MAJOR
WORLD RELIGIONS
RELIGION
– Belief in and reverence (respect) for a
supernatural power or powers regarded as
creator and governor of the universe.
– A personal or institutionalized system
grounded in such belief and worship.
ETHNIC RELIGIONS
• Ethnic religions require all of its
participants to be born into the faith.
• The only way someone may become part
of an ethnic religion without being born
into it is through marriage.
• Hinduism and Judaism are the oldest
examples of ethnic religions.
UNIVERSALIZING RELIGIONS
• Universalizing religions are religions
whose purpose is to spread its belief’s
and increase its number of followers.
• Christianity, Buddhism and Islam are
the oldest examples of universalizing
religions.
MONOTHEISM
• Monotheism is belief on only one God.
• Judaism, Christianity and Islam are
monotheistic.
POLYTHEISM
• Polytheistic religions believe in more
than one god.
• Hinduism, Buddhism and most Native
American Indians believe in many gods.
HINDUISM
• Hinduism is the world’s oldest religion.
• Hindus worship many gods, which
represent different forms of Brahman
(most divine spirit in the Hindu religion)
• It began in India in the Indus Valley.
JUDAISM
• The monotheistic religion of the Jews,
traces its origins to Abraham (in
Palestine) and has its spiritual and
ethical principles founded primarily in
the Hebrew Scriptures and the Talmud.
• The cultural, religious, and social
practices and beliefs of the Jews are
found in the Torah and Old Testament
of the Christian Bible .
• Jews are considered a people and
community.
CHRISTIANITY
• Christianity is based on the combined
teachings of Judaism and Jesus Christ.
• Jesus, born of the Jewish faith, taught
that the kingdom of Heaven was open to
all people (Gentiles) not just Jewish
people.
• He had to die by being crucified to open
heaven to Gentiles.
BUDDHISM
• Buddhism was founded by a Hindu prince
named Siddartha Guatama.
• He became known as the Buddha or
“Enlightened One” after he spent 40
days and nights meditating under a tree
to discover the importance of suffering.
ISLAM
• Islam combines the teaching of
Judaism, Christianity and the teaching
of Mohammed.
• Mohammed, born in the city of Mecca,
Saudi Arabia, also meditated in a cave
where he was visited by the Angel
Gabriel.
MOHAMMED
• Mohammed believed that the Angel
Gabriel told him that the Jewish and
Christian followers were correct but
had become corrupt and that is was his
duty to teach and convert all people to
the new way.
• There are 5 Pillars of Islam.
5 PILLARS OF ISLAM
• Shahadah- Faith in one God Allah.
• Salah- Prayer 5 times daily pointed in
the direction of the Holy city of Mecca.
• Zakah- Giving to the Poor.
• Sawm- Fasting during the Holy month of
Ramadan (sun up to sun down)
• Hajj- Pilgrimage to the holy city.
ANIMISM
• Animism (from Latin anima (soul, life)
commonly refers to a religious belief that
souls or spirits exist in animals, plants and
other entities, in addition to humans.
Animism may also attribute souls to natural
phenomena, geographic features, everyday
objects, and manufactured articles.
Religions which emphasize animism in this
sense include Shinto, Hinduism and pagan
faiths such as folk religions.
NATIVE AMERICANS