Name________________________________________________Date__________________Core____
World Religions
The five main world religions
Hinduism- Probably the oldest religion as it dates as far back as 3000 BCE in India.
Judaism- Founded in the Fertile Crescent by Abraham who was a Hebrew leader around 2000 BCE.
Buddhism- Founded in India by a Hindu named Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha) around 500 BCE.
Christianity- Founded in the Middle East by a Jew named Jesus who was crucified around 30 CE.
Islam- Founded in Saudi Arabia by Muhammad around 620 CE.
1. The largest main world religions
_____________________ (2.1 billion people)
________% of the World
_____________________ (1.3 billion people)
________%
_____________________ (900 million people) ________%
_____________________ (376 million people) ________%
____
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Judaism ____
(14 million people)
________%
Nearly 2 billion people in the world belong to other religions
or are not really followers or any religion.
2. Explain the relative location of each of the main world religions.
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Because they are located in the east, Hinduism and Buddhism are called eastern religions and Judaism,
Christianity and Islam are called western religions.
3. Vocabulary: We talk about religions being monotheistic or polytheistic.
poly- means many.
believes.
The- or theo- when used as a prefix means god.
The prefix mono- means one and
The suffix -ist means someone who
Put these word parts together to write your own definition for monotheistic and polytheistic.
mono + the + istic=
poly + the + istic=
Hinduism
Hinduism is one of or possibly the oldest living religion in the world.
much as 5,000 years ago in the villages and cities of India.
It began as
It took some of its
ideas from the religious writings of the ancient Aryans called the Vedas.
Since
ancient times, the people of India have believed that rivers – especially the Ganges
River – were gifts from the gods.
The Ganges River in India is sacred to Hindus
and is a powerful religious symbol for most Hindus.
Hindus believe in the idea of reincarnation of the soul.
This means that after a person dies, their
soul is reborn into another, new living thing (not always a human.)
As part of this idea of
reincarnation, Hindus believe that our actions in this life determine the human or animal form our
soul takes in its next life.
This is called karma. An evil soul or a bad person, for example,
might be reborn as an insect.
a prince, a priest.
are vegetarian.
A good soul or someone who lived a good life might be reborn as
Because Hindus believe that people may come back as animals, most Hindus
Hindus have also long accepted and used the Aryan and Indian idea of a caste system which is
a strict system of ranking people’s class or place in society.
Hindus believed that people who
followed their caste’s rules and lived a good life could rise to higher castes in future lives after
reincarnation.
Those who did not risked reincarnation as an untouchable which is a
person with no caste who is ignored by society and mistreated.
Today, India has
officially outlawed the caste system, but Hindus still believe in the idea of being
reincarnated to a better station or place in life or a worse one if you do not live
a good life.
The ultimate Hindu goal, however, is not simply to earn a better caste, but to win release
completely from the endless rounds of rebirth, life, and death.
Hindus seek to achieve spiritual
perfection and to be free from the pain and suffering of this world.
They believe that when you
have perfected yourself and lived the perfect life, the cycle of reincarnation is broken for you and
you are freed from the cycle of reincarnation to become part of the spirit and energy of the earth.
Hindus are polytheistic which means that they worship many different gods.
The
most important Hindu gods are Vishnu who is the preserver of the world, Shiva
who is the destroyer and also the creative force in the world, and Brahma or
Brahman who is the creator of the world but is not focused on as much.
Hindus also worship some gods that are only part human, like Ganesha who is
a man with the head of an elephant.
He is the god of success, and the
destroyer of evils and obstacles which makes him very popular. He is also worshipped as the god
of education, knowledge, wisdom and wealth.
Most Hindus worship individually either outdoors, in temples, or in their home. Many
Hindus do, however, look to Sannyasis (holy men) and Gurus (teachers) to help
guide them in their worship and spirituality.
Many Hindu homes have small shrines
dedicated to a god chosen by the family right inside the home so that people may
worship while they are at home.
Today, more than 900 million people follow the religion of Hinduism which makes up about
13% of the world’s people.
Most Hindus live in India, but Hinduism has a strong following
in other Asian nations as well.
4. Describe the relationship between reincarnation, karma, and the caste system.
Buddhism
Buddhists also believe that people go through a cycle of life, death and rebirth.
Unlike other major religions, Buddhism does not stress a belief in a supremebeing or in powerful gods.
Instead, Buddhists focus on the idea of spiritual
enlightenment, which must come from within each person.
Enlightenment means
learning the truth about how to be released from the cycle of reincarnation.
Buddhists use a wheel like this one to represent reincarnation.
Buddhism began about 500 BCE in northern India, with the teachings of one man. This man was
a Hindu prince named Siddhartha Gautama.
comfortable palace life.
the world.
Siddhartha felt something was missing in his
He was saddened by the death, the disease, and the suffering he saw in
He left his luxurious palace and gave away most of his belongings.
he denied himself all comforts and pleasures to try to find perfect spirituality.
At
But in
first,
end, he decided that suffering and denial were no better than luxury and laziness.
So, he began to meditate, which means to think deep thoughts.
the
According to
legend, Siddhartha finally attained spiritual enlightenment while meditating under a
fig tree.
He then became The Buddha, which means “the enlightened one”.
Today, millions of people in Asia follow the teachings of The Buddha.
They have built hundreds
of temples in honor of The Buddha but they do not worship him as a god.
as a teacher who helped show them the true meaning of life.
show others how to find perfect spiritual enlightenment.
They just honor him
The Buddha’s teachings try to
All Buddhists must try to follow what they call “the Middle Way” which is a path of moderation,
neither giving in to your desires and wants, nor struggling to deny them.
Instead, they seek a
can achieve “nirvana”, which is a perfect state of peace and happiness.
Buddhists believe that
balance and control over their inner lives.
Buddhists believe by controlling the mind and spirit they
those who achieve nirvana can escape the weary rounds of death and rebirth or in other words,
escape from reincarnation.
Though Buddhism began in India, it did not remain strong there after the death of The Buddha.
Instead, several forms of it spread throughout other parts of Asia – to China, Tibet, Korea, and
Japan.
Today, there are more than 300 million Buddhists which is about 6% of the world’s
population.
For Buddhists and Hindus, history and nature move in endless cycles.
repetition of birth and rebirth.
the outside world.
Life is a circle, a constant
Peace and happiness have to come from within a person, not from
5. Describe one way Buddhism and Hinduism are similar and one way they are different.
Judaism
Judaism began about 2000 BCE by Abraham who was the leader of a small Middle Eastern group
of people called the Hebrews or Jews.
The Hebrews wandered the lands between Mesopotamia
and Egypt.
Hebrews believed in the idea of monotheism, which is the idea that there is only
one true god for all of humanity.
A group of ancient writings which are part of
Jewish and Christian teachings (the Old Testament) tells how God made a special
covenant, or agreement, with the Hebrews.
Hebrews believe God said he would
protect them and bring them into a land of their own called Canaan, which is
located in what is present-day Israel, and give them a nation of their own.
In return, Hebrews
must obey his laws; especially the laws spelled out in special stone tablets that God gave to
Moses called the Ten Commandments.
Talmud as sacred writings.
Jews also believe in the writings in the Torah and
Hebrews also believe that their God, who they call Yahweh, is the
creator of the entire universe.
Hebrews believe that while God might show special favor toward them, all human beings are God’s
children and that he cares about all of them.
For the followers of Judaism, history has a purpose.
God is leading humanity and his chosen people to a better future.
therefore, is the story of God’s plan for humanity.
For the Jews, history,
Today, followers of Judaism live all over the world, but most live in Israel, the
U.S., and Eastern Europe.
They worship in special buildings called synagogues.
Rabbis lead them in worship.
day of rest and prayer.
In Judaism, the Shabbat, or Sabbath, is a special
This weekly holy day begins at sun-down on Friday and
continues through all of Saturday.
There are only about 14 million Jews in the world today, but from the ideas and roots of Judaism
grew two other major religions, Christianity and Islam, which have billions of followers today.
6. Abraham believed in one true God 4000 years-ago.
How does this belief affect us today?
Christianity
Like Jews, Christians are also monotheistic and believe in only one God.
also believe in God’s lawfulness and in his role in guiding human history.
They
Christians accept the version of history described in the Old Testament.
But for Christians, the
most important religious events took place later in history – the birth of Jesus.
According to the writings of the New Testament (of the Bible), Jesus was a Hebrew who was born
in Jerusalem in the town of Bethlehem a little over 2,000 years ago, when the Middle East was
part of the ancient Roman Empire.
Christians believe that Jesus is God’s son who was sent to
Earth to teach people to love one another just like God loves them.
Jesus taught
that both rich and poor, Jew and non-Jew, and all people are equally important in
God’s eyes.
Some powerful leaders in the Middle East and the Roman Empire disliked and
feared Jesus’ teachings.
They captured him and executed him as a criminal.
they nailed him on a cross and left him to die.
As a punishment,
This type of killing is called a crucifixion.
Christian’s believe that Jesus did die, but then rose from the dead, or came back to life, three
days later.
According to the New Testament of the Bible, after Jesus’ death, he appeared to his main
followers who were called the 12 Apostles.
Christians believe Jesus told them that
those who had faith in him and followed God’s teachings would be forgiven their sins
and have everlasting life in heaven but those who did not believe and lived a sinful and
evil life would spend eternity in hell.
Today, Christian religions take many different forms.
Catholics, Lutherans, Methodists, and Baptists
are just a few religious denominations or sects that follow a belief in Christ.
They worship
together in churches with singing, readings from their holy book, the Bible, and with silent prayers.
Many Christians attend church services on Sunday, which is their day of rest.
From its beginning in the Middle East, Christianity has spread to all parts of the globe. Today, more
than two billion people (33 % of the world’s population) belong to one of the many Christian
churches.
7. How is the Christian belief in Jesus different from the Muslim beliefs about Muhammad?
Islam
Islam, the Muslim religion, is another religion with roots in the Middle East.
Like
Jews and Christians, Muslims are also monotheistic and believe in only one God.
Islam began in the ancient city of Mecca, in the middle of the great desert that
today makes up much of Saudi Arabia where a man named Muhammad was
born.
Around 610 A.D., the prophet Muhammad began to describe messages he said the Angel
Gabriel had given him from God.
Later, these messages and beliefs were written down in Islam’s
holy book called the Quran.
The Koran teaches all Muslims how they are supposed to worship.
of the other important rules for daily living.
It also explains, in detail, all
According to Islam, God, who
Muslims call Allah, demands strict obedience to all of his laws.
All Muslims must follow five main duties:
God and in Muhammad as God’s prophet.
day, facing the direction of Mecca.
offerings) to the poor.
 They must profess their belief in
 They must pray five times each
 Muslims must give alms (money or
 They must fast during the special month of Ramadan.
 And if possible, at least once in their lives, they must make a pilgrimage or Hajj to the Muslim
holy city of Mecca.
Muslims from all over the world travel to Mecca.
important events.
several days.
clothes.
For them, the pilgrimage is one of life’s most
During their Hajj, they must follow many special ceremonies over the course of
But before they enter the mosque in Mecca, they must wash and change into clean
One of the most important ceremonies during the Hajj involves walking or running around a shrine,
called the Kaaba, seven times.
its walls.
The Kaaba holds the sacred “Black Stone” in
Muslims kiss or salute the stone as they circle the Kaaba, saying
“God is the greatest.”
Like Christians, Muslims believe in life after death.
They that believe on
Muslims have not set aside a weekly day of rest.
But on Fridays, all male Muslims must attend
judgment day Allah will send the good to heaven and the bad to hell.
prayers at a mosque.
Islam began with one group of people in the Middle East, the Arab people.
spread far beyond the Arab world into Europe, Africa, and Asia.
Later, the religion
Today, there are actually more
non-Arab Muslims than Arabs and Islam has about 1.3 billion (18% of the world’s population)
followers in all.
8. Describe one way Islam and Christianity are similar and one way they are different. (Besides
what you answered for # 7.)
9. Complete the chart I gave you for all five major religions.
10. Complete the 3-2-1 on the back of the chart.
11. Complete the brace map on the back of the chart.
12. Choose one of the following assignments to do.
(Both assignments are really the same amount
of work and have the same required information.)

Create a sensory figure for each of the five major religions.
somebody from that religion might look.
Your people need to look like
Write the information from the list of requirements
around the figure. (No stick figures!)

Make a layered-book foldable that includes all five of the major religions.
have pictures of symbols for that religion.
show you an example.
Each page must
Put the titles on the bottom of the flaps.
I will
For each assignment you must include the following information:
 Name of the religion on top of the page or on the tab
 Appropriate colored drawings (might include the important people, symbols or gods of the
religion.)
 Tell where the religion originated (place/region/country)
 Tell who founded (started) the religion
 Tell the name of the Supreme Being or God in the religion
 Tell where the followers worship / tell how the followers worship
 Tell the name of the Religious book(s) / Religious writings for the religion
 Tell the basic beliefs or ideas of the religion (be as complete as possible)
Additional Hints:
Remember, Buddhists do not have one Supreme Being.
Also, the ideas of the Buddha have been written down in
many different books, so there is not really one religious book for Buddhists.
13. Write a comparison and contrast essay comparing any two of the world religions we studied.
I will put the graphic organizer up for you to see but the basic outline is as follows:
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Introduction: Name the two religions and give your thesis statement
Paragraph 2:
Compare the two religions by telling how they are alike.
Paragraph 3:
Contrast the two religions by telling how they are different.
Conclusion: Summarize your main idea and restate your thesis statement