Major World Religions and Belief Systems

What is religion?

is often defined as any specific system of belief about deity, often involving rituals, a code of ethics, an Religion d a philosophy of life The major religions in the world include monotheistic religions and eastern religions

 What is monotheism? Quickly brainstorm a list

of religions.

Major Religions and Belief Systems

Confucianism

Founder: Confucius Confucianism is more of a belief system than a religion No gods Sacred Texts: Lun yu, the Wu-ching, and the Ssu Shu 6.43 million followers

Confuscianism
A system of moral conduct based on the teachings of
Confucius

Confucianism

Confucianism

5 major relationships are also stressed to create order:

ruler and subject

parent and child

husband and wife elder sibling and younger sibling

friend and friend

Focus on family and filial piety filial piety focuses on repaying the kindness of parents and elders

Daoism


You may also see it spelt as taoism Pronounced DOW-ism Lead figure is Laozi (translates to wise old master) 398 million people follow emphasis on harmony with nature

Daoism

Laozi taught that the goal in life was to achieve oneness with the Dao (the way) The Dao is a universal force connected to nature Only true laws are the laws of nature In order to achieve this oneness a person is to lead a balanced life in tune with nature

Harmony comes from balancing the opposite forces of nature, yin and yang Belief that good and bad are connected and accept both Belief in the wuwei or action through nonaction Major influence on

Daoism

Buddhism

Siddhartha Guatama or The Buddha or The Enlightened One Sixth or Fourth Century b.c. Sacred writings include: Tripitaka (The Three Baskets), the sutras, and the tantras 373 million followers

Buddhism

Siddhartha Gautama is known to have been a prince in his early life It is believed that his mother dreamed that a radiant, white elephant came and descended to her from heaven To many prophets this is seen as a sign that the boy would become a holy man To keep from doing so Gautamas father kept him in their palace to ensure he would become a ruler At the age of 29, Gautama set out of his palace for the first time

Buddhism

Wandering the streets outside his palace, Gautama, saw the suffering of the world for the first time
deeply disturbed he set out to discover a realm where there is neither suffering or death Gautama wandered for years seeking answers from Hindu monks Unable to find a good answer he decided to sit under a tree until he found the answers to the mystery of life Throughout the night, legend says, he was tempted by many demons but was able to ward them off When he woke he declared himself the Buddha or the enlightened one

Buddhism
Buddha spend the rest of his life teaching the Four Noble Truths These include: All life is full of suffering, pain, and sorrow Cause of suffering is non-virtue (negativity, hatred, or desire) The only cure to suffering is to overcome non-virtue The way to overcome non-virtue is to follow the Eightfold Path

Buddhism

Hinduism

There is no single founder believed to have started around 1500 b.c. Sacred text- Vedas Polytheistic Grew out of overlapping beliefs of diverse groups in India making it the worlds most complex religion

837 million followers

Hinduism

Countless gods and goddesses and many forms of worship Despite complexity many certain, basic beliefs Belief in spiritual force called brahman God is one, but wise people know it by many names Everything is part of brahman

Hinduism

Brahma- The Creator Vishnu- The Preserver Shiva-The Destroyer

Hinduism

Hindus believe every person has an atman or an essential self The ultimate goal is to achieve moksha or union with Brahman In order to achieve moksha one must free themselves of selfish desires Most people cannot achieve moksha in one life time

Hinduism
Because most people cant achieve moksha in one lifetime they are reincarnated (rebirth of the soul into another body) Reincarnation allows people to keep working toward Moksha Obeying the law of karma will bring a person to moksha Karma= the action in a persons life which affects their fate in the next life (what goes around comes around)

Hinduism Brahman
Humans

Animals
Plants
Objects

Hinduism

Wheel symbolizes the cycle of death and rebirth

in order to escape wheel of fate one must practice good dharma

dharma= religious moral duties of the individual duties depend on age, class, occupation, and gender Moral principle of ahimsa, or nonviolence

Hinduism- Caste System

Class division in India reflects social and economic roles rather than ethnic differences There is a complex system of castes, or social groups born into, rarely change closely linked to Hindu beliefs

Hinduism- Caste System

A high caste= purer and closer to brahman lower caste= farther from brahman and more impure your caste determines aspects of your life despite inequalities caste system ensures order

Karma determines your caste

different castes depend on each other lower caste carpenter built house for upper caste homeowner

Islam
Emerged from the Arabian Peninsula Founder, Muhammad, was born in Mecca in 570 A.D. Muhammad was a shepard in his early life and later a wealthy merchant At the age of 40 it is said that Muhammad heard the voice of an angel, Gabriel,
who called on him to be a messenger of God

Islam is arabic, which is the official language of the religion, for to submit to God Muhammad devoted his life to spreading Islam Today there are 1.25 billion followers

Islam
Muhammad urged Arabs to give up pagan beliefs and submit to one true God, Allah Allah= arabic for God At first the teachings of Muhammad were rejected In 622 A.D., faced with the threat of murder, Muhammad left Mecca with his followers to Yathrib Yathrib was renamed Medina and 622 A.D. marks the birth of Islam 622 A.D. is the first year in the Muslim calendar

Islam

Why do you never see pictures of Muhammad? People who practice Islam are called what? What is the Islamic holy book?

Islam

The Islamic symbol consists of

a crescent moon and a star. The start of the muslim calendar is the sighting of the crescent moon. The star symbolizes the five pillars of Islam. Muslims gather to worship in a mosque

Islam- Teachings of Islam

Monotheistic

Muhammad preached that Allah is all powerful and compassionate

Islam does not require priests to mediate between the people and Allah The Quran: teaches that people are responsible for their own actions Allahs will and provides a guide for life

emphasizes honesty, generosity, and social justice

harsh penalties for crime and murder

Five Pillars of Islam

1. Profession of faith (shahadah) 2. Pray five times a day (salat) 3. Charity (zakat) 4. Fasting during Ramadan (sawm)

5. Pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj)

Christianity

Jesus of Nazareth is believed to have been born in 4 b.c. in a town called Bethlehem According to the Bible he was a descendent of King David of Israel

The Gospel says that an angel appeared and told Jesuss mother, Mary, that she would give birth to the Messiah
He known as the son of the highest God

Christianity

Jesus grew up in Nazareth, worshipping God and following Jewish law He may have been a carpenter At age 30, began preaching

Word spread throughout Israel that he was performing miracles

Eventually recruited 12 disciples

His disciples were called apostles which is Greek for a person sent forth

Christianity

The teachings of Jesus were firmly rooted in Jewish traditions Believed in one God and 10 Commandments Also preached new beliefs, including:

Jesus called himself the Son of God

Spiritual salvation and eternal life to anyone who believed him Emphasized Gods love and taught need for justice, morality, and service to others Taught forgiveness

Christianity

Jesus traveled to Jerusalem near the Jewish holiday, Passover To Roman authorities Jesus was a threat He was betrayed by a disciple and condemned to death per crucifixion Later, disciples claimed that Jesus rose from the dead and ascended to heaven

Christianity

Some Jews accepted teachings that Jesus was the messiah, or Christ Christ= anointed one, soon called themselves Christians Paul (an apostle) ventures to the Mediterranean to spread Christianity At first Romans did not tolerate Christianity, however eventually accepted religion

Christianity
What are some religions that fall under christianity? How many christians are there throughout the world? What is the christian holy book called?

Christianity
The Christian symbol is
known as the cross

The cross symbolizes

the way Jesus died. You may see a plain cross. You may also see a cross with the figure of Jesus on it. This is called a crucifix

Christianity
Christians believe in the Trinity The Trinity consists of three figures: Father Son Holy Ghost To join the Christian faith one must
be baptized

Sunday is a day of worship where

thanks is given to God

Judaism

It is believed that Judaism was developed 4000 years ago by ancient Israelites Israelites are also known as Hebrews and Hebrew has become the official language of Judaism 1st monotheistic religion Believe in an all knowing and all powerful God who is present everywhere Laws and events are recorded in the Torah, the holy book Today, 14.6 million people practice Judaism

Judaism

Abraham, who is considered the father of the Israelites, lived in Ur which was part of Mesopotamia It is believed that God made a promise to Abraham God declared a special relationship with Abraham It is believed that God chose the Israelites to fulfill the obligations and duties to the world

Judaism

The Torah or The Book of Law governs Judaism and Jews. Patriarchal society (authority to men) Ten Commandments- a set of laws Jews believe God gave them through Moses Hebrew is the spoken language of Judaism Jews worship in a temple

Ten Commandments