Religious Movements

Traditional Religions

PolytheismDeities: ex. Olympic pantheon

Beliefs varied from no afterlife to shadowy existence in the underworld to a paradise-like afterlife

Human life is subject to the whim of the gods and to Fate; these can be controlled through sacrifice and divination

Animal sacrifice, harvest offerings, festivals, games, processions, dance, plays, in honor of the gods

Traditional African Religions

Traditional Amerindian ReligionsMany gods

Appease and nourish the gods; determine luckiest dates for various activities

soul journeys through dark and threatening underworld; but sacrificial victims and women who die in childbirth go to heaven.

Eastern Religions

HinduismDeity: Vishnu, Shiva, BrahmaNo founderSacred Texts: Vedas & the Upanishads Beliefs

Soul never dies, continually rebornPersons achieve happiness & enlightenment

after they free themselves of earthy desiresFreedom from earthy desires comes from

lifetime of worship, knowledge, and virtuous acts

JainismDeity: no specific deityFounder: Parshva and Mahavira Sacred Text:Beliefs:

regards every living soul as potentially divinepath of non-violence to progress the soul to

this ultimate goalhuman beings who rediscover the dharma,

become fully liberated

BuddhismNo deity, but many worship BuddhaFounded by Siddhartha Gautama (the

Buddha)Sacred Texts: Tripitaka (Pali Canon);

Mahayana sutras like the Lotus SutraBeliefs

Persons achieve happiness & peace (nirvana) after they free themselves of earthy desires

Nirvana is reached by following Eightfold Path: Right views, resolve, speech, conduct, livelihood,

effort, mindfulness, concentration

ConfucianismNo Deity:Founder: ConfuciusSacred Texts: AnalectsBeliefs

Social order, harmony, & good government based on strong family relationships

Respect for parents & elders is important to well-ordered society

Education is important both to the welfare of the individual and society

Purpose of life is to fulfill one's role in society with propriety, honor, and loyalty

DaoismDeity: the Tao pervades allFounder: Lao-TzuSacred Texts: Tao Te ChingBeliefs

Purpose is inner harmony, peace, and longevity. Achieved by living in accordance with the Tao.

Tao: road, channel, path, way, doctrine, or lineDe: the active living, or cultivation, of that "way“Wu Wei: knowing when to act and when not to actPu: a state of pure potential and perception

without prejudice

LegalismDeity: noneFounder: Shang YangSacred Text: noneBeliefs:

Fa: law code must be clearly written and made public

Shu: Special tactics to be employed by the ruler to make sure others don't take over control of the state

Shi: the position of the ruler, not the ruler himself or herself, that holds the power

Western Religions

JudaismDeity: God (Yahweh)Founder: AbrahamSacred Text: TorahBeliefs:

One God who watches over and cares for his people

God holds his people responsible for their sins & shortcomings

People serve God by studying the Torah and serving God

ChristianityDeity: GodFounder: Jesus Christ / St. PaulSacred Text: The BibleBeliefs:

One God who watches over and cares for his people

Jesus is the son of God He died for the sins of othersHis death and Resurrection made the eternal

life possible for others

IslamDeity: God (Allah)Founder: MuhammadSacred Text: The Koran (Qur’an)Beliefs:

Five Pillars of Islam Believe in one God & Muhammad as his prophet 5 daily prayers Giving charity to the poor Fasting during Ramadan Hajj: once in a life time pilgrimage to Mecca

Live a just life

Universal Religions

What is a Universal Religion ?Began as a local faith

Expand outwards adopting other peoples

Adopt ideas of these peoplesBuddhism – Daoism, Hinduism, Traditional

East & Southeast religionsChristianity – Greek philosophy,

Zoroastrianism, Islam – Zoroastrianism, Christianity

Early BeginningsBuddhism, Christianity, & Islam all found themselves

persecuted early in their livesBuddhists: by HindusChristians: by polytheistic RomansMuslims: by polytheistic Arabs

Often exert strong political control over their nationsBuddhism – Ashoka & the Mauryan Dynasty in IndiaChristianity – Clovis and the Franks across EuropeIslam – the Umayyad Dynasty across Middle East & N.

Africa

Missionariesmember of a religion who works to convert those who

do not share the missionary's faith

Leading Missionary ReligionsChristianityIslamBuddhism

The spread of these faiths changed them as they encountered Adopt some of cultures of people being taken in to make it

more palpable