Spread of Belief Systems

What we know:

• We know about the belief systems

• We know that they don’t get along

• One more thing you should know is how they met each other in the first place. How did they spread from where they were originally founded?

Judaism

• Began in the fertile crescent (Abraham was from Ur)

• Abraham travelled to and settled in modern day Israel

• Jews were enslaved by the Egyptians because they were different

• According to the Old Testament – Moses freed the slaves from Egypt and they escaped

Judaism

• After they escaped the diaspora occurred

• Diaspora: Scattering of Jews

• To protect themselves and “blend” Jews scattered around Europe, Asia, and the Middle East

• Therefore they had no “homeland.” They still believe Israel is their homeland and have forever after had intentions to return

Judaism

• A belief called Zionism develops with the goal of re-obtaining Israel as the homeland

• Zionism really picked up after WWII because of Jewish sentiment

Zionist Movement Post WWII

Christianity

• Began during the Roman Empire in the same area as modern day Israel

• The new testament states that Jesus was born in Bethlehem and grew up in Jerusalem. That is where his teachings began…

Roman Empire

• One of their main achievements was the building of roads to connect the empire

• Empire was huge and connected three continents

• Improved economy by facilitating trade and helped to transport armies to defend and expand the empire

Built 55,000 miles of road by hand over 700 years

The distance from NYC to LA is 2,813 miles!!

Roman Roads

• Christianity spread through these roads

• People spoke of Jesus and his teachings. Many converted.

• The spread of Christianity actually increased after the crucifixion because people were angry

• Felt that the crucifixion was wrong

Islam

• Islam originated on the Arabian Peninsula (City of Mecca)

• Muhammad lived and preached throughout the middle east

• After Muhammad died – each successive Caliph (Islamic community leader) spread the religion through military activity

Spread of Islam• According to the Koran, Muslims should spread and convert as many

people as possible

• Christians and Jews were always given more equal treatment because they were “people of the book” – Abrahamic tradition

• As the Islamic military expanded their territory:• If you were polytheistic, Buddhist, hindu, etc… you had to convert or be killed• If you were Christian or Jewish… had to covert, pay higher taxes, or give men to the

military

Buddhism

• Begin in the Ganges River Valley

• Siddhartha was an Indian Prince born to a Hindu family

• Buddhism was always popular in India

• Emperor Asoka of the Mauryan Empire converted from Hinduism to Buddhism

• He sent missionaries along the silk road to spread Buddhism

Silk Road

Silk Road

• Road built by the Han Dynasty in China

• Allowed other civilizations to trade with them

• Major impact on cultural diffusion

• Buddhism is now a major religion in Asia

Hinduism

• Also started in Ganges River Valley

• Also spread via the silk road

• Still a majority religion in India, some pockets in Asia

So….

• Judaism: Diaspora•Christianity: Roman Roads• Islam: Military and Koran•Buddhism: Silk Road•Hinduism: Silk Road, didn’t spread a ton

Video Clip

• http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=spread+of+religion+video&FORM=VIRE5#view=detail&mid=BB52F60D1F3320A57D30BB52F60D1F3320A57D30