Major World Religions

Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism:

Written by the

United Religions Initiative and The BBC

Judaism Judaism is the oldest of the world’s three monotheistic religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam). It is also the smallest religion, with about 12-14 million followers worldwide. (Had it not been for the Holocaust, there would likely be between 25-35 million followers today).Most Jewish people in the world today live in Israel and the United States. Judaism does not seek converts – those who wish to convert to Judaism must be willing to follow Jewish law as laid out in the Torah.

JudaismJudaism began about 4000 years ago with the Hebrew people in the Middle East. Abraham, a Hebrew man, is considered the father of the Jewish faith because he promoted the central idea of the Jewish faith: that there is one God. At the time many people in the Middle East worshipped many gods. While still traveling, the Hebrews lived in Egypt where they were enslaved. Moses, a Hebrew, was chosen by God to lead the Hebrew people out of Egypt. Moses led the Hebrew people out of the Sinai Desert toward the promised land. At Mt. Sinai, God gave Moses the Law which would guide the Israelites to today. The laws were called the Ten Commandments and form the basis of the Torah, the book of Jewish law.

JudaismJewish people believe in the Torah, which was the whole of the laws given to the Israelites at Sinai. They believe they must follow God's laws which govern daily life. Later legal books, written by rabbis, determine the law as it applies to life in each new place and time. The Ten Commandments, as written in the Torah, are:Worship no other God but me; Do not make images to worship; Do not misuse the name of God; Observe the Sabbath Day (Saturday). Keep it Holy; Honor and respect your father and mother; Do not murder; Do not commit adultery; Do not steal; Do not accuse anyone falsely. Do not tell lies about other people; Do not envy other's possessions.

JudaismThe Torah is written on scrolls and kept in a special cabinet called the aron hakodish, the holy ark, in synagogues. The Torah is read with a pointer called a yad (hand) to keep it from being spoiled. Each week, one section is read until the entire Torah is completed and the reading begins again.The Talmud is also an important collection of Jewish writings. Written about 2000 years ago, it is a recording of the rabbis discussion of the way to follow the Torah at that time. Later texts, the Mishnah Torah and the Shulhan Aruch, are recordings of rabbinic discussions from later periods.Jewish people worship in synagogues. A synagogue is a center for Jewish life - not just worshipping, but education and community.

Judaism - BeliefsBoth Christianity and, to a lesser extent, Islam, draw on Judaism. Jewish people believe that "The Messiah", who is a person specially anointed by God (i.e. specially commissioned), will one day come to the world. The arrival of the Messiah will bring an era of peace.After World War II, many Jews believed that for the Jewish people and culture to survive, Jews needed to live in their own country where all Jews from anywhere in the world would have the right to live and be citizens. In 1948, Palestine was divided up and a Jewish state of Israel was formed in the land that was once called Canaan, surrounded by countries with predominantly Muslim populations. Since Muslims also claimed rights to the land where the Jews were living, there was conflict, which continues to this day in the Middle East.

ChristianityChristianity is a religion practiced by nearly 2 billion people worldwide. It originated in Palestine in the 1st century AD and is founded on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ [4BC-29AD], a Palestinian Jew. There are many different variations or "denominations". The major division is between Orthodox and Western Christianity (which itself is divided into Roman Catholicism and Protestantism). From the beginning, Christianity has sought to convert people.

Christianity - BeliefsChristians, like Jews and Muslims, believe that there is only one God. They believe that God has created the world distinct from himself but is active within it. Humans are created at a distance from God and are responsible for their own lives. God is judge of all that they do, but also seeks to help them when they go wrong. God reveals himself in three 'persons': Father, Son (Jesus Christ) and Holy Spirit. However, these three persons are regarded as a unity, sharing one 'substance'.

Christianity - BeliefsChristians believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, who came to earth as a man to restore the relationship between humans and God which had gone wrong. He was crucified as a criminal and was seen alive after he was dead and buried. Christians believe that during Jesus' life he had shown people how to be reconciled to God and to each other. Jesus' death and resurrection was a form of atonement for the actions of humans and restored them to their correct relationship with God.

Christianity - BeliefsChristians believe they should live according to the example of Jesus Christ by: loving God and loving fellow human beings as one loves oneself and also by sharing the Christian message.Christians believe they have only one life. This life is judged after death by the way it was lived. Heaven is where the soul resides if one lived a good life while eternal punishment awaits in Hell for those who lead a bad life. Whether 'heaven' and 'hell' literally exist is hotly debated in some theological circles.

Christianity - BeliefsThe Christian place of worship is called a Church. They are often built in the shape of a cross with the altar facing east towards the rising sun. The Bible is the Christian Holy Book. This is divided into the Old Testament (which incorporates the Hebrew Bible) and the New Testament, which details the life of Jesus and a selection of beliefs and writings of the early church. Christian symbols include: The Crucifix - an image of Jesus crucified on the cross. The Cross - without the figure of Jesus, indicating that he has risen from the dead.

IslamIslam is the world's second most followed religion.

It began in its present form 1400 years ago in Arabia, but swiftly become a world faith, and now has around 1 billion adherents.

"Islam" is an Arabic word which means surrendering oneself to the will of God, and achieving peace and security by doing so.

A person surrenders to the will of Allah by living and thinking in the way Allah has instructed.

IslamIslam is more than a system of belief. The faith provides a social and legal system and governs things like family life, law and order, ethics, dress, and cleanliness, as well as religious ritual and observance.  

The countries with the largest Islamic populations are in Asia rather than the Middle-East.

However, Islam's three holiest places, the cities of Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem are all in the Middle East.

Islam - BeliefsThere is only one God, called "Allah". Allah's last prophet was Muhammad.Muhammad was not a god, he was a man through whom God revealed his will. Although Muslims revere Muhammad, they do not worship him.Everything and everyone depends on Allah. All Muslims, of whatever race, are members of one community; the "ummah".Muslims are guided to follow Allah's will by The Holy Book, the Qur'an, which Muslims regard as the unaltered word of God and by the example set by Muhammad's life.

Islam - BeliefsEvery Muslim must perform the duties known as the Five Pillars of Islam.The Muslim place of worship is called a mosque. The word comes from the Arabic for "place of prostration". Muslims believe that they have one life, after which they are judged.Islam, like Christianity, seeks and welcomes converts. Ramadan: For one month each year Muslims the world over fast as part of a special time for prayer and self-examination.

Islam - BeliefsThe present form of Islam began in Arabia in 622 CE (the year zero of the Islamic calendar).It is based on the ministry of a man named Muhammad, and on the words that Allah gave to the world through Muhammad.Muhammad is so esteemed by Muslims that it is usual to utter the blessing "peace be upon him" after his name. Muhammad did not found Islam. Islam was created by Allah at the beginning of time, and in fact Muslims regard Adam as the first Muslim.

Islam - BeliefsMuhammad was the final messenger through whom Allah revealed the faith to the world. There had been earlier messengers, among them Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus.

Muhammad was not only a religious leader, but a political leader as well. This established a close relationship between religion and "politics" and helped to ensure the rapid spread of the faith, and its influence on the complete way of life in many countries.

Islam – The Five PillarsThe Five Pillars of Islam These are five duties that every Muslim is obliged to perform.Shahada: Shahada is the Muslim profession of faith: "I witness that there is no god but Allah, and that Muhammad is the prophet of Allah" Salat: A prayer ritual performed 5 times a day by all Muslims over the age of 10. Sawm: Abstaining each day during Ramadan, the 9th Muslim month. Zakat: Giving alms to the poor. This is a compulsory gift of 2.5 % of one's savings each year in addition to any charitable gifts a Muslim makes. Hajj: The pilgrimage to Mecca that all physically able Muslims should make at least once in their life. Mecca is the most holy place for Muslims.

HinduismHinduism is the name given to a family of religions and cultures that began and still flourish in India. Hindus do not separate religion from other aspects of life. For Hindus in India, Hinduism is an inextricable part of their existence, a complete approach to life that involves social class, earning a living, family, politics, diet, etc., in addition to the things Westerners view as religious. The word "Hindu" comes from the name of the river Indus. There are 750 million Hindus in the world, and most of them live in India.

Hinduism - BeliefsThe fundamental teaching of Hinduism, or Vedanta, is that a human being's basic nature is not confined to the body or the mind. Beyond both of these is the spirit or the spark of God within the soul. This spirit is within us and also within everything we see. All beings and all things are really, in their deepest essence, this pure or divine spirit, full of peace, full of joy and wisdom, ever united with God.

Anyone who takes the trouble to undergo the necessary training to purify and refine the mind and senses can begin to feel the truth of this. This training can take various forms and is known as yoga ("union"- union of the individual self with this inner spirit).

HinduismMost Hindus worship at home and have a shrine there. Hindu temples are the focus of religious life, but there is not a strong tradition of corporate congregational worship.

Hinduism has not had a significant tradition of seeking to convert people, although some modern Hindu sects now do seek converts.

Hinduism is very different from religions like Christianity, Islam, or Judaism.

Hinduism is more an approach to the universe, and a way of living in the universe than an intellectual system of philosophy.

HinduismThere are many misconceptions about Hinduism which are the result of Westerners trying to force it to fit their ideas of what a religion should be like.Hinduism includes a far wider range of beliefs and practices than any of the faiths above. Hinduism does not offer the same insistence on being the only "truth" as the faiths above. There is no eternally dominant or "correct" form of Hinduism.Hinduism has no individual who is, or has become, central to the faith and its practice-as Jesus, Muhammad, and Moses are for the monotheistic faiths.

Hinduism - BeliefsFor many Hindus, religion is a matter of practice rather than of beliefs. It's more what you do than what you believe.Behind Hindu practice is the belief that every soul is trapped in a cycle of birth and then death and then rebirth (reincarnation). Every Hindu wants to escape from this cycle. Hindus aim to live in a way that will cause each of their lives to be better than the life before. Their ultimate aim is escape from the cycle altogether.Living or acting in the right way is known as dharma, so the Indian name for their religion is sanatana dharma, (meaning "everlasting dharma").

Hinduism - BeliefsHindus acknowledge and worship various gods, but these are all aspects of the one supreme "God".The gods Vishnu, Shiva and Brahma are different forms and names of the one God. Vishnu in particular has appeared on earth in various forms. Among these, Krishna and Rama are especially loved and worshipped. The gods Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, for example, are different aspects of Brahman:Brahma reflects God's divine work of creating the universe.Vishnu reflects God's work in keeping the universe in existence.Shiva reflects God's work in destroying it.

BuddhismBuddhism is a vast and complex religious and philosophical tradition which stretches back over 2,500 years.It has about 300 million adherents around the world, but is growing quickly.'Buddha' means 'one who has woken up'. Most people live asleep, never knowing or seeing life as it really is. As a consequence they suffer. A Buddha is someone who awakens to the knowledge of the world as it truly is and so finds release from suffering.

BuddhismA Buddha teaches out of sympathy and compassion for the suffering of beings and for the benefit and welfare of all beings.

Buddhism does not actively look for converts, but it is thoroughly welcoming to those who do want to convert. Buddhism can coexist with other faiths.

Buddhism has no unique creed, no single authority, no single sacred book.

Buddhism focuses on each individual seeking to attain enlightenment. Key beliefs and values are contained in "The Four Noble Truths“.

Key insight: there is nothing that permanently exists.

BuddhismAbout 2500 years ago, a prince named Siddhartha Gautama began to question his sheltered, luxurious life in the palace. He left the palace and saw four sights: a sick man, an old man, a dead man and a monk. These sights are said to have shown him that even a prince cannot escape illness, suffering and death. Siddhartha left his life as a prince and become a wandering holy man, seeking the answers to questions like "Why must people suffer?" "What is the cause of suffering?" Siddartha spent many years doing many religious practices such as praying, meditating, and fasting until he finally understood the basic truths of life. This realization occurred after sitting under a Poplar-figtree in Bodh Gaya, India for many days, in deep meditation. He gained enlightenment, or nirvana, and was given the title of Buddha, which means Enlightened One.

BuddhismBuddha discovered Three Universal Truths and Four Noble Truths, which he then taught to the people for the next 45 years.Three Universal Truths

1. Everything in life is impermanent and always changing.2. Because nothing is permanent, a life based on possessing things

or persons doesn't make you happy. 3. There is no eternal, unchanging soul and "self" is just a

collection of changing characteristics or attributes. Four Noble Truths

1. Human life has a lot of suffering.2. The cause of suffering is greed.3. There is an end to suffering.4. The way to end suffering is to follow the Middle Path.

BuddhismBuddha then taught people not to worship him as a god. He said they should take responsibility for their own lives and actions. He taught that the Middle Way was the way to nirvana. The Middle Way meant not leading a life of luxury and indulgence but also not one of too much fasting and hardship. There are eight guides for following the Middle path:

1. Right understanding and viewpoint 2. Right values and attitude (compassion rather than selfishness).3. Right speech (don't tell lies, avoid harsh, abusive speech, avoid gossip).4. Right action (help others, live honestly, don't harm living things, take

care of the environment).5. Right work (do something useful, avoid jobs which harm others).6. Right effort (encourage good, helpful thoughts, discourage

unwholesome destructive thoughts).7. Right mindfulness (be aware of what you feel, think and do).8. Right meditation (calm mind, practice meditation which leads to

nirvana).

Religions of the WorldJudaism Christianity Islam Hinduism Buddhism

Deity God (Yahweh)

God God (Allah)

Brahman None

Founder Abraham Jesus Christ

Muhammad No single founder

The Buddha

Holy Book

Hebrew Bible (Torah)

Christian Bible

Quran Numerous sacred writings

Tripitika

Clergy Rabbis Ministers, Priests

Imam Guru, Holy Man, Brahman

Monks, Ministers

Members 14 million 1.9 billion 1 billion 793 million

300 million