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World Religions

World Religions. Religion Defined. "Religion is any specific system of belief about a deity or deities, often involving rituals, a code of ethics and a philosophy of life.". Major World Religions. Judaism Christianity Buddhism Islam Hinduism Confucianism And more…. Major World Religions.

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World Religions

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  1. World Religions

  2. Religion Defined • "Religion is any specific system of belief about a deity or deities, often involving rituals, a code of ethics and a philosophy of life."

  3. Major World Religions • Judaism • Christianity • Buddhism • Islam • Hinduism • Confucianism • And more…

  4. Major World Religions

  5. We will discuss the following about each religion: • Origins • Founder • Date • World Area Today • Texts / Major Documents • Major Beliefs • Ceremonies / Rituals • Branches

  6. Origins Founder Date World Area Texts/ Major Docs. Major Beliefs Ceremonies / Rituals Branches Indian Sub-continent No one person Pre-historic times (oldest religion) Indian sub-continent Vedas, Upanishads, Epics (henotheistic) Brahman= universal soul (Gods= aspects of Brahman, ex= Shiva, Vishnu, Brahma, Ganesha) reincarnation, karma, dharma, caste system, yoga Center on birth, marriage, death, pilgrimages to sacred sites (Ganges) Different “cults” related to specific deities Hinduism

  7. Brahma- the Creator • He has four heads representing the four vedas which are said to have sprung from his heads. • In his four arms he holds the vedas, the kamandalam (water pot), suruva (sacrificial spoon) & a mala (rosary). • Vishnu- the Sustainer/ Preserver • Usually represented as a beautiful blue adolescent • 4 hands: carrying a conch, a discus, a mass of arms and a lotus flower • Siva/ Shiva- the Destroyer • Portrayed in numerous ways • Anthropomorphically- 4 arms holding a tambourine and a trident, and making gestures of giving and reassuring • Third eye in the center of his forehead • Ganesha- the Remover of Obstacles • Son of Shiva and Parvathi • He has an elephant head, with one broken tusk and 4 arms

  8. Origins Founder Date World Area Texts/ Major Docs. Major Beliefs Ceremonies / Rituals Branches Indian Sub-continent Siddhartha Gautama 4th or 5th cent. BCE E. Asia Tripitaka and other scriptures Buddha as deity or teacher, 4 Noble Truths, Eightfold Path, follow the Middle Way to achieve nirvana, reincarnation Depends upon the branch, New Year’s, anniversaries from life of Buddha Theravada, Mahayana, Zen, Tantric Buddhism

  9. Mantras- • Chanted phrases to help one meditate and contemplate the universe • Om Mani Padme Hu • ‘Hail to the Jewel of the Lotus' • Om (or Aum) predates Buddhism: the symbolic word for the infinite, the perfect, the eternal • “This entire universe, including our body, mind and senses, is it's manifestation, extension and expansion. Past, present and future all are nothing but OM. This was true in the past, it is true in the present and it will be true in the future. And whatever else exists beyond the three divisions of time, that is also indeed OM.”

  10. Origins Founder Date World Area Texts/ Major Docs. Major Beliefs Ceremonies / Rituals China K’ung Fu-tzu 551-479 BCE Eastern Asia (although officially ended in 1911) Analects of Confucius (4 Books), 5 Classics Cultivating virtue, jen (humantarian attitude), li (proper relationships, ex. 6 relationships), value of education, proper behavior (often blended with Taoism or Buddhism), ancestor worship 4 life passages (birth, maturity, marriage, death) Confucianism

  11. The 6 relationships: • Parent: children • Husband : wife • Older brother: younger brother • Ruler: subject • Teacher: Student • Friend: Friend • Cardinal virtue: jen (or ren) translated as "love," "goodness," "humanity," and "human-heartedness." • Golden Rule: Do not do to others what you do not want done to yourself .

  12. Taoism • Origins • Founder • Date • World Area • Texts/ Major Docs. • Major Beliefs • Ceremonies / Rituals • China: • Lao-Tse (Laozi) • 4th century BCE • China, Taiwan (Eastern Asia) • Tao Te Ching (Daodejing) • Tao = the Way, Develop virtue (3 Jewels), nurture Ch’i, cyclical time, become one with the Tao, “wu wei”- don’t fight the natural course of things • Faith healing, monasticism, pilgrimages, Chinese New Year’s Eve

  13. "Be still like a mountain and flow like a great river." Lao Tse • Tai Ch’I • Yin/ Yang: Yin, the darker element, is passive, dark, feminine, downward-seeking, and corresponds to the night; yang, the brighter element, is active, light, masculine, upward-seeking and corresponds to the day. • Sun Tzu- The Art of War • Exemplifies both Taoist and Confucian principles • Feng Shui The Taoist Sage

  14. Origins Founder Date World Area Texts/ Major Docs. Major Beliefs Ceremonies / Rituals Branches Fertile Crescent Abraham 20th cent. BCE (?) Israel, United States Tanakh, (Torah, Nevi’im, Ketuvim), Talmud Yahweh, Covenant = Chosen People, Kosher, Sabbath= Saturday, circumcision, afterlife = Paradise, waiting for Messiah Bar and Bat Mtzvahs, holidays center on historical events or theology Orthodox, Conservative, Reform Judaism

  15. Menorah- 9 candle lamp symbolizing the miracle of not running out of sacred oil during a time of oppression • Chanukah – NOT one of the major holidays of the Jewish tradition- Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Passover much more important • Star of David- relatively new as Jewish symbol (17th century), became the emblem of the 19th century Zionists, later misappropriated by the Nazis • Mezuzah- small case on the door of a Jewish home as a constant reminder of G_d’s presence.

  16. Origins Founder Date World Area Texts/ Major Docs. Major Beliefs Ceremonies / Rituals Branches Fertile Crescent Jesus of Nazareth AD (CE) 30 North and South America, Europe, Russia Bible (Old and New Testament) Jesus = Messiah, Trinity (Father, Son, Holy Spirit), Resurrection after death, Faith as transformer, Sabbath = Sunday, afterlife= Heaven, Hell or Purgatory Sacraments (7 or less, depending on denomination), Various holy days through year Catholic, E. Orthodox, Protestant Christianity

  17. Philosophy of Sin and redemption • Major differences between the branches: • Catholic- Pope and priests interpret the religion for the people, saints intercede on people’s behalf, 7 sacraments, celibate • Eastern Orthodox- all bishops are equal, holy relics are concealed from the people, 7 sacraments • Protestant- Pope is not the head of the church, preacher may still interpret the religion, but the people have a personal relationship with their God, less than 7 sacraments

  18. Origins Founder Date World Area Texts/ Major Docs. Major Beliefs Ceremonies / Rituals Branches Arabia (Fertile Crescent) Muhammad 622 CE Middle East, Northern half of Africa, Indonesia, Central Asia, South Asia Qur’an, hadith “There is no god but Allah”, 5 pillars of Islam, pilgrimage to Mecca, worship day = Friday, jihad (personal struggle) Muslim New Year’s, anniversaries of life of Muhammad, Ramadan, etc. Sunni, Shi’a, Sufi Islam

  19. 5 Pillars of Islam 1. To proclaim that there is none worthy of worship save Allah and that Muhammad is His messenger.2. To observe Prayer (Salat).3. To Pay Zakat (Alms giving)4. To perform the Pilgrimage to the House of Allah (Hajj).5. To Observe fasting during Ramadhan. (Bukhari) • Branches • Sunni • Caliph may be any righteous Muslim • Shi’a • Caliph = descendent from Muhammad • Sufi • mystics, ascetics, “monks”

  20. Sikhism • Origins • Founder • Date • World Area • Texts/ Major Docs. • Major Beliefs • Ceremonies / Rituals • Branches? • Punjab area (Pakistan) • Shri Guru Nanak Dev Ji • 1469-1538 • mainly South Asia, UK, US • Shri Guru Granth and Dasam Granth • Strict monotheism, Leaders = Gurus, Syncretic?, reincarnation, equality of all, God is mother/ father, reject caste system, “blind rituals”, monasticism and idol worship • Times of life, lives of the gurus, reading the scriptures, Diwali • Sikhs and “non-practicing” Sikhs

  21. Who is a Sikh? • "Any human being who faithfully believes in(i) One Immortal Being,(ii) Ten Gurus, from Guru Nanak Dev to Guru Gobind Singh,(iii) The Guru Granth Sahib,(iv) The utterances and teachings of the ten Gurus and(v) the baptism bequeathed by the tenth Guru, and who does not owe allegiance to any other religion, is a Sikh." • The Five K's: These are clothing practices followed by stricter Sikhs, called Khalsa saints: • Kesa (long hair, which is never cut) • Kangah (comb) • Kacha (short pants) • Kara (metal bracelet) • Kirpan (a ceremonial dagger)

  22. Shintoism • Origins • Founder • Date • World Area • Texts/ Major Docs. • Major Beliefs • Ceremonies / Rituals • Japan • Founder = Yamato Clan (?) • 500 BCE • Japan • No major texts • Shin tao (the way of the gods) • Benign Kami (deities) in natural objects and features, guardians, ethical code of Confucianism, ancestor worship, 4 Affirmations, pacifism • Sacred natural spaces, shrine ceremonies of cleaning, seasonal celebrations

  23. "Four Affirmations": • Tradition and the family: The family is seen as the main mechanism by which traditions are preserved. Their main celebrations relate to birth and marriage. • Love of nature: Nature is sacred; to be in contact with nature is to be close to the Gods. Natural objects are worshipped as sacred spirits. • Physical cleanliness: Followers of Shinto take baths, wash their hands, and rinse out their mouth often. • "Matsuri": The worship and honor given to the Kami and ancestral spirits.

  24. Cultural Landscape of religion • Hinduism • frequent festivals and feasts, countless shrines and temples, holy animals, distinctive garb • Buddhism • Pagodas, sculptural images of Buddha, bell shaped structures over burial mounds • Judaism • Distinctive manner of dress (Orthodox), Hebrew language, cemeteries • Christianity • Cathedrals, most churches have steeples, some have bells, public festivals and rituals, Holy days, cemeteries • Islam • Manner of dress- especially women, public festivals, rituals, Holy days, mosques, minarets, public loudspeakers for prayer

  25. Religion and conflict • Fundamentalism • Often linked to extremism (especially with exclusive religious ideas) and far right wing politics • Liberation theology • Willingness to link religion and political struggles for freedom and equality- thus friction with government (Catholics and Buddhists) • Boundaries • Interfaith • When religious boundaries of sharply defined geographic areas • Africa- Islamic north, Christian or Animist south • South Asia- Kashmir • Intrafaith • Between sects of a religion • Iran-Iraq • Northern Ireland • Switzerland

  26. Photo Credits • AP Photo Archive • ABC-CLIO Map Credits • World Civilizations: The Global Experience; Peter Stearns Works cited • http://www.religioustolerance.org • http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0113529.html

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