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World Religions. How many people are…?. Christian. Worship or follow Jesus Christ (what’s the difference) Three main groups: Catholic, Protestant, and Mormon (though this is controversial). Brief History of Christianity (YIKES!).
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Christian • Worship or follow Jesus Christ (what’s the difference) • Three main groups: Catholic, Protestant, and Mormon (though this is controversial)
Brief History of Christianity (YIKES!) • Jesus was a Jew who was seeking a purer practice of Judaism (O AD) • Jesus is identified as a threat to the power structure and crucified (33 AD) • Followers of Jesus meet in house churches for centuries-Christianity a disorganized, minority and in the end, illegal, religion • Paul organizes a bunch of churches • 323 the Roman Emperor Constantine becomes Christian
Brief History of Christianity continued… • Council of Nicea • 450 years of “creeds” • 1054 Western church (Roman Catholic) separates from Eastern (Eastern Orthodox) • 1517 Martin Luther and his 95 theses and the emergence of Protestantism
Theological differences in Christianity • Main theological differences: • Nature of God • Divinity of Jesus • Nature of religious leadership (ecclesiological) • Understanding of the Bible and its role (bibliogical)
Islam • Based on the teachings of Muhammad who “received” the Koran • Five pillars: • Profession of faith in Allah • Prayer five times a day • Ramadan • Pilgrimage to Mecca • -Giving 2.5% to the poor
A brief history of Islam… • 610 AD Muhammad receives the Koran in Saudi Arabia • 622 Muhammad establishes the Islamic state • 632 Muhammad dies leaving no apparent heir • Caliphs oversee expansion of Islamic state • Sunni (Muhammad’s friend) versus Shiite (Muhammad’s cousin)
The Unaffiliated • One in six people do not have a religious affiliation, which makes it the third largest religious group world-wide • Many unaffiliated have some religious beliefs without being specifically oriented to a particular religion • 62% of the unaffiliated live in China and 52% of the Chinese population is unaffiliated (700 million) • Japan has the second highest number (72 million or 57% of the population • U.S. the third highest (51 million or 16.4% of population)
Hinduism • Local and varied • Defined by colonial intruders • Way of life and eternal “duties” • Hindu modernism and Innate divinity
Buddhism • Siddhartha, the prince (Between 6th and 4th centuries BCE) • A little too much denial • Buddha and the Bodhi tree and the middle way • Dukkha: • Death • Change • Disappointment • Therveda and Mahayana • The Eight Fold Path
Judaism • Abraham and the chosen people • The meaning of the fallen temple • Ethnoreligiosity • The role of the Rabbis • History of persecution • Hasidic, Orthodox, Reform