianism ’s Key Beliefs
5 Relationships:
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Social order, harmony, and good government could be restored
in China if society were organized around 5 relationships:
1.
Ruler and Subject
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Father and son
3.
Husband and wife
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Older brother and younger brother
5.
Friend and friend
Golden Rule: Do not do unto others what you would not want
others to do unto you
Confucianism’s Practices and Rituals
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Many of the rituals of ancient Chinese religion
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Sacrifices to the gods and to ancestors
Celebrate Confucius’ birthday on September 28
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Holiday in some countries (also plays tribute to Teachers!)
Confucianism’s Worship Services
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Moral philosophy—way of
life, not a religion
Confucianism’s Sacred Places
 China
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Mount Lushan contains many landmarks of Confucianism
Confucianism’s Divisions (Sects)
• None as it is a way of life (belief system)
Other Information about
Confucianism
Founded by Confucius
 Foundation of Chinese government and
social order
 Spread beyond China and influenced
civilizations throughout East Asia
 Education is important for welfare of
individual AND society
 Foundation for bureaucracy—trained civil
service (people who run governments)
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