Spread of Belief Systems

1. Spread of Belief Systems

2. -Major Belief Systems. -Animism. -Every living and nonliving thing has a spirit. -Part of the belief system of many early people. -Some people combined Animism with respect for ancestors. -Sprits of deceased people could affect live in positive and negative ways. -Praying to ancestors and offering them gifts was seen as a way to influence

3. -Hinduism. -Has no single founder and the religion has developed for over 3,500 years. -Universal Spirit. -Brahman. – one unifying spirit. -Too complex for humans to understand so Hindu’s worship gods to give a concrete form to Brahman. -Brahma the Creator. -Vishnu the Preserver. -Shiva the Destroyer.

4. -Reincarnation. -As people free themselves from selfish desires they gain unity with Brahman – this cannot be achieved within one lifetime. -Belief in the process for reincarnation allows people to continue their work in finding Brahman. -If people live a good life they are born into higher levels of existence every time.

5. -Karma and Dharma. -Karma – The way that a person lives that will affect his or her existence in the next lifetime. -Bad deeds cause a person to be reborn into a lower level. -Good deeds come from following dharma, the religious and moral duties that an individual is supposed to follow. -Age, gender, class and occupation all affect a person’s dharma.

6. -Castes. -Social groups which people are born into and cannot move from during their lifetime. -Brahmins – priests. -Kshatriyas – warriors. -Vaisyas – herders, farmers, artisans and merchants. -Sudras – farm workers and servants. -Untouchables.

7. -Sacred Texts. -Vedas – collections of prayers and sacred verses. -Upanishads – philosophical dialogues about Hindu beliefs.

8. -Buddhism. -Founded by Siddhartha Gautama who was born a Hindu is the 500s B.C.. -The Enlightened One. -Buddha – what Siddhartha Gautama was known as after he found the answer to the meaning of human suffering. -The Four Noble Truths. -All life is suffering. -Suffering is caused by desire for things that are illusions. -The way to eliminate suffering is to eliminate desire. -Following the Eightfold Path will help people overcome desire.

9. -The Eightfold Path. -Ultimate goal is nirvana. – Union with the universe and release of the cycle of death and rebirth. -Right views, right intentions, right spech,right conduct, right meditation, right mindfulness, right livelihood, right effort. -Comparison with Hinduism. -Reject the caste system, Hindu gods, rituals, priesthood. -Accepts karma, dharma, and Reincarnation and the idea of religious communities.

10. -Sacred Texts. -Teachings of Buddha are contained in the Tripitaka or “Three Baskets of Wisdom”. -Two Philosophies of China. -Confucianism. -Confucius born in 551 B.C. -Teachings are collected in The Analects. -Teachings taught people to accept their given place in society which depended on 5 key relationships. -Only relationships that are equal are friendships. -Every person had duties and responsibilities based on their relationships.

11. -Taoism. -People need to live in harmony with nature. -Founder was Laozi. -Tao is the way of the universe. -Belief in Yin and Yang. -Yin represents earth, darkness and female forces. -Yang represents heaven, light and male forces. -This two must be in harmony for there to be peace and well- being in the universe. -Taoist beliefs are collected in two works, The Way of Virtue believed to be written by Laozi and Zhiang-zi.

12. -Judaism. -Hebrews were one of the nomadic groups that inhabited the Fertile Crescent. -Hebrew tradition tells how the Hebrews were enslaved in Egypt and saved by God. -Kingdom of Israel was created around 1000 B.C. with Jerusalem as the capital. –The Hebrews believed that God had promised this land to them. -Hebrew beliefs have developed into what we know as modern day Judaism. -Belief in one God.

13. -Believed there is one god who is all-knowing, all-powerful and present everywhere. -God was the special protector of the Hebrew people. -Sacred Texts and Moral Teachings. -Torah is the sacred scripture of the Hebrews. -Here it is written that God made a binding agreement to be the God of the Hebrews. -God gave the Ten Commandments through Moses. -Torah is made up of five books and can be found in the Old Testament of the Bible. -Scriptures also include writings of prophets who had a strong code of ethics.

14. -Christianity. -Began in Palestine in A.D. 30 with the teachings of a Jew named Jesus. -Life and Death of Jesus. -Jesus’ mother Mary was told he was going to be the Messiah, or savior. -Jesus was arrested by the Romans in A.D. 29 and executed by crucifixion. -They feared he was dangerous. -He was believed to have risen from the grave.

15. -His followers continued to spread his teachings. -Teachings of Jesus. -Rooted in Jewish tradition but also contained many new ideas. -His followers believed he was the son of God and the savior that the Jews had been expecting. -Anyone who followed his teachings would gain salvation and eternal life.

16. -Jesus’ teachings included sympathy and mercy for those less fortunate and brotherhood and equality. -Sacred Texts. -Christian Bible. -Old Testament. – Contains Hebrew scriptures, books of law, poetry, history and writings of prophets. -New Testament . – contains the Gospels and letters written by Christians to explain teachings.

17. -Islam. -Life of Muhammad. -Muhammad was an Arab born in Mecca. -He was bothered by the idol worship of Arabs and was told by the angel Gabriel to spread the word of Islam. -Muhammad and his followers had to leave Mecca because people wanted to kill them for spreading their teachings. -Muhammad left Mecca for Medina on a hijra which was seen as a turning point in the because the religion began to grow.

18. -Muslim Beliefs. -Five Pillars of Islam. -One God, Allah who is all-powerful and compassionate. -Muslims must pray five times a day. -Muslims should give money to the poor. -During the holy month of Ramadan Muslims must fast from sunup to sundown. -Muslims must visit the holy city of Mecca once in their lives.

19. -Sacred Text. -Teachings of Islam are written in the Quran. -Quran provides a guide to life and is the final authority in all matters. -Sharia is a body of laws that cover all aspects of life and are used to unite Muslims of all backgrounds.

20. -Expansion of World Religions. -Spread of Buddhism. -Traders and missionaries spread Buddhism from India into many parts of Asia. -Buddhism saw a decline in India. -Spread of Judaism. -Romans expelled Jews from Palestine in A.D. 135 and wherever Jews settled they lived in close-knit communities and preserved their traditions.

21. -Spread of Christianity. -Spread through the work of Christian missionaries. -Romans persecuted Christians but continued to spread throughout the empire. -Poor and oppressed found comfort in the messages delivered by Jesus -Missionaries added Greek ideas that appealed to educated Romans. -In 313 people were awarded freedom of religion in the Roman Empire and later Christianity was made the official religion. -Trading networks and colonial settlement also spread the beliefs of Christianity.

22. -Spread of Islam. -Arab fighters spread Islam through military conquests. -Conquered people were treated in a fair way so people willingly converted to Islam. -Appeals to many people because of the teachings of honesty, social justice and generosity. -Trading was a noble occupation and Muslims built large trading empires.