World Religions -- OverviewOpener:

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

Jerusalem• Temple Mount

▫ From where Jews believe they will ascend to heaven when the Messiah arrives

• Dome of the Rock▫ Muslims believe this is

where Muhammad ascended to heaven

▫ Jews mark the same place as where Abraham offered his son for sacrifice to God

• Wailing Wall• Al-Aqsa Mosque