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WHAT IS RELIGION?. A Set of beliefs in an ultimate reality A Set of practices used to express those beliefs It is a key component of culture Has its own special celebrations and worship styles Have their own sacred text, symbols and sites - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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WHAT IS RELIGION?
• A Set of beliefs in an ultimate reality• A Set of practices used to express those beliefs• It is a key component of culture• Has its own special celebrations and worship
styles• Have their own sacred text, symbols and sites• All of these aspect help unite followers
regardless of where in the world they live
WHY DO WE STUDY RELIGION?
• It is an important component of civilization• It shapes how people interact, dress and eat• It is at the core of the belief system of a
civilization
Religious Terms
• Animism- belief that spirits inhabit natural objects and forces of nature.
• Atheism – disbelief in the existence of any god.• Monotheism – belief in one god• Polytheism – belief in more than one god• Secularism – belief that life’s questions can be
answered apart from religious beliefs• Sect- a subdivision within a religion that has its own
distinctive beliefs and/or practices.
There are many religions, some are very popular
• Hinduism• Buddhism• Confucianism• Judaism• Christianity• Islam
HINDUISM
Hinduism• Is the oldest of the world’s major religions.
• Developed among the cultures in India as they spread over the subcontinent.
• It has no founder or founding date.
• Hindus believe the universe contains several hells and heavens.
• Central to their beliefs is reincarnation, where souls are continually reborn.
• Being reborn good or bad is determined by the good or evil actions performed in their past lives. It comes back to you what you have done in the past.
• Those acts are Karma.
• A soul continues in the cycle of rebirth until release is achieved.
KARMA
HinduismSacred Text
Vedas which consist of hymns, prayers composed on ancient Sanskrit.
Rig Veda, Sama Veda, Yajur Veda, Atharva Veda are the four great Vedic collections.
Together they make up the most significant and authoritative Hindu religious texts.
HinduismSacred Symbol
One important symbol of Hinduism is a symbol for a sound “Om”
Hindus often chant this during prayer and rituals.
HinduismSacred Site
Many bodies of water are sacred to the Hindus.
Hindus go to rivers to purify their soul and to be released from rebirth.
Some rivers are very sacred such as the Ganges.
GANGES RIVER CREMATION
Hinduism
Worship and celebration
Holi is a significant North Indian Hindu festival celebrating the triumph of good over evil.
Men, women and children splash colored powders and water on each other.
Holi also celebrates the beginning of spring.
BUDDHISM
BUDDHISM • Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha)• Was born some 2,500 years ago in
what is now Nepal.• Goal of Buddhism is Nirvana.• The ending of suffering.• Nirvana is achieved by
understanding the Four Noble Truths. (Freedom from suffering)
• Sacred Text- Tripitaka (three baskets)• First written on a palm leaf in a
language called Pali.• Tripitaka urges responding to hatred
with love.
BUDDHISM
• Sacred Site - Bodh Gaya, India.
• This is where Siddhartha was enlightened.
• People from around the world flock this area in search of their own spiritual awakening.
BuddhismSacred Symbol – Dharmachakra ( wheel of the Law) Signifies the overcoming of obstacles.
The eight spokes represent the Eightfold Path- Right viewRight intention, Right speech, Right action, Right livelihood, Right effort, Right mindfulness, Right concentration.
BuddhismWorship and Celebration Goal is to achieve Nirvana
Free of ignorance, greed and suffering.
Monks are most likely to reach this state because of their lifestyle of moral virtue,study, and meditation.
What do Buddhists believe is the cause of humans’ unhappiness?
Grasping after those things that leads to unhappiness.
• Money• Material possessions• Fame
Extra credit• Notice the hands of
Buddha. • Illustrate three different
hand positions and explain its particular significance
Confucianism
Confucianism • Began more than 2,500 years ago
in China.
• A religion and also considered a philosophy.
• Based upon the teachings of Confucius, which are placed on the ideas of ethical behavior and good government.
• Focus on three areas: social philosophy, political philosophy and education.
• Relationships are based on rank.
• Persons of higher rank are responsible for caring for those of lower rank.
• Those of lower rank should respect and obey those of higher rank.
ConfucianismSacred Text
A book called the Analects.
Confucius was famous for his sayings and proverbs.The object of the superior man is truth, not food. . . . The superior man is anxious lest he should not get truth; he is not anxious lest poverty should come upon him."
Quotes from the Analects
• 1. "Never impose on others what you would not choose for yourself."
• 2. "Real knowledge is to know the extent of one’s ignorance."
• 3. "I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand."
Not from the Analects
• Confucius say: Baseball is wrong - man with four balls cannot walk.
• Confucius say: Man who stand on toilet is high on pot!
• Confucius say: He who has a sharp tongue cuts own throat.
Confucianism
Sacred SymbolYin-yang- symbolizing the harmony the philosophy offers.
The white is Yin, the light, bright, cheerful, playful aspect of life.
The black is the yang, the dark, mysterious, serious part of life.
The two acts together to balance one another.
ConfucianismSacred Site
The Temple of Qufu.
Groups of buildings dedicated to Confucius on the Confucius’s ancestral land.
One of the largest architectural complexes in China.
Every year people gather to celebrate the birthday of Confucius.
ConfucianismWorship and Celebration
Does not have a god or a clergy.Temples dedicated to Confucius.
Those who follow his teachings see Confucianism as a way of life and a guide to ethical behavior and good government.
JUDAISM
Judaism• First major religion to believe in
one god.• Jews trace their national and
religious origins back to God’s call to Abraham.
• Believe God will someday send a messiah who will redeem them from exile and usher in an era of world peace.
• Over time Judaism has separated into branches, Orthodox, (most traditional) Reform, Conservative, and Reconstructionists.
JudaismSacred Text
The Torah Scrolls are the five books of Moses.(the 10 Commandments0This tells of the origins of the Jews and explain Jewish Laws.The remainder of the Hebrew Bible contains the writings of the prophets, Psalms, ethical and historical works.
JudaismSacred Site
The Western Wall, which remains from the second Jerusalem Temple, built after the Jews’ return from Babylonian captivity.
Prayers are offered at the wall morning, afternoon and evening.
Solomon’s TempleThe crowning achievement of
his building program in Jerusalem was a great temple, which he built to glorify God.
The temple was also to be the permanent home of the Ark of the Covenant, which contained the tablets of Moses’ law.
Prayer at the Western Wall
The Temple Mount, Jerusalem Today
Solomon’s Temple Wall: The “Wailing” Wall
JudaismSacred Symbols
Menorah is used in the celebration of Hanukkah, which is the rededication to the Temple of Jerusalem, following the Maccabees’ victory over the Syrian Greeks.Jewish Revolt, Olive oil lasted 8 days to light their Menorah, therefore eight candles. The middle candle is Shamash, is to light the other eight.
JudaismWorship and Celebration
Day long Yom Kippur. Is the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. Yom Kippur Jews do not eat for 25 hours. The purpose is to reflect on the past year and gain forgiveness from God for one’s sins.Sept. or Oct. ten days after Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.
CHRISTIANITY
Christianity
•Most popular.•It dates with the death of Jesus in A.D. 33 in Israel. •Belief in one God on the life and teachings of Jesus, son of God.•Christians regard Jesus as the savior who dies for humanity’s sins.•Major forms of Christianity are Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy and Protestantism. •All three are united in their belief of Jesus with their own individual theologies.
Christianity Sacred Sites
Bethlehem is the birthplace of Jesus.Church of the Nativity is located in the heart of Bethlehem.This is the spot where Christians believe Jesus was born.
JERUSALEM
• Today, Christians visit sacred Christians Sites in Jerusalem. Churches have been built over Christian sites that are thought to be the actual spots where certain events in the life of Jesus happened. It is important to the pilgrims to walk in his footsteps..
• The Christians Sites that are most sacred are in Jerusalem. And offer powerful experience for Christians. A site that most probably is what it claims to be is the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The building is on the site of Golgotha or Calvary. This is where Jesus was crucified. His tomb or sepulcher is also here.
Jerusalem
• CHAPLE OF THE ASCENSION
Both a Christian and Muslim holy site, this Crusader-era chapel marks the spot where Jesus ascended into heaven after his resurrection. His footprint is imprinted in the floor
Sacred Symbols
THE CROSSImages of the Christ.
THE FISH“Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
Christianity Sacred Text
Holy Bible
Made up of two booksOld and New Testament.
Christianity
Christmas- Birth of Jesus
Palm Sunday -commemorates the triumphal entrance of Christ into Jerusalem when palm branches were placed in His pathLent- 40 day preparation before EasterAsh WednesdayThe distribution of ashes reminds us of our own mortality and calls us to repentance Good Friday- Jesus’ deathEaster- Day of resurrection
Worship and Celebration Christians celebrate many events commemorating the life and death of Jesus.
THE LAST SUPPER
ISLAM
Islam• Followers of Islam are known as
Muslims and believe in one God, whom they call Allah.
• The founder of Islam is Muhammad.• He began his teaching in Makkah
(Mecca) in A.D. 610• Has spread throughout Asia
including parts of India.• Central to Islamic beliefs are the Five
Pillars.• 1. Belief in Allah and his prophet
Muhammad.• 2. Group prayer• 3. Tithing
• 4. Fasting• 5. Pilgrimage to Makkah once in a
lifetime if physically and financially possible.
IslamSacred Text
The Quran
Preferably it is written and read only in Arabic.
Has been translated into many languages.
IslamSacred Symbols
Islam is often symbolized by the crescent moon.
It is an important part of Muslim rituals, which are based on the lunar calendar.
IslamSacred Site
Pilgrimage to Makkah (Mecca) if possible once in their life. The pilgrimage is called the Hajj and the structure they visit is the Kaaba.
Also required to pray facing Makkah five times a day.
Islam
Worship and celebration
Ramadan is a month long celebration remembering when Muhammad received the Quran from Allah.Muslims fast from dawn to sunset all month long.Fasting helps focus on spiritual rather than bodily mattersRamadan ends with a feast known as Eid-al-Fitr, or Feast of the Fast.
