Belief Systems
World Religions
Essential Question:
How have belief systems impacted the
development of cultures and historical
events?
World Religions
I. Belief Systems (World Religions)
A. Purposes - Religion is a concept man
uses to:
1. Explain the Unknown
a. How the world was created?
b. What happens after you die?
2. Provide moral guidelines or laws
to live by
World Religions
B. Types of Belief Systems
1. Polytheistic – Belief in MORE THAN
ONE god or divine being
a. Examples: Animism, Shinto,
Hinduism, Daoism
2. Monotheistic – Belief in ONE god.
a. Examples: Judaism,
Christianity, Islam
World Religions
• Characteristics of Belief Systems
• Founder – A person who is usually honored
as a deity or sacred person.
• Examples:
• Siddhartha Gautama - Buddhism
• Abraham and Moses - Judaism
• Jesus - Christianity
• Muhammad - Islam
World Religions
• Sacred Writings – Holy books or texts that
provides an explanation to the origins of the
religion, guidelines for behavior, holy days of
observance, as well as rituals and practices.
• Examples:
• Vedas and Upanishads – Hinduism
• Analects – Confucianism
• Torah and Talmud – Judaism
• Holy Bible – Christianity
• Qur’an - Islam
World Religions
• Rules of Behavior – Provides guidelines for
behavior in order to achieve enlightenment,
harmony or salvation.
• Examples:
•
•
•
•
Dharma – Hinduism
Eight Fold-Path – Buddhism
Ten Commandments – Judaism and
Christianity
Five Pillars of Islam – Islam
D. Animism
1. Founder - There is no one person
who is considered the founder of
Animism
2. Geographic Origin - Developed
worldwide in different parts of the
world. (Africa, the Americas, Asia,
and Australia)
3. Currently Practiced - World-wide,
but most common in traditional
societies of Africa, the Americas and
Australia
iety.
Animism
4. Significant Writings – None, but have
an oral tradition of story-telling (oral
history)
5. Significant Religious People –
a. Shaman - A person who
communicates with the spiritual
world and conducts rituals
b. Medicine Man/Woman - A healer
or a person who can treat illnesses
c. Griot - A professional storyteller in
a traditional African Animist
society.
North
American
Shaman
West African
Griot
Animism
Animism
6.
Beliefs:
a. Religion that believes that each object has its own
spirit and that ancestors watch over the living.
b. Polytheistic - Spirits are found in natural objects
(living and nonliving objects)
c. There is belief in a Supreme Being and in lesser
gods.
d. Obey the gods and follow tradition and you will be
rewarded with good harvests and many healthy
children.
e. Failure to follow traditions would anger the Gods
and result in hardships, crop failure, illness and
death.
Animism
7. Practices:
a. Prayers and ceremonies keep gods on
your side
b. Use of ceremonial masks as a way to
receive what the people want or need.
E. Hinduism
1. Founder - There is no one person who is
considered the founder of Hinduism. It is
believed that the Aryans and the people of the
Indus River Valley’s traditions formed the
foundation of Hindu beliefs.
2. Geographic Origin - Developed in India
approximately around 3000 BCE
3. Currently Practiced - Most commonly
practiced in India. (80% of India is Hindu)
Hinduism
4. Significant Writings –
a. Vedas - collections of prayers and verses
about creation and reverence for nature
b. Upanishads - discussions about the soul
and proper ways of behavior.
5. Significant Religious People – Hindu priests
(Brahmins) carry out traditional religious
practices in temples.
Current Vedas
Originals
Brahmins
Hinduism
Hinduism
6. Beliefs:
a. Polytheistic – Brahma is the Supreme
Being in the Hindu religion. Hindus believe
in millions of different gods and are
considered manifestations of the one god
Brahma. There are three main gods that
control the cycle of life:
Brahma- the creator
Vishnu- the preserver of life
Shiva- the destroyer
The Preserver of
Life
The Creator
The Destroyer
How can Hinduism be
considered polytheistic
if they believe there is
one Supreme Being?
Hinduism
b. Moksha - In Hinduism, salvation is achieved
through a spiritual oneness of the soul with
the Brahma. To achieve this goal, the soul
must obtain Moksha, or liberation from the
endless cycle of birth, death, and rebirth.
c. Reincarnation – The belief that your soul is
reborn into another body
d. Karma – deeds (actions, words, and
thoughts) that impact your future
e. Dharma - fulfilling one's duty or occupation
in life
Hinduism
f. Hindu cycle of life - The Hindu cycle of life
can best be represented by the infinity
symbol. It is believed that a person is given
life by Brahma, protected in life by Vishnu,
until finally Shiva claims you in death. Then
the cycle is repeated over and over again until
one finally achieves Moksha.
g. Caste System - A rigid class structure
(hierarchy) of India that is based on Hindu
beliefs.
h. A person’s position in the caste system is
based on their karma from their previous lives
Hinduism
Hinduism
i. Good karma - if you follow the dharma you will be
rewarded in the next life and move up the caste
j. Bad Karma - If you fail you fulfill your dharma, you
will be punished and demoted in the caste system
their following life.
k. 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
Outcasts.
How does the Caste
System provide social
and political order?
Hinduism
Hinduism
7. Practices:
a. Prayer - Prayer and offerings at temples
b. Dharma - daily life is regulated by caste
rules
c. Social discrimination – Limited caste
interaction creates discriminatory practices
and does not allow social mobility.
d. The Caste System was outlawed in 1947,
but it is still widely practiced.
e. Art - expression of faith through the arts
F. Buddhism
• Founder - Siddhartha Gautama, or Buddha,
which means "enlightened one."
• Geographic Origin - Developed in India
approximately around 500 BCE
• Currently Practiced - Most common in
Southeast Asia and East Asia. Through trade,
migration and pilgrimages
• Significant Writings – Tripitka, or the Three
Baskets of Wisdom.
traditional orange robes.
Buddhism
5. Places of Worship - Buddhism may
be practice individually, but temples
and monasteries known as Pagodas
can be used for worship.
6. Significant Religious People - The
Dalai Lama is the spiritual leader of
the Tibetan sect of Buddhism.
Buddhist monks can be identified by
their traditional orange robes.
Buddhism
7. Beliefs:
a. Buddha - Siddhartha Gautama was a
prince born into the Brahmin caste, and
led a luxurious lifestyle. However, he was
troubled by the human misery that he
saw around him everyday (death, illness
and poverty). After meditating under a
Bodhi tree, he concluded that desire was
the root caused of all suffering.
Buddhism
b. Four Noble Truths Siddhartha's philosophy of the nature of
human suffering and its relation to
desire is articulated by these four
statements:
1. Life is full of pain and suffering.
2. Human desire causes this suffering.
3. By putting an end to desire, humans can
end suffering.
4. Humans can end desire by following the
Eight-fold Path.
Buddhism
C. The Eight-Fold Path – Gautama’s guidelines
on how to achieve Nirvana
1. Right views
5. Right livelihood
2. Right Aspirations
6. Right Effort
3. Right Speech
7. Right Mindfulness
4. Right Conduct
8. Right Contemplation
Siddhartha Gautama
Under the Bodhi Tree
Do you think that
human suffering is
connected to worldly
desires? Why or Why
not?
Buddhism
d. Reincarnation - Buddhists believe in an
endless cycle of reincarnation, or samsara,
which is similar to beliefs of Hinduism. Like
Hindus, Buddhists believe one’s karma
influences a person’s reincarnation.
e. Rejects the Caste System - Instead Buddhists
who believe that a person is reincarnated until
they can achieve Nirvana, spiritual
enlightenment.
f. Nirvana – Spiritual enlightenment
Buddhism
What similarities and
differences do Hinduism
and Buddhism have?
Buddhism
g. Two sects of Buddhism:
1. Theravada Buddhists – South East Asia
i. Buddha’s Teachings - Closely
followed Buddha’s original
teachings
2. Mahayana Buddhists – East Asia
II. Polytheistic - Combined with
other East Asian polytheistic
religions such as Daoism and Shinto
and saw Buddha and other holy
beings as compassionate gods.
G. Confucianism
1. Founder - Confucius, a scholar, philosopher
and politician
2. Geographic Origin - Developed in China
approximately around 500 BCE
3. Currently Practiced - Most commonly in
China, as well as elements Southeast Asia
and East Asia culture.
4. Significant Writings –The Analects
Confucianism
• Beliefs:
• Provided Stability - Confucius believed that
social order and mutual respect would
provide order and stability in society if there
were rules to guide behavior in the family
unit, society and the government.
• Filial Piety - respect for parents, above all
duties, even loyalty to the state. Also, the
needs and success of the group were more
important than those of the individual.
Confucianism
c. Five Relationships - Confucianism teaches
that there is a natural social order to society
which can best be explained through the Five
Relationships:
• Ruler to subject.
• Father to son.
• Older brother to younger brother.
• Husband to wife.
• Friend to friend.
What
lessons do
parents
teach their
children?
Do the five
relationships
apply to our
society
today? If so,
which one?
Which
relationships do
not apply to
today?
Confucianism
d. Superior and Inferior Relationships - In these
relationships, the first role is considered superior to the
second role and the second role is considered
subordinate to the first. It was taught that if everyone
knew their place in society, then order would prevail.
e. Role of the Superiors - For example, the ruler must
provide leadership, guidance and discipline to the
subjects. This would be the same for fathers,
husbands and elders.
f. Role of Inferiors - For example, the subjects must
show loyalty, love and compliance to the leader. This
would be the same sons, wives (women), younger
generations.
g. Friend to Friend – friends are considered equal
Confucianism
6. Practices –
a. Dynastic Cycle - As long as the rulers were good and
did well for their people, they held the Mandate of
Heaven. If, after several generations, the dynasty
becomes corrupt or does not protect their people,
they will lose the Mandate of Heaven and a new
dynasty will take over.
b. Patriarchal Society - Women are subservient to men.
In Confucius’ five relationships, women are mentioned
only as the inferior of men. However, women were to
be respected if they were the mother of sons.
c. Ancestor Worship - Respect for and worship of
ancestors because filial piety was stressed even after
your ancestors’ death
Confucianism
d. Scholar Gentry -A well run system of
government must be headed by
educated, knowledgeable people and
stressed the importance of education
for the upper class (scholar gentry).
e. Civil Service Exams – Exams based on
Confucian principles that Chinese
officials must pass in order to work for
the government.
H. Daoism
H. Daoism/Taoism
1. Founder – Lao Tsu, a Chinese
philosopher
2. Geographic Origin - Developed in
China approximately around 500 BCE
3. Currently Practiced - Most commonly
in China, as well as elements Southeast
Asia and East Asia culture.
4. Significant Writings – Tao-te-Ching or
The Way of Virtue
Daoism
a. Daoism - It represents a naturalistic ideal
of how one should live their life.
b. Dao - can be translated into English,
meaning "the way." It is a philosophy
which teaches that nature has a “way” in
which it moves, and that people should
accept the “way” of nature.
c. Wu-Wei - concept of "not doing." This
means that people should not act
unnaturally by doing things, but rather
should openly accept the natural way.
The Force
Daoism
d. Harmony in nature - An emphasis is placed
on the link between people and nature.
Taoism teaches that this link lessened the
need for rules and order, and leads one to a
better understanding of the world.
e. Government is unnatural - Daoists viewed
governments as “unnatural” and believed
that the best governments are the ones that
govern the least.
f. Yin and Yang - symbol that has also been
used to illustrate the natural harmony that
exists in the world. Everything must have an
opposing force that allows the harmonious
universe to exist.
Daoism
Yin
Yang
Male
Female
Light
Dark
Heavenly
Earthly
Aggressive
Passive
Strong
Weak
Hot
Cold
Daoism
Daoists believe that nature is a marriage of opposites. They
believe that the world cannot exist without this balance. Name
3 sets of opposing forces in nature?
1.
2.
3.