World Religions
Unit 1
RMS IB Middle School
Ms. Hunt
2012-2013
Agenda: Friday, September 7th, 2012
• OBJ: Students will be able to identify the five
major world religions by completing the World
Religions Chart.
1. Warm-up
2. Notes: 5 Major World Religions
3. World Religions Chart
4. Reflection
5. HW: Review World Religion notes on Ms. Hunt’s
wiki
What is religion?
• A religion is an organized system of beliefs and
practices, often centered on one or more
gods.
• Monotheistic- one god
• Polytheistic- many gods
Buddhism
• Began in India
• Founded by Siddhartha Gautama (aka the
Buddha)
• Buddha means “enlightened one.”
• 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.
Christianity
• The largest religion in the world.
• Based on the life and teachings of Jesus, the
Son of God.
• Taught many ideas from the Jewish tradition
and came to save all of mankind.
• He died to save humanity.
• Holy Text- the Bible
Hinduism
• 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
• Holy text- Qur’an
• Followers of Islam are known as Muslims.
• Believe that God revealed these teachings in the Qur’an to
the prophet Muhammad through the angel Gabriel.
• Muslims believe there is only one God, the same God in
Christian and Jewish traditions. He is called Allah.
• They also believe in the same prophets of Judaism and
Christianity.
• Mostly practiced in the Middle East, central Asia and parts
of Africa.
• Five Pillars of Islam:
– Faith, prayer, charity, fasting, and pilgrimage to Mecca
Judaism
• First major monotheistic religion
• Holy Text- 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.
• The Torah is the basis for the civil and religious
laws of the Jews. God set down many moral laws
for all of humanity through the Ten
Commandments.
• Many Jews live in Israel, but the religion can be
found all over the world.
World Religions Chart
• 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:
–
–
–
–
–
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 glue it in your IN. DO
NOT TURN IT IN!
• You will need the following to complete this assignment:
– A copy of the gold Africa, Asia, and Australia textbook.
– Markers/colored pencils/crayons
– Chart paper from Ms. Hunt
Reflection
• Use the last 10 minutes of class to reflect on
what you learned during this class period.
• Complete your reflection underneath your
notes or the day’s assignment in your IN.