Buddhism

• Deity/Sects
o The Buddha did not teach a personal deity (God)
o Sects
 Theravada- the original teaching of Buddha
 Mahayana- the modified version—mass salvation and popular
worship—teaches that Buddha was a god
• Founder; Place/ Region
o The Buddha—Siddhartha Guatama
o India
• Sacred Text
o There is no ‘One Book’—sacred texts include the Perfection of Wisdom
Sutra or The Tripitaka
• Leadership
o Buddhist monks and nuns
• Basic Beliefs
o Persons achieve complete peace and happiness, known as nirvana, by
eliminating their attachment to wordly things
o Nirvana is achieved by following the Nobel Eightfold Path
o Four Noble Truths
 Life means suffering.
 The origin of suffering is attachment.
 There is the cessation of suffering.
 There is the eightfold path leading to the cessation of suffering.
• Symbols ( wheel of life, guarded)
o Wheel
 Buddha’s teaching are often symbolized by a wheel
• He is said to have “set in motion the wheel of the dharma”
during his first sermon
• Places of Worship
o The temple is the main sanctuary and place of worship, in which services,
both public and private, are performed.
 The Vihara (Monastery), Pagodas, Stupas and Dagobas
o  China-Suzhou; Auspicious Light Pagoda (RuiGuang Ta)
• Sacred Places
o Sarnath in Uttar Pradesh and the monasteries in Ladakh are some of the
important holy places in India.
o Buddhist take a pilgrimage to Buddha’s birthplace—Lumbini in Nepal
• Spread of Buddhism:
• With the help of Mauryan emperor Ashoka :
o Now:
Judaism

• Deity/Sects
o Monotheistic—God (Yahweh)
o Sects
 Reform
 Orthodox
 Conservative
 Liberal
• Founder; Place/Region
o Abraham
o Middle East 
• Sacred Text
o Hebrew Bible, including the Torah.
o The Talmud contains stories, laws, medical knowledge, debates about
moral choices, etc…
• Leadership
o Rabbis
• Basic Beliefs
o There is only one God, who watches over and cared for His people.
o God loves and protects his people. But also holds people accountable for
their sins and short-comings.
o Persons serve God by studying the Torah and living by its teachings
• Symbols
o  Star of David
 Also the ‘Shield of David’, it is the universal symbol of Judaism.
The emblem refers to King David, ruler of Israel from about 1000-
962 BCE.
• Places of Worship
o Temples and Synagogues
• Sacred Places
o Western Wall
 Located in Jerusalem also known as the Wailing Wall. 
• Dispersion of Jewish population:
Christianity

• Deity/Sects
o Monotheistic—God Jesus Christ, Son of God
o Sects
 Eastern Orthodox
 Roman Catholic
 Protestant
• Founder; Place/Region
o Jesus Christ
o Middle East 
• Sacred Text
o  Bible
 Includes the Torah—Old Testament and the New Testament
(teachings of Jesus Christ)
• Leadership
o Clergy (priests and ministers), leaders of the Orthodox Church are known
as Patriarchs. The leaders of the Catholic Church are Priests, Bishops,
Cardinals and the Pope.
• Basic Beliefs
o There is only one God, who watches over and cares for his people.
o Jesus Christ was the son of God. He died to save humanity from sin. His
death and resurrection made eternal life possible for others.
• Symbols
o  The Cross
 A symbol of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, represents Jesus’ love
for humanity in dying for its sins.
• Places of Worship
o Church and Cathedrals
• Sacred Places
o Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem.
o For the Catholics, Vatican City in Rome
• Population map of Christians:
Islam

• Deity/Sects
o Monotheistic- Allah
o Sects
 Sunni
 Shi’a
 Sufism—the mystical branch of Islam (whirling dervish)
• Founder; Place/Region
o Muhammad
o Mecca in the Middle East
• Sacred Text
o Qur’an-- The word of God-contains 114 chapters, of suras
o Shari’a—Muslim law , the path that a Muslim must follow in life.
• Leadership
o No clergy
o Imams
 Leaders of the religious community. Usually lead prayers and
officiate at weddings—venerated for their knowledge of the
Qur’an.
• Basic Beliefs
o Persons achieve salvation by following the Five Pillars of Islam and living
a just life. Five pillars:
 Faith
 Almsgiving or charity to the poor
 Fasting, which Muslims perform during Ramadan
 Pilgrimage to Mecca
 Prayer 5 times per day.
• Symbols
o The Crescent Moon 
 It has become the familiar symbol for Islam (may be related to the
new moon that begins each month in the Islamic lunar calendar,
which orders religious life for Muslims)
• Places of Worship
o Mosques ( "Jame 'Asr Hassanil Bolkiah", the Hassanil Bolkiah
mosque)
 With special towers called minarets, where the muezzin can stand
and call the faithful to prayer.
 Prayer hall in the main area inside a mosque
 Special Prayer Rugs, (must be positioned so the arch points
towards Mecca.
• Sacred Places
o The Ka’Ba at Mecca—sacred stone
o On the 9th day of Dhu al-Hijja, pilgrims go to Mount Arafat. On the 10th
they visit the village of Mina.
o Medina- the site of the first mosque built by Mohammad.
o Kerbela-special to the Shi’a-in Iraq.
• Map: 
Hinduism

• Deity/Sects
o Polytheistic (according to Western teachings)
 Three Main Gods:
• Vhisnu, Brahma, and Shiva
o Sects:
 Reform Hinduism
 Shaivites
 Shaktism
 Vaishnavites
• Founder; Place/Region
o No one founder
o India
• Sacred Text
o No one book- sacred texts:
 The Vedas
• These existed in oral form for centuries before they were
written down
 The Puranas
• Long verse stories of Hindu myths, gods, goddess, and
heroes.
 Upanishads (core teachings)
 Rig Veda (hyms)
 Laws of Manu (law of all social classes)
• Leadership
o Guru, Holy Man, Brahmin Priest
o Famous teacher- Gandhi
• Basic Beliefs
o The soul never dies, but it is continually reborn
o Persons achieve happiness and enlightenment after they free themselves
from their earthly desires
o Freedom from earthly desires comes from a lifetime of worship,
knowledge, and virtuous acts
• Symbols
o  The sound Om, is the most scared syllable for Hindus (used in prayers)
• Places of Worship
o Temples and Shrines
• Sacred Places
o The Ganges River is said to have flown in heaven—worshiped as goddess
Ganga
o The city of Varanasi on the Gages River—said to be the home of Shiva
• Dispersion process of Hinduism:
• Distribution of World Religions