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Important Definitions
•Deity – a god or goddess•Polytheism – belief in many gods
▫Hinduism •Monotheism – belief in one God
▫Judaism, Christianity, Islam
Hinduism• Oldest of the five major religions•Originated in the Indus River • Collection of many religious beliefs•No central authority•Grew unchallenged until Muslims arrived in the 11th century• Sikhism attempted
to merge Hindu and Muslim beliefs
Hindu Beliefs• Three main sects– Vaishnavites– Shaivites– Shaktites
• Sacred texts/scriptures– Sruti and Smirti– Written in Sanskrit
• Reincarnation and Karma– Rebirth in any form of life– Determined by a person’s
actions (karma)• Hindu gods– Three main gods
(Trimurti)• Shiva “the destroyer”• Vishnu “the preserver”• Brahma “the creator”
Caste System in India• All Hindus are divided
among four “varna”▫ Brahmins (priests)▫ Kshatriya (warriors)▫ Vaishya (workers)▫ Sudra (servants)
• Untouchables ▫ Believed to be unclean
from birth
• Influence of castes▫ Marriage▫ Jobs▫ What one can touch
and/or eat
Buddhism• Began about 500 years
after Hinduism • Originated in India• Founded by Siddhartha
Gautama• Two main branches/sects
▫ Theravada Buddhism Monks and nuns Follow Buddha’s
teachings▫ Mahayana
Found mostly in Korea, China, Japan, and Tibet
Apply teachings to people’s lives
The Buddha-Siddhartha Gautama• Born into the warrior
caste and a life of wealth • Became aware of the
troubles of the world during four chariot rides
• Left his life to seek enlightenment
• Meditated beneath a Bodhi tree for seven weeks
• Proposed a “Middle Path” to finding enlightenment (nirvana)
• Believed everyone could improve their karma
Buddhist Beliefs• Sacred Text – Lotus Sutra• Central deity –Human
spirit• Four Noble Truths
▫ Suffering exists▫ Suffering is caused by
desire▫ To end suffering you must
end desire▫ To end desire one must
follow the Eightfold Path
• Eightfold Path▫ Right understanding▫ Right intent▫ Right speech▫ Right action▫ Right livelihood▫ Right effort▫ Right mindfulness▫ Right concentration
Reincarnation and Karma• Karma- a person’s actions
and behavior in a current life becomes their destiny in a future life
• People are caught in a cycle of death and rebirth
• People can free themselves from this cycle by reaching “nirvana” (enlightenment)
Five Important Terms
•Abraham- Founder of Judaism.•Torah- The first five books of the Hebrew
Bible containing the laws and teachings of Judaism.
•Sabbath- A weekly day of rest, prayer, and study.
•Jerusalem- An ancient city in western Asia; capital of present-day Israel.
•Diaspora- The scattering of Jews to many parts of the world.
Judaism• Originated about 2000 BC
in northern Arabia• Jewish tribes were enslaved
by Egyptians • Moses guided them
through the Sinai Desert toward Israel
• At Mount Sinai God delivered Moses the 10 Commandments
• Reached Canaan after 40 years and fought against the Canaanites and Philistines.
• Sacred Cities
Elements of Judaism• Jewish Bible has three main
parts (Law, Prophets, Writing)
• Torah consists of the first five books of the Old Testament▫ Jewish laws
613 Commandments• Talmud– modern writings
and interpretations of the Torah
• Sects of Judaism▫ Orthodox▫ Reform▫ Hasidic
Christianity• Began in Judea
▫ alternative view of Judaism▫ Many people were debating
the true definition of Judaism• Jesus was considered by the
Jews to be a heretic▫ Claim of being the Son of God
• Jesus of Nazareth’s teaching angered two groups ▫ Judaic leaders▫ Romans
• In 33 CE Jesus was arrested by the Romans and eventually executed (crucified)
Growth of Christianity• Beliefs
▫ Jesus was the Son of God who sacrificed himself for the sins of humanity
• Religious text (Bible)▫ Old Testament ▫ New Testament
Written by Jesus’ followers• Christianity was legalized in
313 by Emperor Constantine I
• Branches▫ Catholic▫ Eastern Orthodox▫ Protestant
The Great Schism• “The” Christian Church
was the Catholic Church▫ Prior to 1500 Christians
throughout Europe were united under the Catholic Church
• Issues: Papal authority, politics, and jurisdiction of the Catholic Church▫ Two popes in Europe
• Black Death 1347▫ 1/3 of Europe’s population
died▫ Many blamed the Church
•
Protestant Reformation• Martin Luther (German
monk)• 95 Theses
▫ Nailed to the Wittenberg Church
▫ Led to his excommunication
• Issues▫ Selling of indulgences▫ Attacked the idea of
seven sacraments (eventually argued there were only two—baptism and marriage)
Islam• Founded by Muhammad in
Arabia 610 CE• Muhammad was born in
Mecca but moved to Medina to spread his message
• After Muhammad’s death his followers continued to spread his message
• Main sects▫ Sunni▫ Shiite
Islamic Beliefs• Sacred Text: Koran
▫ Written after Muhammad’s death
▫ Revelations sent from Allah to Muhammad
• Five Pillars of Islam▫ There is no god but God
(Allah) and Muhammad is the prophet of God
▫ Pray 5 times a day▫ Zakat—monetary gift to
the church▫ Fasting during Ramadan▫ Hajj– Pilgrimage to Mecca
Abraham• Important to Jews,
Christians, and Muslims• He is believed to be the
first man to make a spiritual covenant with God.▫ He would be the father of
a nation• Abraham was married to
Sarai (Sarah)▫ Two sons – two women▫ Ishmael (Muslims) and
Issac (Jews and Christians)
Crusades• Began in 1096 and
continued on and off for hundreds of years▫ Christianity had been
strong in the Roman Empire but when Rome fell the Muslims added territory
• Began when Christians set out to recapture the Holy Land from Muslims