6 MAJOR WORLD RELIGIONS

Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, Christianity,

Islam, Judaism

INDIAN RELIGIONS

Buddhism (not much in India any more, but has its

origins on the Indian Subcontinent)

Hinduism

EAST ASIAN RELIGION

Taoism (a major component of what is called

“Chinese Traditional religions). Confucianism is also

in this category, but smaller)

ABRAHAMIC RELIGIONS

Christianity

Islam

Judaism

FOUNDERS

Founding person of Buddhism is Siddhartha Gautama

(about 550 BCE)

Founding person of Hindu is . . . There is no founder. This

is possibly the world’s oldest religion. We don’t know when

it started, or who started it (2,000 BCE?)

Founding person of Taoism (Daoism) is Lao Tse (Laozi).

It’s not known whether he is the actual founder, but it is

attributed to him (about 580 BCE))

FOUNDERS C O N T I N U E D

Founding person of Christianity is Jesus Christ (1st

century CE)

Founding person of Islam is Muhammad (580 CE)

Founding person of Judaism is Abraham (about

1500 BCE)

SUPREME BEING

The Supreme Being of Buddhism is . . . There is no

supreme being. This is all about bettering yourself.

The Supreme Being of Hinduism is Brahma, who has two

avatars: Vishnu and Shiva (together a trinity)

The Supreme Being of Taoism is . . . There isn’t one.

There are deities, but one isn’t over another. The

important thing here is nature’s energy rather than a

supreme being.

SUPREME BEING C O N T I N U E D

The Supreme Being in Christianity is God

The Supreme Being in Islam is God (Allah)

The Supreme Being in Judaism is God (Elohim)

HOLY SITES

The holiest place in Buddhism is wherever you worship.

However important Buddha history places are also

important cities (Buddha's birthplace, burial place, where

he received enlightenment, etc.)

The holiest site in Hinduism is . . . There are 7 holy

cities, 4 holy sites, 3 holy rivers

The holiest sites in Taoism are mountains where

important temples are

HOLY SITES

Holy sites in Christianity include Jerusalem, Bethlehem,

Golgotha, and the Sea of Galilee (places associated with Jesus

Christ)

Holy sites in Islam include Mecca, Medina, and The Dome of

the Rock (on Temple Mount in Jerusalem)—all places

associated with Mohammed the Prophet

Holy sites in Judaism include Temple Mount, the Wailing

Wall (on Temple Mount), Mount Sinai, Tomb of the Patriarchs

SACRED WRITINGS

Sacred writings of Buddhists are the Tripitaka.

This means “3 Baskets” because it was originally

written on long leaves and stored in baskets.

Sacred writings of Hinduism are the Vedas. There

are 4 of them: Rig Veda, Sama Veda, Yajur Veda and

Atharva Veda

Sacred writings of Taoism is the Tao te Ching

SACRED WRITINGS C O N T I N U E D

Sacred writings of Christianity is the Bible, which

includes the Old Testament and the New Testament

Sacred writings of Islam is the Quran, also spelled

Koran

Sacred writings of Judaism is the Torah, which

includes the first 5 books of the Old Testament; also

important is the Talmud, which is writings about the

Torah

WHERE ORIGINATED?

Buddhism—Nepal

WHERE ORIGINATED?

Hinduism--India

WHERE ORIGINATED?

Taoism--China

WHERE ORIGINATED?

Christianity--Israel

WHERE ORIGINATED?

Islam--Mecca

WHERE ORIGINATED?

Judaism--Israel

DIFFUSED WHERE?

NUMBERS

Buddhists—375 million to 1.2 billion

Hindus—1 billion

Taoists—(Chinese Traditional) 394 million

Christians—2.1 billion

Muslims—1.5 billion

Jews—14 million

MAJOR BELIEFS - -BUDDHISM

4 Noble Truths:• Life has a lot of suffering• The cause of suffering is greed and selfishness• There is an end to suffering• The way to end suffering is following the middle way

through the 8-fold path (right viewpoint, right attitude, right speech, right action, right work, right effort, right mindfulness, right meditation)

MAJOR BELIEFS--HINDUISM

Karma—the law of cause and effect

Reincarnation until Moshka (liberation from cycle

of rebirth) is attained

All life is sacred

No religion teaches the only way to salvation—all

religions are paths to God’s light and love, and all

religions ought to be tolerated and understood

MAJOR BELIEFS--TAOISM

Live in harmony with the Tao—or the way

If you do this, you will free your soul and become one of

the immortals

Don’t lie, steal, murder, commit adultery, or drink alcohol

Obey your elders, love your parents, be tolerant, love

others, be in good physical and mental shape, practice

control of your mind and body, act selflessly

MAJOR BELIEFS - -CHRISTIANITY

Jesus Christ is the Son of God

Love God

Love your neighbor as yourself

Follow the 10 commandments

Faith and Grace

Baptism

MAJOR BELIEFS--ISLAM

There is no god but One God (Allah) and Muhammad is his

prophet

Pray 5 times a day (facing the direction of Mecca)

Pay an alms tax—2.5% of one’s wealth to the poor and

needy

Fast during daylight hours during the 9th month of the

Islamic lunar calendar (Ramadan)

Go on a pilgrimage to Mecca once in your lifetime

MAJOR BELIEFS--JUDAISM

The 10 commandments—worship no other God, no

graven images, don’t misuse the name of God,

observe the Sabbath day (Saturday), respect your

parents, don’t murder, commit adultery, or steal,

don’t accuse anyone falsely or tell lies, don’t envy

others’ possessions.

SYMBOL OF FAITH--BUDDHISM

SYMBOL OF FAITH--HINDUISM

SYMBOL OF FAITH--TAOISM

SYMB OL OF FAITH- -CHRISTIANITY

SYMBOL OF FAITH--ISLAM

SYMBOL OF FAITH-- JUDAISM