Five Major World Religions

1. Five Major World Religions

2. Judaism • Overview • Developed in the eastern Mediterranean region • Migration of Jews to other parts of the world is known as Diaspora • Many Jews forced into slavery during the Babylonian exile in 586 B.C.E

3. Overview • Jews were dispersed throughout the Mediterranean lands of the Roman empire later moving through much of Europe, North Africa, and Arabia • The Holocaust in Europe during WWII forced many Jews to flee to the United States • In 1948 the State of Israel was created and further migration to the area was encouraged

4. Sacred Items • Sacred site: Jerusalem • Sacred Text: The Torah • Sacred Symbol: The Star of David • Important Days: Passover, in spring; Rosh Ha-shanah and Yom Kippur in autumn, and Hanukkah, in late autumn or winter

5. Hinduism • Overview • Hinduism began to develop about 4,000 years ago in the Indian subcontinent • Today Hinduism is the main religion of India and is closely tied to India’s history and culture • Hinduism has no founder, no clear beginning, and no central authority, hierarchy, or organization

6. Overview • Hinduism is polytheistic, worshiping many gods that range from local deities to pan-Indian gods or even a single high God • There is no single belief that unites all followers of the religion • However most do believe in the sanctity of the ancient religious writings known as the Vedas and in an eternal and infinite source of reality called Brahman • Other common beliefs include ahimsa-non injury to living things- and samsara- a continuous cycle of rebirth

7. Sacred Items • Sacred sites: Ganges River and the city of Varanas • Sacred Text: The Vedas, BhagavadGita • Sacred Creature: The Cow • Important Days: Festival of Holi, in spring; Diwali, or Deepavali (Festival of Lights) in Autumn

8. Buddhism • Overview • Originated about 2,500 years ago in the foothills of the Himalayas • The Buddha sent monks to preach the faith to others • During Buddha’s lifetime the new religion spread throughout northern India • Based on the Four Noble Truths

9. First Noble Truth • life is suffering i.e., life includes pain, getting old, disease, and ultimately death. We also endure psychological suffering like loneliness frustration, fear, embarrassment, disappointment and anger. This is an irrefutable fact that cannot be denied. It is realistic rather than pessimistic because pessimism is expecting things to be bad; instead, Buddhism explains how suffering can be avoided and how we can be truly happy.

10. Second Noble Truth • The second truth is that suffering is caused by craving and aversion. We will suffer if we expect other people to conform to our expectation, if we want others to like us, if we do not get something we want, etc. In other words, getting what you want does not guarantee happiness. Rather than constantly struggling to get what you want, try to modify your wanting. Wanting deprives us of contentment and happiness. A lifetime of wanting and craving and especially the craving to continue to exist, creates a powerful energy which causes the individual to be born. So craving leads to physical suffering because it causes us to be reborn.

11. Third Noble Truth • The third truth is that suffering can be overcome and happiness can be attained; that true happiness and contentment are possible. lf we give up useless craving and learn to live each day at a time (not dwelling in the past or the imagined future) then we can become happy and free. We then have more time and energy to help others. This is Nirvana.

12. Fourth Noble Truth • The fourth truth is that the Noble 8-fold Path is the path which leads to the end of suffering. • In summary, the Noble 8-fold Path is being moral (through what we say, do and our livelihood), focusing the mind on being fully aware of our thoughts and actions, and developing wisdom by understanding the Four Noble Truths and by developing compassion for others.

13. Overview • In the 200s B.C.E missionaries and traders introduced Buddhism to Sri Lanka, China, Korea, Japan, Southeast Asia, Tibet and Mongolia • To many, Buddhism goes beyond religion and is more of a philosophy or 'way of life'. It is a philosophy because philosophy 'means love of wisdom' and the Buddhist path can be summed up as: • (1) to lead a moral life,(2) to be mindful and aware of thoughts and actions, and(3) to develop wisdom and understandi

14. Sacred Items • Sacred Site: Bodhgaya • Sacred Text: The Pali Canon • Sacred Objects: Statues of Buddha • Important Days: Buddha Day, celebrated at the full moon in May

15. Confucianism • Overview • China’s most famous and influential teacher and philosopher • His views were how to live a moral and proper life • Three dimensions of the human condition--the self, community, and tradition--are expressed in Confucian spirituality. • Followers of Confucianism is that all people have the ability to learn and improve themselves • " The fundamental concern of the Confucian tradition is learning to be human." • TuWei-ming.

16. Overview • Confucius wanted to make education widely available • He helped establish teaching as a profession and a way of life • Confucianism does not contain all of the elements of some other religions, like Christianity and Islam. It is primarily an ethical system to which rituals at important times during one's lifetime have been added.

17. Values • Li: includes ritual, propriety, etiquette, etc. • Hsiao: love within the family: love of parents for their children and of children for their parents • Yi: righteousness • Xin: honesty and trustworthiness • Jen: benevolence, humaneness towards others; the highest Confucian virtue • Chung: loyalty to the state, etc.

18. Sacred Items • Sacred Text: The Analects • Sacred Symbol: Yin-Yang • Sacred Site: Confucian Temple • Important Days: Teacher’s Day in August or September

19. Islam • Overview • The Five Pillars of Islam provide Muslims with the basics for living a proper and moral life • The Five Pillars are important symbolic acts of faith • Monotheism is the central theme of Islam—a belief in only one God, Allah, who is omnipotent. According to Islam, God has four fundamental functions: creation, sustenance, guidance, and judgment. The overall purpose of humanity is to serve Allah, to worship him alone and to construct a moral lifestyle.

20. First Pillar • A profession of faith demonstrated by the statement “There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is His messenger”

21. Second Pillar • Daily Prayer- All Muslims must face toward Mecca to Pray • Muslims observe five formal prayers each day. The timings of these prayers are spaced fairly evenly throughout the day • Fajr (pre-dawn) • Dhuhr (noon) • 'Asr (afternoon) • Maghrib (sunset) • 'Isha (evening)

22. Third Pillar • Concern for and almsgiving to the needy; • Giving charity to the poor

23. Fourth Pillar • Self-purification through fasting • Fasting during the month of Ramadan is a demanding physical exercise. This practice binds members of the Muslim community together and symbolizes the importance of spiritual matters over the physical demands of the body

24. Fifth Pillar • The pilgrimage to Mecca for those who are able.

25. Sacred items • Sacred text: Qur’an • Sacred Sites: Mecca (Makkah), Al-Madinah, Jerusalem • Important days: Fast of Ramadan, during the entire ninth month of the Islamic year, Id al-Fitr, at the end of Ramadan; and ‘Id al-Adha, at the end of hajj in the twelfth lunar month

26. Christianity • Overview • The worlds largest religion, both in number of followers and by area • More than 1.8 billion people are Christian, roughly one third of the world’s population • Christianity is the dominant religion in most of North and South America, Europe and Russia, Australia and New Zealand, the Philippines, and many parts of sub-Saharan Africa

27. Overview • Fragmented into many separate denominations with different religious hierarchies and practices • In the U.S there are hundreds of different Christian groups. • Some major regional patterns include Baptist and other conservative denominations in the South; Lutherans in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and the Dakotas; Mormons in Utah; and Roman Catholics in southern Louisiana, the Southwest, Northeast, and Sacred Heart High School

28. Basic Beliefs • Reference Handout

29. Sacred Items • Sacred Text: The Bible • Sacred Sites: Bethlehem and Jerusalem • Sacred Symbol: Cross