World Religions

World ReligionsBy: Lauren Swanson

World ReligionsOur world is full of thousands of religions. Each religion has their own beliefs and customs that they follow. Places all over shape everything around their religion because that is their way of life and what they believe.

Hinduism 900 million followersThree main Gods: Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva.Hinduism was not founded by one person, it was developed over thousands of years.There is no one holy book but they have books used in their religion called Vedas, and Puranas. Hinduism is lead by Guru, a holy man, or a Brahmin Priest.Basic Beliefs :The soul never dies and is continually rebornPersons achieve happiness an enlightenment after they free themselves from their earthly desires.Freedom from earthly desires come from a lifetime or worship, knowledge, and virtuous actions.

More About HinduismHoli - festival of colors and spring (February-March)Mahashivaratri (Shiva Ratri) - night sacred to Shiva (February-March)Rama Navami - birthday of Lord Rama (April)Krishna Jayanti - birthday of Lord Krishna (July-August)Raksbandhana - renewing bonds between brothers and sisters (July-August)Kumbh Mela - pilgrimage every 12 years to four cities in India (July-August; last one 2003)Ganesha-Chaturthi (Ganesha Utsava) - festival of Ganesh (August-September)Dassera - victory of Rama over demon king Ravana (September-October)Navaratri - festival of Shakti (in Bengal) or Rama's victory over Ravana (South India) (September-October)Diwali - festival of lights and Laksmi (September-October)

Hinduism is located mostly in India but also there are some in South America at the top.Buddhism 400 million followersThey do not teach deity in Buddhism The founder of Buddhism is Siddhartha GuatamaIn Buddhism there is no one holy book, but they have common text which is a book about itIt is lead by Buddist monks and nunsBasic BeliefsPersons achieve complete and happiness, known as Nirvana by elimination their attachment to worthy things. Nirvana is reached by following the noble Eightfold path-Right Views -Right Aspirations -Right Speech -Right Conduct -Right Livelihood -Right Endeavor -Right Mindfulness -Right Meditation

Buddhism is mostly practiced in Southeastern Asia but is also found all around the world in little percentages.

More about buddhismHolidays Vesak: Buddha's Birthday is known as Vesak and is one of the major festivals of the year. It is celebrated on the first full moon day in May, or the fourth lunar month which usually occurs in May or in June.Magha Puja: Magha Puja is an important religious festival celebrated by Buddhists in Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos on the full moon day of the third lunar month usually in March. .Buddha's Birthday: is celebrated April 8 and in Japan baby Buddha figurines are ceremonially washed with tea.Asalha Puja Day: celebrates the Buddha's first teaching on the full moon day of the 8th lunar month, approximately July.Uposatha: there are four holy days on the new moon, full moon, and quarter moon days every month. Kathina Ceremony: This robe offering ceremony, is held on any date within the end of the Vassa RetreatAbhidhamma Day: According to Burmese tradition, this day celebrates when the Buddha went to the Tushita Heaven to teach his mother the Abhidhamma. It happens in April.Songkran: This Thai festival goes on for three days during April during which people clean their houses and clothes and sprinkle perfumed water on the monks, novices, and each other. Loy Krathong: when water is plenty, this festival happens in parts of Thailand on the full moon night of the twelfth lunar month. Bowls made with leaves are placed in the water, and represent bad luck disappearing.

Judaism14 millionTheir deity is God (Yaweh)The founder of Judaism is AbrahamThe Judaism holy book is the Torah and the Hebrew Bible It is led by RabbisBasic Beliefs There is only one God, who watches and cares for his people.God loves and protects his people, but also holds people accountable for their sins and shortcomings.Persons serve God by studying the Torah and living by its teaching.

More about JudaismThe map on the left shows where Judaism is around the world. The darkest blue parts are where most jews are. Those dark blue spots are mostly in North America, Europe, and Austrailia

Jewish holidaysPesach or Passover-Passover celebrates God liberating the Israelites from Egyptian bondage and is probably the single most theologically important holiday in the Jewish calendar. The holiday lasts eight days, though some communities may celebrate only a week. Yom Ha-Shoah Holocaust Remembrance Day-Europeans commemorate the Holocaust on the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, Jan. 27, 1945, but the Israeli government wanted a date that would honor Jewish resistance to the Nazi genocide of World War II. Yom Ha-Atzmaut Israel Independence Day-The modern State of Israel formally declared independence from Great Britain on May 14, 1948. In order to make this political milestone into a religious holiday, Jews decided to tie the holiday to the Hebrew date, Iyar 5. Jews outside the Land of Israel also celebrate this as a holidayRosh Hashanah-A solemn holiday beginning the calendar year with repentance from sin and the hope of renewal. Yom Kippur-A fast day of prayer and collective confession. Sukkot-In ancient times when the Temple stood in Jerusalem, this was a pilgrimage holiday to celebrate the harvest. In our time it still coincides with the harvest. Simchat Torah-At the end of Sukkot, there is one more holiday to celebrate finishing the reading of the Torah scroll for the year and starting it over again. Hanukkah-Hanukkah is an 8-day holiday that commemorates the Jewish recapture and rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem in 164 BCE. Shabbat- A day of rest and enjoyment at the end of every week that religious people undertake in imitation of God, who rested on the seventh day of creation.

Christianity1.9 billion followersGod is their deityChristianity was founded by Jesus ChristThe Christian holy book is the Bible which includes the New Testament and the Old TestamentIt is lead by a Clergy (priest/ministers)Basic BeliefsThere is only one God, who watches over and cares for his people.Jesus Christ was the son of GodHe died to save humanity from sinHis death and resurrection made eternal life possible for others.

More about ChristianityHolidaysLent-Self-examination and preparation for EasterPalm Sunday-Sunday before Easter, Jesus' entry into JerusalemMaundy Thursday-Thursday before Easter, the Last Supper of JesusGood Friday-Friday before Easter, Crucifixion of Jesus on the crossEaster-First Sunday after the first full moon after March 21, Resurrection of Jesus ChristPentecost-40 days after Easter, Coming of the Holy SpiritAdvent-Period marked by the four Sundays before Christmas, Preparation for Christmas and Christ's Second ComingChristmas-December 25, Birth of Jesus Christ

Christianity is all over the globe. It is mostly in North America, some in South America, Greenland, and Europe. Islam 1.2 billion followers Their deity is God (Callah in Arabic) The founder of Islam is MuhammadThe holy book is the QuranIn their leadership there is no clergyBasic Beliefs Persons achieve salvation by following the the four pillars of Islam and living a just (good) lifeThe five pillars1. Faith 2. Almsgiving-charity to poor. 3.Fasting-which Muslums perform during the month of Ramadan. 4. Pilgrimage-to Mecca at least once in their lifetime. 5. Prayer-five times a day Muslums face Mecca whenever they are in the world and pray.

More about Islam

Islam is usually practiced in North Africa, Northwest Asia, and some of Europe. Holidays of the islam religion Muharram (1 Muharram)The Islamic New YearThe month of Muharram marks the beginning of the Islamic liturgical year. The Islamic new year is celebrated relatively quietly, with prayers and readings and reflection upon the hegira.Mawlid al-Nabi (12 Rabi 1)Prophet Muhammad's BirthdayThis holiday celebrates the birthday of Muhammed the founder of Islam. The day is commemorated with recollections of Muhammad's life and significance. Eid al-Fitr (1 Shawwal)The Celebration concluding RamadanRamadan the month of fasting, ends with the festival of Eid al-Fitr.At Eid al-Fitr people dress in their finest clothes, adorn their homes with lights and decorations, give treats to children, and enjoy visits with friends and family.Eid al-Adha (10 Dhu'l-Hijjah)The celebration concluding the HajjEid al-Adha, or the Feast of Sacrifice, commemorates the prophet Abrahams willingness to obey Allah by sacrificing his son Ishmael. The sacrifice symbolizes obedience to Allah and its distribution to others is an expression of generosity, one of the five pillars of Islam.

What I learnedFrom this project I learned a lot about world religions. I did not know what Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, or Judaism was before I did this project. It helped me to understand how the world is shaped by their religions and religions shape peoples cultures and customs.

Eastern Religions: Hinduism and Buddhism Western Religions:Christianity, Judaism, and IslamComparing Contrast Eastern religions believe that people who practice the religion that they have to achieve certain things in their life.They both believe that the soul is reborn in different kindsWestern religions all believe that God is the only God. Both Judaism and Christianity believe in Jesus Christ but Islam does not. The eastern religions are different because Hinduism has their leader as a Guru, and a holy man, but in Buddhism has monks and nuns as their leaders.Comparing and Contrasting Eastern and Western Religions Sources for Pictureshttp://www.bu.edu/pardee/files/news-cms/photos/world-religions2.gifhttp://www.sociology.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Why-Do-We-Have-Religion.jpghttp://www.kidsmaps.com/geography/images/fullsized/buddhist-distribution.pnghttp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2f/Gdp_per_capita_ppp_world_map_2005.PNGhttp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/38/World_Christian_Population.pnghttp://www.whyislam.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/map.jpghttp://www.religioustolerance.org/1world.jpghttp://www.ancient-symbols.com/images/hindu-symbols/original/om.jpghttp://www.religionfacts.com/islam/images/symbols/crescent-200.gifhttp://atschool.eduweb.co.uk/carolrb/christianity/images/cross2.gifhttp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/38/World-religions.PNG

Text Sources http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhist_holidayshttp://www.infoplease.com/spot/islamicholidays.htmlMy religion poster