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Judaism, Christianity and Islam

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History Founded by Abram in 1800 BCE in Ur in Mesopotamia Believed in one god Made a covenant with God Abram and his wife Sarai would move to Canaan, which they called the promised land (Israel). Changed their names to Abraham and Sarah. They would remain faithful to God (Yahweh). All male descendants would be circumcised. Many years later had a son name Isaac. All of the people descended from Abraham through his son Isaac are known as Jews.

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History cont Around 1300 BCE they moved to Egypt in search of food Became slaves to the Pharaoh Freed by Moses Story told in the book of Exodus in the Bible Settled in Jerusalem and built a temple to worship Yahweh Destroyed by Romans in 60 DestroyedRomans in 60 Built many synagogues throughout the Middle East and the world

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History cont First Jewish congregation in America in 1650 During WWII,over 6 million Jews killed Movement called Zionism began in the late 19 th century Encouraged Jews to return to the Promised Land

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Beliefs One God, the biblical Yahweh Emphasize the laws given in the covenants In the United States three main movements Orthodox Jews Hebrew Bible Reform Jews covenant with Yahweh Conservative Jews elements of both

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Concept of God First religion to believe that there is one God who create the universe and continues to control it Jews do not attempt to convert others to their beliefs Welcome outsiders who wish to become Jewish

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Judaism JUDAISM is a religion of just one people: the Jews. JUDAISM was the first to teach belief in only one God. Two other important religions developed from Judaism: Christianity and Islam.

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Judaism Jews think that God will send a Messiah (a deliverer) to unite them and lead them in His way. Christians believe that Jesus was the Messiah. The Jewish people do not agree; they anticipate His arrival in the future. Judaism teaches that death is not the end and that there is a world to come.

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Sacred Writings Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) First five books often attributed Moses as the author Torah Talmud: Mishnah and the Germara Siddur prayer book

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Symbolism Star of David Shema Passage from the Torah begins Hear, O Israel, and continues by telling the people to keep God constant in their minds and hearts, and to write it on the doorposts of their homes. Mezuzah shema placed inside a container and nailed to the doorpost Tefellin small boxes or pouches tallit, or prayer shawl, and a yamulke.

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Worship/Sacred Space Home or the synagogue Prayer three times a day At least ten Jewish men must gather for worship Service consists of the shema, blessings, readings from the Torah and prayers. The Torah in the synagogue is kept in a cabinet called an ark, a candle called the Eternal Light burns in front Read from a platform called a bimah. Worship is led by a rabbi, assisted by a gabbai. Singing by a cantor.

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Worship cont Orthodox worship is in Hebrew Women sit apart from men Reform Jews sit together Sabbath is the weekly remembrance that God rested from creation on the 7 th day. The Jewish Sabbath begins at sunset on Friday night and continues until sunset on Saturday. Day of rest, begins with a simple meal, then worship on Friday night and/or Saturday morning. 8 days after birth a baby boy is circumcised, brit milah, and given his name A baby girl receives her name during blessing at the synagogue

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Worship cont At 13 Bar mitzvah Jewish boy becomes an adult, reads from the Torah and often leads the whole service. Bat mitzvah Reform movement for girls Bat hayil- Othodox movement

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Jewish Philosophy God is one and unique God is the creator God is transcendent God is immanent. God is lawgiver God is personal We have the obligation to worship The Torah is God's law God is judge The Messiah will come.

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Holidays/Festivals Rosh Hashanah Jewish New Year Yom Kippur Day of Atonement Pesach (Passover) spring holiday Shavuot (Pentecost) summer festival Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles ) fall harvest festival Hanukkah (Feast of Lights) - December

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Membership 13-14 million in the world Half in North America Five million in Israel and the Middle East Others in Europe, Russia, Africa and South America

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History Followers of Jesus of Nazareth (a town in what is now northern Israel) Born to a young girl named Mary who was engaged to a man named Joseph Many Christians believe that Mary was a virgin when Jesus was born, and that God was his father. Jesus traveled telling stories and curing ailments He gained a following and thousands flocked to hear Him. He chose twelve apostles to carry on His message.

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History cont When he was about 33 years old he was sentenced to death by hanging on a cross. Authorities saw Him as a threat to their political power Christians believe that after three days in the tomb Jesus was resurrected and appeared to his followers many times before finally leaving earth for heaven. Jesus followers banded together and began telling his story, they were called Christians, from the Greek word Christos, Hebrew for Messiah which means anointed one.

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Early Christians Had to meet in secret Persecuted by the Romans Changed in the 4 th century when Emperor Constantine made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire Spread through Europe and parts of Africa and the Middle East The Christian church became known as the Roman Catholic Church Church and government leaders controlled the empire In 1054 churches in Greece and areas east split and formed the Eastern Orthodox Church During the Protestant Reformation more denominations formed such as Lutheranism, Anabaptists, Anglicans, and many more later on. Today Christianity is the worlds largest religion.

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Beliefs All Christians honor Jesus and most believe that faith in His death a resurrection saves a person from the consequences of sin and gives them eternal life.

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Concept of God Most believe in the concept of the trinity: A supreme God, who came to earth in the person of Jesus Christ and is active in the world as the Holy Spirit

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Sacred Writings The Bible Written over a period of several centuries Tells the story of the Jewish people before Jesus, of Jesus life and death, and of the early Christian church started by Jesus followers. Historic Christian documents such as the Apostles Creed and the Nicene Creed

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Symbols The cross The crucifix

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Worship/Sacred Space Church buildings Services vary from denomination to denomination Most include prayers, songs, readings from the Bible, and a sermon or talk by a clergyperson or a lay person. One prayer in common in the Lords Prayer Most believe in baptism, some form of the Lords Supper, and Communion. Holy Days Christmas, Easter

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Christian Philosophy Sin and Evil are realities in our existence. The Bible is the Holy Book that records God's revelation. All believers are promised life everlasting. The leader of Christianity was Jesus, and the followers was his 12 disciples.

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History Islam means submission to God in Arabic Person who follows Islam is called a Muslim, which means a person who submits Trace heritage back to the Old Testament Ishmael, the son of the Hebrew prophet Abraham, lived in the city of Mecca. Many Arabs visited the city of Mecca to visit the many statues of gods that were kept there. Muhammad (born about 570) was one of the merchants but was uncomfortable with the worship of idols.

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Muhammad Began to spend time alone praying When he was about 40, he heard a voice telling him to recite the words of Allah (God) For the next 20 years he heard this voice It told him there was only one God called Allah Muhammad became a prophet and gained a small group of followers He moved to Medina in 622 This trip is called the Hegira, and it marks the beginning of the Islamic calendar The people were open to his message and his new religion flourished The first mosque was built in Medina

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Return to Mecca Muhammad and his followers returned and took Mecca by force The took the city and destroyed the idols The turned the shrine of the idols, called the Kaaba, into a mosque By the time of his death in 632, Islam had spread through Arabia

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After Muhammads Death Sunnis Most qualified leader should be chosen Sunna means traditions of the prophet Chose a man, Abu Bakr, called a caliph Shiites Muhammads nearest relative, his cousin Ali, should succeed him. Shiite means followers of the party of Ali In 680 the Shiites formed a separate group (about 20% today)

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Beliefs Allah sent a series of prophets to the world Noah, Abraham, and Jesus Each shared some of Allahs message but wasnt complete until Muhammad, considered to be the final prophet

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Five Pillars of Islam Shahada- declaration of faith There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his Prophet and Messenger Salat daily prayer five times (dawn, noon, mid-afternoon, sunset and bedtime), all activities of daily living stop Zakat- charitable giving 2.5% income to those in need Sawm fasting Ramadan during this month adults do not eat during daylight hours Hajj- Travel to Mecca at least once in a lifetime during the pilgrimage month Dhu-I-Hijja

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Concept of God Believe in one God called Allah 99 names describing the character of Allah Has a hundredth name which is not revealed Indicating that Allah has a dimension that is unknowable

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Sacred Writings Koran means recitation Considered to be the word of Allah Includes stories from Jewish and Christian scriptures Written in Arabic and still studied in only that languauge Touched by only those who have performed a ritual washing Kept in a special place, wrapped in a cloth and nothing is allowed to rest on top of the Koran

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Symbols Since the 15 th century the symbol has been the crescent moon and star New moon represents the new birth that takes place at the beginning of each month of the Islamic calendar The star represents the guidance of Allah Forbids the use of human or animal figures or pictures in their mosques

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Worship/Sacred Space Pray five times a day Usually carry a prayer rug Pray facing Mecca, reciting passages from the Koran, accompanied by standing, bowing, kneeling and prostrating Muslims gather in mosques for community prayers Prayers led by an imam, who is not a priest but is a leader in the local Muslim community

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Islamic Philosophy Muslims learn that life on earth is a period of testing and preparation for the life to come. Angels record good and bad deeds. People should behave themselves and help others, trusting in Allah's justice and mercy for their reward.

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Holidays/Festivals Calendar has twelve lunar months, 354 days Holidays occur during different seasons depending on the year Most sacred place is Kaaba, a shrine in the center of Mecca Muslims believe it was built by Adam and later rebuilt by Abraham and his son, Ishmael

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Hajj Pilgrimage Muslims walk seven times around the Kaaba touching or kissing the Black Stone as they pass They participate in the Feast of Sacrifice They also run back and forth between two hills, imitating Hagar, one of the wives of Abraham, who ran back and forth looking for water Other important days Ramadan, Festival of Ashura, and the birthday of Muhhammad

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Top Ten Organized Religions of the World Statistics of the world's religions are only very rough approximations. Aside from Christianity, few religions, if any, attempt to keep statistical records; and even Protestants and Catholics employ different methods of counting members. Christianity 2.1 billion 33.0% Islam 1.5 billion 21% Hinduism 900 million14% Buddhism 376 million 6% Sikhism 23 million 0.36% Judaism 14 million 0.22% Bahaism 7 million 0.1% Confucianism 6.3 million 0.1% Jainism 4.2 million 0.1% Shintoism 4 million 0.0%