World Religions
Definitions (right side)
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Religion
• Organized system of beliefs, ceremonies, etc.
• Centered around one or more gods
Monotheism
• Belief in One God
• Examples?
Polytheism
• Belief in multiple gods (also called “deities”)
• Examples?
What has religion done
throughout history?
1.
Guided peoples beliefs and actions
2.
Brought people together OR torn them apart
3.
Affects a WIDE range of events
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ex. clothing, food, behavior
Thousands of religions in the world!
Five Major Religions
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Buddhism
Judaism
Christianity
Islam
Hinduism
Buddhism
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Dominate in Southeast Asia
• Especially Sri Lanka and Japan
Founder = Siddhartha Gautama
• Became known as the Buddha (“awakened one”)
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Taught four main ideas
4 Noble Truths
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Everything in life is suffering.
Cause of suffering is people’s selfish desires.
To end all suffering one must end all desires
The way to overcome such desires is to follow
an “Eightfold path”
• Can lead to enlightenment
Buddhism General Information
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Followers worldwide: 354 million
No deity
Founder: the Buddha (Siddhartha
Gautama)
Holy Book: collection of sacred texts
Leadership: Buddhist monks and nuns
Basic belief:
• People can achieve complete happiness,
known as nirvana, by eliminating their
attachment to worldly things.
• Nirvana is achieved by following the
Noble Eightfold path
Buddhism’s symbolism
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3 cardinal faults of humans
1. Greed (pigs)
2. Hatred (snakes)
3. Delusion (roosters)
Lotus flower
• Has roots in impurity (mud)
• Blossoms in spiritual life (water)
Zen Gardens
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Purpose = help thinking and meditation
Rocks and crushed gravel to represent
mountains and water
Raking gardens is symbolic to
uncovering moss to reach purity.
Haiku’s
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17 syllable poems
Used by Buddhist monks in the past
• how silent and still!
into the heart of the rocks sinks
the cicada’s shrill
--Basho
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Try to write one:
• Line #1: five syllables
• Line #2: seven syllables
• Line #3: five syllables
Confucianism
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Not considered a religion
Way of life based on teachings of the
Chinese scholar, Confucius.
• Guides actions and beliefs of millions!
Stresses social and civic responsibility
Provides an ethical system to follow
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Believed society could have social order,
harmony, and a good government if
organized around five basic relationships
1.
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3.
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5.
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Ruler and subject
Father and son
Husband and wife
Older and younger brother
Friend and friend
A code of proper conduct regulated each
of these relationships
Became foundation for Chinese
government and social order.
Confucianism - General Information
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# followers worldwide is not available
Name of deity: Confucius*
Founder: Confucius
Holy Book: The Analects, the Five Classics
Leadership: No clergy
Basic Beliefs:
• Strong family relationships basis for everything
• Respect for parents and elders is important to
society.
• Education is important for the individual and society
Judaism
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First major monotheistic religion
• Belief in one god
Torah = sacred text for Jews
 Collection of 5 books
• A person serves God by studying the
Torah and living by its teachings.
Follower = “Jew”
Worship in “synagogues”
Jewish History
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Trace origin to Abraham (~2,000 BC)
• Believe Abraham was chosen by God
 Given land in Middle East (today = Israel)
1250 BC – Moses led Jews out of Egypt
• Given 10 Commandments from God
 Foundation for early legal system
Judaism – General Information
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Followers worldwide: 14.1 million
Name of deity: God (Yahweh)
Founder: Abraham
Holy Book: Hebrew Bible, including the Torah
Leadership: Rabbis
2 basic Beliefs:
1. There is only one God, who watches over
and cares for his people.
2. God loves and protects his people, but also
holds people accountable for their sins and
shortcomings
Jewish Holidays
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5.
Purim
• Celebrations and charity to the poor
Rosh Hashanah
• Jewish New Year, reflection period
Passover
• recall departure from Egypt
Hanukkah
• 8 day celebration
Yom Kippur
• Day of Atonement, most holy Jewish holiday
Jewish Customs
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Bar Mitzvah/Bat Mitzvah
• Become man or woman at 12 or 13
Yarmulka
• Skullcap worn as respect
Kosher
• List of what is acceptable to eat
• Animals must be killed, cut certain ways
• Certain foods can’t be eaten together
Christianity
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Largest religion in the World
Based on teachings of Jesus Christ
Three large groups
1. Roman Catholic
2. Eastern Orthodox
3. Protestant
Christianity – General Information
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Followers worldwide: 1.9 billion
Name of deity: God
Founder: Jesus Christ
Holy book: Bible
Leadership: clergy (priests/ministers)
Basic beliefs:
• There is only one God (Holy Trinity)
• Jesus was the son of God – died to save
humanity and his death made eternal life
possible for others
• Persons achieve salvation by following the
teachings of Jesus.
Islam
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Based on the teachings of prophet
Mohammed
Followers of Islam are know as Muslims
Southwest to central Asia; Africa;
Southeast Asia
Main teachings of Islam are in the Qur’an
Central belief – only one God, called Allah
Muslim believers have to carry out five
duties, called the Five Pillars of Islam.
Five Pillars of Islam.
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Faith – A believer must make the
following statement of faith: “there is no
God but Allah, and Muhammad is the
Messenger of Allah.”
Prayer- Five times a day, Muslims face
toward the holy city of Mecca to pray.
Alms – Muslims must give alms, or
money for the poor
Fasting – during the Islamic holy month
of Ramadan, Muslims must fast.
Pilgrimage – All Muslims perform the
hajj, or pilgrimage to Mecca, once in a
lifetime.
Islam – General Information
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Followers worldwide: 1.2 billion
Name of Deity: Allah
Founder: Muhammad
Holy Book: Qur’an
Leadership: not ordained by college, spiritual
leaders have many names including Caliphs,
Imams, Ayatollahs.
Most holy spots
Basic Beliefs:
• Persons achieve salvation by following the
Five Pillars of Islam and living a just life.
2 Major Sects
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Sunni
• Majority
• Believe religious leader must have
knowledge of Qur’an
Shīʿite
• Minority (~15%)
• Believe leader must be related to
Muhammad
• 90% majority in Iran
Islamic Customs
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Ramadan = celebration of fasting during day
• Lasts a month
Use a lunar calendar (11 day difference)
Certain foods forbidden by Qu’ran (Hallal)
• Pork and animals improperly killed
• Alcohol
• Blood
• Most carnivorous animals, birds of prey and
land animals without external ears (i.e.,
snakes, reptiles, worms, insects etc.)
Hinduism
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World’s oldest religion
• Collection of religions beliefs
• Worship several gods (polytheistic)
Located in India, parts of Africa, Europe and
the Western Hemisphere
Worship in temples or home as individuals
Polytheistic
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Hindu gods can be in many forms,
including animals and humans
Brahma - the Creator
Vishnu - the Preserver
Shiva - the Destroyer
Main Beliefs of Hinduism
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Reincarnation: souls are reborn into another form
• Affected by Karma and Dharma
 Karma: actions of a person’s life that affects the
next life
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Dharma: religious and moral duties of an
individual
Sacred Animals / Rivers:
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Cows and elephants are viewed as sacred
the Ganges River is the most sacred river
to Hindus;
Hinduism – General Information
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Followers worldwide: ~1 billion (3rd largest)
Name of 3 main deities = Brahma, Vishnu, & Shiva
Collection of sacred texts including the Vedas,
Ramayana, Bhagavad-Gita
Leadership: Guru, Holy Man, Brahman priest
Basic beliefs:
• Soul never dies, but is continually reborn
• Persons achieve happiness and enlightenment
after they free themselves from earthly desires
• Freedom from earthly desires comes from a
lifetime of worship, knowledge, and virtuous acts.
World Religions
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World population = ~7 billion
Five major religions
• Buddhism = ~354 million
• Judaism = 14.1 million
• Christianity = ~1.9 billion
• Islam = ~1.2 billion
• Hinduism = ~1 billion