RELIGIONS REVIEW
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World Religions
Review
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POLYTHEISTIC VS. MONOTHEISTIC
Polytheistic:
Many Gods – A belief in multiple
gods or goddesses,
Monotheistic:
One God – Belief in a single god
MONOTHEISTIC RELIGIONS
JUDAISM
T – Torah is the Jewish Holy Book, Christians
call the Torah the Old Testament
O – Oh, most Jews live in Israel and North
America
R – Religious laws are the 10 Commandments
A
– Abraham is the founder of Judaism
H – first believers in a monotheistic religion
CHRISTIANITY
J – Jesus’ life and teachings are in the New
Testament of the Bible
E – Early church councils made doctrines
(beliefs) – i.e. the Bible is the word of God
S – Second monotheistic religion
U
– United under Catholic Church until 1517
S – Son of God is Jesus
ISLAM
I – Islam’s Holy Book is the Koran (Qu’ran)
 S – Started in the Middle East (present day Saudi
Arabia)
 L – Laws are called the Five Pillars of Islam
 A – Allah = Islamic name for God
 M – Muhammad is the founder of Islam and his
teachings are in the Koran
 I – Islam is monotheistic
 C – Cities that are holy to Muslims – Mecca,
Medina, and Jerusalem
 Followers of Islam are called Muslims
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POLYTHEISTIC RELIGIONS
HINDUISM
K
– Karma is reincarnation (rebirth) based
on behavior – good karma reborn into a better
life next
A
– All Hindus live under India’s caste
system: strict class system
 R – Reincarnation: rebirth based on karma
 M – Many gods – polytheistic religion
 A – All Hindus want to end reincarnation
and merge with Brahma
BUDDHISM
B
– Buddha: Siddhartha Gautama is the
founder
 U – U are loving religions review!
 D – Doctrine: Four Noble Truths
 D – Doctrine: Follow the 8 Fold Path to
Enlightenment
 H – Hey, Buddhism was founded in India
 A – Asoka spread Buddhism to China and
South East Asia
HINDUISM
Book: Vedas – poems and hymns
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Brahmanas – rules for worship
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Great Epics – heroes and gods
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Upanishades – questions on life and death
 Holy Place – Ganges river
 Missionary Religion? – Yes, Ganges River
 Important Figures: Brahman
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Bhrama – creator
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Shiva – destroyer
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Vishnu – preserver
 Major Beliefs:
 Dharma – moral behavior
 Reincarnation – Wheel of life, death, rebirth – karma determines
reincarnation
 Karma – sum of good and bad deeds, which determines the outcome of your
atman (soul) in the next life
JUDAISM
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When: 1900 BC
Where: Middle East
What: Monotheistic
Book: Torah – Old Testament
Place of Worship: Synagogues
Holy Places: Jerusalem
Missionary Religion?: Yes – Western Wall in Jerusalem
Important Figures: God, Holy Spirit, Abraham, NOT Christ
Major Beliefs:
 10 commandments
 #1 & 2 – belief in a single, all-powerful God that brought them out of
Egypt
 #4 – Sanctity of the Sabbath (Saturday)
 #6-10 – responsibility to respect your fellow man
 Belief that the “messiah” has not yet come to Earth
 Belief that Jesus was not the Son of God, merely a prophet
BUDDHISM
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When: 600 BC
Where: China
What: Neither
Holy Book: None
Place of Worship: Buddha statues
Missionary Religion?: Yes
Important Figures: Buddha – “the
enlightened one”
Major Beliefs:
The 4 Noble Truths
Life is pain and suffering
This suffering is caused by a desire for
material possessions
Suffering ends when you renounce
worldly cravings
Follow the 8-fold path in order to end
suffering
The 8-fold Path
right opinion
right purpose
right speech
right action
right way to earn a living
right effort
right mindfulness
right concentration
ISLAM
•Where: Middle East
•What: Monotheistic
•Book: Koran or Qur’an
•Place of Worship: Mosques
•Holy Places: Mecca, Medina, Jerusalem
•Missionary Religion?: Yes
•Important Figures: Allah, Mohammed & Abraham
•Major Beliefs:
5 pillars of Islam
•Kalima – statement of faith – “there is but one god, Allah, and
Mohammed is his prophet
•Salat – 5 daily prayers in the direction of Mecca
•Zakat – giving alms to the poor
•Sawm – abstaining from food and drink while the sun is up during
holy days
•Hajj – pilgrimage to Mecca once in a lifetime
CHRISTIANITY
Where: Middle East
What: Monotheistic
Book: Bible- Hebrew Bible + New Testament
Place of Worship: Churches
Holy Places: Jerusalem, Bethlehem
Missionary Religion?: Yes
Important Figures: God, Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit
Major Beliefs:
10 commandments
#1 - belief in a single, all-powerful God
#4 - sanctity of the 7th day (Sunday)
#6-10 - responsibility to respect your fellow man
Salvation attained through belief in the Son of God