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Five Major World Religions. Judaism. Overview Developed in the eastern Mediterranean region Migration of Jews to other parts of the world is known as Diaspora Many Jews forced into slavery during the Babylonian exile in 586 B.C.E. Overview. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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Five Major World Religions
Judaism
Overview Developed in the eastern Mediterranean
region
Migration of Jews to other parts of the world is known as Diaspora
Many Jews forced into slavery during the Babylonian exile in 586 B.C.E
Overview
Jews were dispersed throughout the Mediterranean lands of the Roman empire later moving through much of Europe, North Africa, and Arabia
The Holocaust in Europe during WWII forced many Jews to flee to the United States
In 1948 the State of Israel was created and further migration to the area was encouraged
Sacred Items
Sacred site: Jerusalem
Sacred Text: The Torah
Sacred Symbol: The Star of David
Important Days: Passover, in spring; Rosh Ha-shanah and Yom Kippur in autumn, and Hanukkah, in late autumn or winter
Hinduism
Overview Hinduism began to develop about 4,000
years ago in the Indian subcontinent Today Hinduism is the main religion of
India and is closely tied to India’s history and culture
Hinduism has no founder, no clear beginning, and no central authority, hierarchy, or organization
Overview Hinduism is polytheistic, worshiping many gods
that range from local deities to pan-Indian gods or even a single high God
There is no single belief that unites all followers of the religion
However most do believe in the sanctity of the ancient religious writings known as the Vedas and in an eternal and infinite source of reality called Brahman
Other common beliefs include ahimsa-non injury to living things- and samsara- a continuous cycle of rebirth
Sacred Items
Sacred sites: Ganges River and the city of Varanas
Sacred Text: The Vedas, Bhagavad Gita
Sacred Creature: The Cow
Important Days: Festival of Holi, in spring; Diwali, or Deepavali (Festival of Lights) in Autumn
Buddhism
Overview Originated about 2,500 years ago in the
foothills of the Himalayas The Buddha sent monks to preach the
faith to others During Buddha’s lifetime the new
religion spread throughout northern India
Based on the Four Noble Truths
First Noble Truth life is suffering i.e., life includes pain, getting
old, disease, and ultimately death. We also endure psychological suffering like loneliness frustration, fear, embarrassment, disappointment and anger. This is an irrefutable fact that cannot be denied. It is realistic rather than pessimistic because pessimism is expecting things to be bad; instead, Buddhism explains how suffering can be avoided and how we can be truly happy.
Second Noble Truth The second truth is that suffering is caused by craving
and aversion. We will suffer if we expect other people to conform to our expectation, if we want others to like us, if we do not get something we want, etc. In other words, getting what you want does not guarantee happiness. Rather than constantly struggling to get what you want, try to modify your wanting. Wanting deprives us of contentment and happiness. A lifetime of wanting and craving and especially the craving to continue to exist, creates a powerful energy which causes the individual to be born. So craving leads to physical suffering because it causes us to be reborn.
Third Noble Truth
The third truth is that suffering can be overcome and happiness can be attained; that true happiness and contentment are possible. lf we give up useless craving and learn to live each day at a time (not dwelling in the past or the imagined future) then we can become happy and free. We then have more time and energy to help others. This is Nirvana.
Fourth Noble Truth
The fourth truth is that the Noble 8-fold Path is the path which leads to the end of suffering.
In summary, the Noble 8-fold Path is being moral (through what we say, do and our livelihood), focusing the mind on being fully aware of our thoughts and actions, and developing wisdom by understanding the Four Noble Truths and by developing compassion for others.
Overview In the 200s B.C.E missionaries and traders
introduced Buddhism to Sri Lanka, China, Korea, Japan, Southeast Asia, Tibet and Mongolia
To many, Buddhism goes beyond religion and is more of a philosophy or 'way of life'. It is a philosophy because philosophy 'means love of wisdom' and the Buddhist path can be summed up as:
(1) to lead a moral life,(2) to be mindful and aware of thoughts and actions, and(3) to develop wisdom and understandi
Sacred Items
Sacred Site: Bodhgaya
Sacred Text: The Pali Canon
Sacred Objects: Statues of Buddha
Important Days: Buddha Day, celebrated at the full moon in May
Confucianism Overview
China’s most famous and influential teacher and philosopher
His views were how to live a moral and proper life Three dimensions of the human condition--the self,
community, and tradition--are expressed in Confucian spirituality.
Followers of Confucianism is that all people have the ability to learn and improve themselves
" The fundamental concern of the Confucian tradition is learning to be human."▪ Tu Wei-ming.
Overview Confucius wanted to make education widely
available
He helped establish teaching as a profession and a way of life
Confucianism does not contain all of the elements of some other religions, like Christianity and Islam. It is primarily an ethical system to which rituals at important times during one's lifetime have been added.
Values Li: includes ritual, propriety, etiquette, etc.
Hsiao: love within the family: love of parents for their children and of children for their parents
Yi: righteousness
Xin: honesty and trustworthiness
Jen: benevolence, humaneness towards others; the highest Confucian virtue
Chung: loyalty to the state, etc.
Sacred Items
Sacred Text: The Analects
Sacred Symbol: Yin-Yang
Sacred Site: Confucian Temple
Important Days: Teacher’s Day in August or September
Islam Overview
The Five Pillars of Islam provide Muslims with the basics for living a proper and moral life
The Five Pillars are important symbolic acts of faith
Monotheism is the central theme of Islam—a belief in only one God, Allah, who is omnipotent. According to Islam, God has four fundamental functions: creation, sustenance, guidance, and judgment. The overall purpose of humanity is to serve Allah, to worship him alone and to construct a moral lifestyle.
First Pillar
A profession of faith demonstrated by the statement “There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is His messenger”
Second Pillar Daily Prayer- All Muslims must face toward
Mecca to Pray
Muslims observe five formal prayers each day. The timings of these prayers are spaced fairly evenly throughout the day
Fajr (pre-dawn)Dhuhr (noon) 'Asr (afternoon)Maghrib (sunset) 'Isha (evening)
Third Pillar
Concern for and almsgiving to the needy; Giving charity to the poor
Fourth Pillar
Self-purification through fasting Fasting during the month of Ramadan is
a demanding physical exercise. This practice binds members of the Muslim community together and symbolizes the importance of spiritual matters over the physical demands of the body
Fifth Pillar
The pilgrimage to Mecca for those who are able.
Sacred items
Sacred text: Qur’an
Sacred Sites: Mecca (Makkah), Al-Madinah, Jerusalem
Important days: Fast of Ramadan, during the entire ninth month of the Islamic year, Id al-Fitr, at the end of Ramadan; and ‘Id al-Adha, at the end of hajj in the twelfth lunar month
Christianity
Overview The worlds largest religion, both in
number of followers and by area More than 1.8 billion people are
Christian, roughly one third of the world’s population
Christianity is the dominant religion in most of North and South America, Europe and Russia, Australia and New Zealand, the Philippines, and many parts of sub-Saharan Africa
Overview Fragmented into many separate denominations
with different religious hierarchies and practices
In the U.S there are hundreds of different Christian groups.
Some major regional patterns include Baptist and other conservative denominations in the South; Lutherans in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and the Dakotas; Mormons in Utah; and Roman Catholics in southern Louisiana, the Southwest, Northeast, and Sacred Heart High School
Basic Beliefs
Reference Handout
Sacred Items
Sacred Text: The Bible
Sacred Sites: Bethlehem and Jerusalem
Sacred Symbol: Cross