RMS IB Middle School
2012-2013
 OBJ:
The scholar will be able to identify the
five major world religions by completing the
World Religions Chart.
1. Warm-up: CNN Student News
2. Notes: 5 Major World Religions
3. World Religions Chart
4. Reflection
A
religion is an organized system of beliefs
and practices, often centered on one or
more gods.
 Monotheistic- one god
 Polytheistic- many gods
 There are five major world religions:
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Buddhism
Christianity
Hinduism
Islam
Judaism
 Began
in India in the sixth century.
 Founded by Siddhartha Gautama who became
known as the Buddha.
 He taught his followers that the way to end
suffering was by practicing the Noble Eightfold
Path.

Right opinions, right desires, right speech, right
action, right job, right effort, right concentration,
and right meditation
 Today,
most Buddhist live in Sri Lanka, East Asia,
Southeast Asia, and Japan.
The
largest religion in the world.
Based on the life and teachings
of Jesus, the Son of God.
The Holy Bible serves as the holy
text with both the Old and New
Testament.
 Protestants
 Founded
by Martin Luther
when he challenged the
authority of the pope
resulting in the Protestant
Reformation.
 The Virgin Mary is not
central to their worship.

Catholics
The Pope has universal
authority within the Catholic
church and serves as the figure
head of the church.
 Catholicism is distinguished
from other sects of Christianity
for many reasons including
administration of the
sacraments, special regard to
the Blessed Virgin Mary, the
pope and priesthood, and the
apocrypha.

 Hindus
believe that a supreme being called
Brahman is the soul of the universe.
 The same presence, they believe, can be
found within each person.
 People can be freed from suffering and
desires once they understand the nature of
Brahman.
 The major religion of India and Nepal.
 Islam
is a religion based on the teaching of
the Qur’an, the religion’s holy text.
 Followers of Islam are known as Muslims.
 Islam believes there is only one God, the
same God in Christian and Jewish
traditions. He is called Allah.
 They show their devotion through the Five
Pillars of Islam:
 Faith, prayer, charity, fasting, and
pilgrimage to Mecca
 Mostly found in southwestern and central
Asia and parts of Africa.
After
the death of the prophet
Muhammad, Sunni Muslims
thought the new leader should be
elected from among those
capable of the job.
Other Muslims believed that
leadership should have stayed
within the Prophet's own family.
 First
major monotheistic religion
 Basic teachings come from the Torah, the
first five books of the Hebrew Bible.
 Judaism teaches that a person serves God
by studying the Torah and living by its
teachings.
 Many Jews live in Israel, but the religion can
be found all over the world.


Listen to all directions before beginning your work.
Create a comparison chart for the five major world
religions. You need to have the following for all five
religions:
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The name of the religion
The founder and god
Holy Text
Basic belief
One interesting fact
Picture or symbol
You need to be neat and creative. Be sure to include all
the information for all five religions.
When you are finished, fold the paper in half and put it in
your binder. DO NOT TURN IT IN!
You will need the following to complete this assignment:
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A copy of the gold Africa, Asia, and Australia textbook (pgs.
R3-R49).
Markers/colored pencils/crayons
A sheet of long paper
 Use
the last 10 minutes of class to reflect on
what you learned during this class period.
 Complete your reflection on the left side of
your interactive notebook, across from your
notes.