Christianity

1. God: *Trinity- 3 parts; God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit (God’s presence on Earth) *Christians believe Jesus is human and “divine” or God-like Practices and Rituals: *sacraments- sacred ceremonies when Christians experience the Holy Spirit; examples- baptism- intro to Christianity, recreates Jesus’ baptism; communion- Lord’s Supper, recreates breaking of bread and sharing of wine before his death *All sects practice communion and baptism *7 other sacraments- not all sects practice them Holy Book: *Bible- has 2 parts, Old Testament and New Testament *Has been translated into many languages Christianity Key Beliefs: *Based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, A.K.A. Jesus Christ *Goal- to reach salvation, or eternal (never-ending) life of one’s soul with God in Heaven *If you sin and are not sorry, you will suffer eternally in hell *Achieving salvation- 1. following Jesus' teachings about living a moral life; 2. participate in the sacraments Worship Services: *ministers- specially trained to carry out Christian teachings/ceremonies *Ministers lead worship services in a church *Most important services usually on Sunday *Experience sacraments, recite basic beliefs, pray and read from Bible *Minister gives a sermon, or religious speech about a Bible reading Religion Sects: *Roman Catholic *Orthodox *Protestant *All believe Jerusalem is the holiest city- where Jesus died and rose from the dead

2. God: *God of Abraham- Allah *Believe that God made an agreement with Abraham that his descendents would be God’s chosen people in return for their faith and obedience Holy Book: *Koran- has been translated into many languages, but is only used for religious purposes when it is in Arabic *Includes revelations, teachings made by God to Muhammad *It outlines the goal of Islam Practices and Rituals: *5 Pillars- shahada, salat, zakat, Siyam, hajj *Prayers on Friday at noon *Cannot eat pork or drink alcohol Islam Key Beliefs: *Goal of Islam- living according to God’s guidance, which is rewarded with salvation, or eternal life in paradise with God *Achieve salvation- participate in 5 Pillars, practices; 1. shahda- public recitation of faith; 2. salat- prayer, pray 5 times/day, specific times, always facing Mecca; 3. zakat- giving to the needy, 2.5% of wealth to charity; 4. Siyam- fasting, no food or drink from dawn to dusk; 5. hajj- journey to Mecca once in their life Worship Services: *Mosque- holy building for Muslims *Prayers- Friday at noon, most important day *imam- prayer leader, leads prayers, reads from Koran, gives religious speech, or sermon *imam- selected by Muslims for their good character and their religious knowledge Religion Sects: *Sunni *Shi’I *Share most beliefs except the issue of leadership in the Muslim community

3. Holy Book: *TeNaKh- written in Hebrew, sacred language of Judaism *3 parts- Torah- stories of ancient Hebrews and Hebrew law; Nevi’- history of Hebrew messengers of God’s word; Ketuvim- psalms or prayers written in song or poem form *Torah most important part because it is the Law of God *Torah has 613 commandments- tell Jews how to worship and live a moral life God: *The God of Abraham, called Adonai *Believe that Abraham made an agreement with God that Abraham and his descendents would be God’s chosen people in return for their faith and obedience Practices and Rituals: *Friday evening to Saturday evening Jews must rest and pray *Shabbat begins with a traditional family meal; breaking of bread, challah, and sharing wine *Friday evening and Saturday morning Jews pray at a synagogue Judaism Key Beliefs: *Live a good life according to laws of Torah *Pass of Jewish traditions to their family *Sabbath Day- Shabbat, Jews must keep this day holy *Yom Kippur- holiday when Jews fast; being sorry for bad acts *Give to the needy to create justice in the world *Can only eat kosher foods, the cleanliness of food preparation *Non-kosher foods called tref- pork, shellfish, meat prepared with dairy products Worship Services: *Synagogue- holy building *Rabbi- holy teacher, leads worship service *Rabbi leads prayers and readings from TeNaKh *Saturday service- Rabbi gives a sermon, religious speech Religion Sects: *Orthodox *Conservative *Reformed *All special reverence for Jerusalem-sacred city of prophets

4. Holy Book: *No 1 holy book- many sacred writings *Holiest writings- Vedas- collection of hymns, prayers, and magic spells *Epics- long poems containing Hindu ideas; stories about many Aryan heroes *Mahabharata- longest poem ever written; how the soul can reach God through good deeds *Ramayana- epic that teaches love and devotion between husbands and wives God: *Worship 1 god or many gods *Braham- god believed to have created the universe by some families *Vishnu- preserver of the universe; god that is a different form of Braham*Siva- destroyer of ignorance and evil Practices and Rituals: *Pilgrimages- journeys to temples in holy cities; Benares along the Ganges River *Caste system- social class; determines what kind of job a person will have Key Beliefs: *Believes the soul goes to heaven or hell depending on how the person lived their life on earth *Believe when the body dies the soul goes into another living thing, human being or animal; reincarnation-AKA samsara *Soul keeps being reborn until moksha- soul united with Braham *Karma- how a soul will be reborn in the next life; lives a good life- reborn into higher form; lives bad life- reborn into lower form *Dharma- tells how to live life properly; set of rules Hindu must folow *Cows are sacred- Do not eat beef Hinduism Worship Services: *Worship in homes; wealthy have a special room to worship *Religious ceremonies, weddings, etc take place in homes *Many temples devoted to gods *Hindus worship as individuals Religion Sects: *Caste system- social class; determines what kind of job a person will have *1. Brahams- priests; 2. Kshatriyas- warriors and rulers; 3. Vaishyas- professionals, merchants, landowning farmers; 4. Shudras- servants *Untouchables/Outcastes- do not belong to a caste; did jobs no other Hindus would like to do