World Religions World Religion Breakdown Importance of Religion

World Religions

World Religion Breakdown

Importance of Religion around the world

One God or Many? ? ? • Monotheism • The belief in one God • Christianity • Islam • Judaism • Sikhism • Polytheism • The belief in many Gods • Hinduism • Animism- believers in supernatural powers, attribute a soul to living things (plants, animals), inanimate objects, and natural phenomena • Native Americans • Voodoo (practiced in Haiti)

Hinduism g n i v i l t s e Old n io g i l e r F rs e w ollo ” s u d n - “Hi 3 rd lar gest religio n in the w orld ~1 bill ion follow ers

Hinduism • Founder: No known founder 2500 BCE • Place of Origin: India • Beliefs: One Supreme Reality (Brahman) manifested in many gods and goddesses and Caste System (illegal today but still practiced) • Deity: Polytheistic- Brahman (The supreme self), Vishnu (God of the sun), Shiva (God of fertility), Ganesh (God of obstacles) • Afterlife: Reincarnation • what you are reborn as depends on Karma (belief that what you do affects the future) • Dharma or a good life path allows people to be reincarnated into a higher form • Moksha- “one-ness” once reached it ends rebirth • Sacred Text: Vedas (Holy Books) • Place of Worship: Shrine • Practices: Yoga, bath in Ganges River to wash away sin, cremate body at death and ashes are spread in Ganges River • Holidays/Festivals: Diwali- the festival of lights- four day festival which celebrates a new year of victory of light over darkness • Symbol: Om

Judaism 12 ion l l i m rld o W VIP- Moses who freed the Jews from slavery in Egypt Foll s r e ow “Heb rews or Israe lite” Ethnic Religion - a person who identifies their ethnicity by their religious beliefs Followers- “Jews”

Judaism • Founder: Abraham in 2000 BCE • Place of origin: Jerusalem (holy city) located in Israel (Middle East) • only nation where Jewish people are the majority of the population. • • • Beliefs: Monotheistic; Judge people on how they live their everyday lives Deity: Yahweh (God) Afterlife: “Messiah" will come to Earth and save the Jewish people. Scared Text: Torah (Old Testament) Place of Worship: Synagogue • Men and women usually sit separately. Men are required to cover their heads with a hat called a yarmulke. In most cases, worship takes place in the Hebrew language. The Jewish spiritual leaders are called rabbis. • Practices: Shabbat- attend synagogue, Friday night, remember the 7 th day of creation when God rested to make time for family • Holidays/Festivals: Yom Kippur- 25 -hour period of fasting and intensive prayer, often spending most of the day in synagogue. • Bar mitzvah is for boys (13 yrs) and Bat mitzvah is for girls (12 yrs). • Rosh Hashanah- Jewish New Year • Hanukkah- festival of lights • Symbol: Star of David

Christianity Largest religion ~ 2. 2 b illion w orld followe rs Followers- “Christians” Chri s beli tians e Jesu ve that s from rose mak the dea i the ng him d, M (Sav essiah i prom or) the ised in O Test ld ame nt

Christianity • Founder: Jesus Christ (Son of God) in 30 CE • Place of origin: Bethlehem (Middle East) • Beliefs: God is revealed in 3 forms: Father, Holy Spirit, Son • Three main denominations: Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Protestant Deity: God Afterlife: Heaven and Hell Scared Text: The Bible (New Testament) Place of Worship: Church Practices: Attend church on Sunday’s Holidays/Festivals: Easter- celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christmas- celebrate Jesus’ birthday • Symbol: Cross • • •

Buddhism “The Buddha”, or the enlightened one ~500 million followers, 4 th largest religion in the world Followers- “Buddhists”

Buddhism • Founder: Siddhartha Gautama in 500’s BCE • Siddhartha was born a wealthy prince, but gave up everything to find a true understanding of the world’s suffering • Place of origin: India • Beliefs: Encourage followers to reach enlightenment—understanding the true meaning of life and truth about the world. • 4 noble truths: 1. Life is Suffering; 2. Suffering is due to attachment to things; 3. Attachment can be overcome; 4. There is a path to accomplish all this: The Noble Eightfold Path • Deity: No idea of God —it’s more of a way of life, so it is actually a philosophy, but most people still call Buddhism a religion • Afterlife: Rebirth or Reincarnation • Must achieve Nirvana which is ending the sorrow of life • Scared Text: Tripitaka or Sutras • Place of Worship: Buddhist temples: Stupa is a mound-like structure that often has a Buddhist relic buried underneath. Pagoda is a temple with several tiers or levels. • Practices: Puja- It involves meditation, bowing, chanting, or making offerings • Holidays/Festivals: Vesak, Wesak or Buddha Day, is celebration of Buddha’s birth, enlightenment, and death • Symbol: The Noble Eight Fold Path

Sikhism ” s h k i s- “S r e w o l Fol on i l l i 23 m wide ld wor 90% liv e in the sta te of Punjab , India

Sikhism • • Founder: Guru Nanak in 1500 CE Place of origin: India and Pakistan Beliefs: Monotheistic, be generous, serve others, live honestly Deity: God (Vahiguru) Afterlife: Heaven Scared Text: Granth Place of Worship: Any building where the sacred text is kept Practices: Meditation (allows communication with God), Services held on Sunday’s, chants and prayers end in shared meal • Sikh men must not cut their hair, must maintain a beard and wear a turban, brush hair twice a day, and wear a bracelet to remind them of one God, must carry a knife at all times, and wear drawstring underwear to remind them to keep their chasity • Holidays/Festivals: Maghi- celebrates the winter harvest • Symbol: Khanda (double edge sword)

Islam n+ o i l l i One b rs e w o l l o f t s e t Fas ing grow ion in relig d l r o w Fol low “M ers usli ms” Eth n ic R eli gio n

Islam • Founder: Muhammad in 600’s CE • Place of origin: Mecca, Saudi Arabia (Middle East) • Beliefs: Monotheistic with two denominations: Sunni and Shi’a • 90% Sunni. Shi’a and Sunni disagree about who should lead Islam and how they are chosen • 5 Pillars: Declare Faith, Pray 5 times a day, Give money to charity, Fasting, Pilgrimage to Mecca • Deity: Allah • Afterlife: Heaven and Hell • Scared Text: Koran or Qur’an • Place of Worship: Mosque • Practices: Use prayer mats to kneel pray, women and men pray separately, don’t eat pork • Holidays/Festivals: Ramadan- time of sacrifice in an attempt to with Allah, Muslims fast from sun up to sun down • Symbol: crescent moon and star

National Geographic Cover-L Must include the following: • Image that represents the 6 major religions • 6 “Headlines” regarding each major religion • Cost • Date On the back: Create an acrostic for each of the 6 religions Example • Is the fastest growing religion • Some followers are Shi’ite and some are Sunni • Language of this religion is Arabic • Abraham is considered a prophet • Muslims is the name of Islamic worshipers

K Assignment 1. Complete Culture of Religion 2. Create an acrostic for each of the 6 religions on a separate sheet of paper and staple to Religion worksheet • Example • • • Is the fastest growing religion Some followers are Shi’ite and some are Sunni Language of this religion is Arabic Abraham is considered a prophet Muslims is the name of Islamic worshipers