One God or most powerful force
Great Power in the universe.
Brahman
Brahman's personality
is shown through
hundreds of other gods
He can be
described
like salt in
water
This is the
sacred
symbol in
Hinduism.
Hindu
prayers
begin with
this sound.
OM/AUM
It is a way of describing
Brahman
Key words Hinduism
Reincarnation: The idea that when you die, your atman will be
reborn into another living thing
Atman: Like a soul. Every living thing has one. It is the part of living
things that is Brahman
Dharma: Duties you must do in life
Samsara: The whole cycle of rebirth
• Karma: Actions that affect
your next life.
• Brahman: The one god or
great Power. The energy
that is in everything.
• Moksha: Escaping the cycle
of rebirth. Becoming one
with Brahman.
• Om/Aum: The sacred sound
that Hindu prayers begin
with.
• Trimurti: 3 gods that
represent or show different
parts of Brahman’s
personality.
• Brahma: Creator, the god
that shows the creative part
of Brahman.
• Shiva: Destroyer, the god
that shows the part of
Brahman that ends things.
• Vishnu: Protector, the god
that shows the part of
Brahman that protects
things
• Puja: The ritual Hindus use
when they worship every
day
Just like we have Alexander, Turner, Rosalind Franklin and Emmeline
Pankhurst buildings but only one school, all the gods and goddesses
in Hinduism are ways of describing the different parts of Brahman.
Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva are part of the Trimurti. The Trimurti are
the most important gods (or deities) to Hindus. They work together
in a never ending pattern
BRAHMA
(creator)
TRIMURTI
SHIVA
(destroyer)
Everything is
made (by the
creator part of
BRAHMAN)…
VISHNU
(preserver)
…lasts for a time
(kept by the
preserver part of
BRAHMAN)…
…and is then
destroyed (by the
destroyer part of
BRAHMAN).
How beliefs about
reincarnation affect a Hindu’s
life
When a Hindu dies they
will be reincarnated.
This means that their
atman will pass on to
another living thing that
is born.
I want to move up the
cycle of samsara. To
do this, I need to gain
good Karma. This
means I should do
good things in life.
If they don’t, then they
believe that they could be
reincarnated into a
human that is born to
have a difficult life, or
even some sort of animal.
This would include
doing my dharma,
and things like
performing puja
everyday. There are
lots of other good
things a Hindu can
do.
If they behave well,
then their next life
could be a good
one as a holy
person.
My greatest desire is to
continue up the cycle of
samsara, and then escape the
cycle to achieve Moksha, when
my atman will become one with
Brahman.
PUJA
Puja
Divali
Lakshmi visits and
leaves present
Go to the Mandir
Present accounts to
Lakshmi
Light diva lamp and
put in window
Clean house in
preparation
Firework displays and
fairs
To bring good luck for the
new year and to show
Lakshmi is pleased with you
To be together as a
community of Hindus
To be blessed by Lakshmi
and to get good luck for
the financial year.
To show everyone Divali is
here and to banish evil!
To show respect and get
things in order.
To celebrate this happy
occasion.
Key words Judaism
Abraham
Synagogue
Hebrew
Torah
Shabbat
The founder or father of Judaism (made the
covenant with God)
Jewish Holy Building
Jewish writing
A scroll. The Jewish Holy Book
Jewish Holy Day. Sundown Friday to Sundown
Saturday
Menorah
Seven-branched candlestick
Star of David The symbol of Judaism
Kippah
A skull cap worn by Jewish men in the synagogue
(and some Jews wear them all the time)
Tallit
A prayer robe
Circumcision Where a small piece of skin is removed from a
baby boy.
covenant
A special agreement between God and the
Jewish people (then called Hebrews). God made
the deal with Abraham.
• God promised the Jews that he would look
after them, give them a land of their own and
give them lots of descendants (big families so
that Judaism would continue and this would
show the Jews were His chosen people)
• Abraham and the Jews promised God that
they would follow his rules and love God
• To show they were part of the deal, all Jewish
boys were circumcised (a small operation)
Abraham’s test: story
• Abraham lived in a town where everyone worshipped
many gods, but Abraham began to worship one God
• Abraham and God had a special relationship and created
the covenant.
• Abraham and his wife Sarah moved to the land God
promised and they really wanted a child of their own
• When Abraham and his wife were really old (99) God
promised them a son named Isaac.
• They were very happy but when Isaac got older, God
asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac (kill for God)
• This was a test (Abraham was torn between two things he
loved)
• When Abraham lifted the knife to kill Isaac, God stopped
him
• Abraham had shown that the most important thing was
God
Abraham’s test
Abraham should have
agreed to sacrifice Isaac
because:
• His religion – God told
him to do it…
• Who does Isaac belong
to? Is he Abraham’s son
or is he God’s son?
• God must know what He
is doing!
• Abraham promised to
obey God’s commands
Abraham should not have
agreed to sacrifice Isaac
because:
• Abraham really wanted a
son with his wife.
• God gave him to Abraham
why does he want to take
him away?
• Parents have certain
duties /jobs to do for
their children
• God promised they would
be his chosen people and
look after them
Moses’ story
• The Hebrews (Jews) were being kept as slaves in Egypt
• The Pharaoh saw that there were lots of them and made a law that all
baby boys should be killed (so they couldn’t create an army against him)
• Moses’ mother put him in a basket and sent him down the River Nile
where he was found by the Pharaoh’s daughter and brought up in the
Palace.
• He grew up and was upset about how his Hebrew people were treated,
and he tried to help them.
• He unfortunately killed an Egyptian slave master and fled into the desert.
• God spoke to him and told him to ask the Pharaoh to free his people.
• Pharaoh refused, so God sent plagues and Pharaoh eventually freed
them
• Pharoah changed his mind and chased after them so God worked
through Moses and parted the Red Sea for them to escape.
• Moses then looked after his people in the desert until they reached the
Promised Land
Moses as a great leader
Leading the Jews from slavery shows
Moses was a good leader because…
…a good leader takes his people away
from things that are dangerous or will
hurt them
Moses stood up to Pharaoh and told him
what the Jews wanted. This shows he was
a good leader because…
…a good leader speaks for his people
Parting the Red Sea to shows Moses was a …a good leader helps people find a way
good leader because…
through difficult things
Giving the 10 Commandments to the Jews …a good leader sets rules that help his
shows Moses was a good leader
people live and work well together
because…
Finding the Jews food in the desert shows
Moses was a good leader because…
…a good leader makes sure his people has
all the things they need to survive
The exam format
a) Is always a question about a key word e.g. What is
Brahman? (so learn key words)
b) Is always about your opinion e.g. Do you think
Abraham’s test was fair? Give two reasons for your
answer (so give evidence for your view)
c) Is always an explain question e.g. Explain why Moses
is seen as a great leader (you always need lots of
examples/ teachings and be able to explain what
these mean)
d) Always requires you to give your point of view on a
statement and then the opposite point of view e.g.
“The concept of dharma helps you live your life well”
i) Do you agree? Give reasons for your answer
ii) Gove reasons why other people would disagree with
you (Make sure you give evidence for your opinion, and
not just explain what your opinion is)