World Religions

World Religion Breakdown

Importance of Religion around the world

One God or Many?????•Monotheism• The belief in one

God• Christianity• Islam• Judaism• Sikhism

• Polytheism• The belief in many Gods• Hinduism

• Animism- believers in supernatural powers, attribute a soul to living things (plants, animals), inanimate objects, and natural phenomena• Native Americans• Voodoo (practiced in Haiti)

Hinduism

Oldest living

religion

3 rd largest religion in the world~1 billion followers

Followers- “Hindus”

Hinduism• Founder: No known founder 2500 BCE• Place of Origin: India• Beliefs: One Supreme Reality (Brahman) manifested

in many gods and goddesses and Caste System (illegal today but still practiced)

• Deity: Polytheistic- Brahman (The supreme self), Vishnu (God of the sun), Shiva (God of fertility), Ganesh (God of obstacles)

• Afterlife: Reincarnation• what you are reborn as depends on Karma (belief

that what you do affects the future)• Dharma or a good life path allows people to be reincarnated into a higher form• Moksha- “one-ness” once reached it ends rebirth

• Sacred Text: Vedas (Holy Books)• Place of Worship: Shrine• Practices: Yoga, bath in Ganges River to wash away sin, cremate body at

death and ashes are spread in Ganges River• Holidays/Festivals: Diwali- the festival of lights- four day festival which

celebrates a new year of victory of light over darkness• Symbol: Om

Judaism

12 million World Followers “Hebrews or Israelite”

VIP- Moses who freed the Jews from slavery in Egypt

Ethnic Religion- a person who identifies their ethnicity by their religious beliefsFollowers- “Jews”

Judaism• Founder: Abraham in 2000 BCE• Place of origin: Jerusalem (holy city) located in Israel (Middle East)

• only nation where Jewish people are the majority of the population.

• Beliefs: Monotheistic; Judge people on how they live their everyday lives• Deity: Yahweh (God)• Afterlife: “Messiah" will come to Earth and save the Jewish people.• Scared Text: Torah (Old Testament)• Place of Worship: Synagogue

• Men and women usually sit separately. Men are required to cover their heads with a hat called a yarmulke. In most cases, worship takes place in the Hebrew language. The Jewish spiritual leaders are called rabbis.

• Practices: Shabbat- attend synagogue, Friday night, remember the 7th day of creation when God rested to make time for family

• Holidays/Festivals: Yom Kippur- 25-hour period of fasting and intensive prayer, often spending most of the day in synagogue.• Bar mitzvah is for boys (13 yrs) and Bat mitzvah is for girls (12 yrs).• Rosh Hashanah- Jewish New Year• Hanukkah- festival of lights

• Symbol: Star of David

Christianity

Largest religion~ 2.2 billion world followers

Christians believe that Jesus rose from the dead, making him the Messiah (Savior) promised in the Old Testament

Followers- “Christians”

Christianity• Founder: Jesus Christ (Son of God) in 30 CE• Place of origin: Bethlehem (Middle East) • Beliefs: God is revealed in 3 forms: Father, Holy Spirit, Son

• Three main denominations: Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Protestant

• Deity: God• Afterlife: Heaven and Hell• Scared Text: The Bible (New Testament)• Place of Worship: Church• Practices: Attend church on Sunday’s • Holidays/Festivals: Easter- celebrates the resurrection of Jesus

Christmas- celebrate Jesus’ birthday• Symbol: Cross

Buddhism

~500 million followers, 4th largest religion in the world

“The Buddha”, or the enlightened one

Followers- “Buddhists”

Buddhism• Founder: Siddhartha Gautama in 500’s BCE

• Siddhartha was born a wealthy prince, but gave up everything to find a true understanding of the world’s suffering

• Place of origin: India• Beliefs: Encourage followers to reach enlightenment—understanding the true meaning of

life and truth about the world. • 4 noble truths: 1.Life is Suffering; 2.Suffering is due to attachment to things; 3.Attachment can be

overcome; 4.There is a path to accomplish all this: The Noble Eightfold Path

• Deity: No idea of God —it’s more of a way of life, so it is actually a philosophy, but most people still call Buddhism a religion

• Afterlife: Rebirth or Reincarnation • Must achieve Nirvana which is ending the sorrow of life

• Scared Text: Tripitaka or Sutras• Place of Worship: Buddhist temples: Stupa is a mound-like structure that often has a

Buddhist relic buried underneath. Pagoda is a temple with several tiers or levels.• Practices: Puja- It involves meditation, bowing, chanting, or making offerings

• Holidays/Festivals: Vesak, Wesak or Buddha Day, is celebration of Buddha’s birth, enlightenment, and death

• Symbol: The Noble Eight Fold Path

Sikhism

Followers- “Sikhs”

23 million

worldwide

90% live in the state of Punjab, India

Sikhism• Founder: Guru Nanak in 1500 CE• Place of origin: India and Pakistan • Beliefs: Monotheistic, be generous, serve others, live honestly• Deity: God (Vahiguru)• Afterlife: Heaven• Scared Text: Granth • Place of Worship: Any building where the sacred text is kept• Practices: Meditation (allows communication with God), Services held

on Sunday’s, chants and prayers end in shared meal • Sikh men must not cut their hair, must maintain a beard and wear a turban,

brush hair twice a day, and wear a bracelet to remind them of one God, must carry a knife at all times, and wear drawstring underwear to remind them to keep their chasity

• Holidays/Festivals: Maghi- celebrates the winter harvest• Symbol: Khanda (double edge sword)

Islam

One billion+

followers

Fastest

growing

religion in

world

Followers- “Muslims”

Ethnic Religion

Islam• Founder: Muhammad in 600’s CE• Place of origin: Mecca, Saudi Arabia (Middle East)• Beliefs: Monotheistic with two denominations: Sunni and

Shi’a• 90% Sunni. Shi’a and Sunni disagree about who should lead Islam and how they are chosen• 5 Pillars: Declare Faith, Pray 5 times a day, Give money to charity, Fasting, Pilgrimage to Mecca

• Deity: Allah• Afterlife: Heaven and Hell• Scared Text: Koran or Qur’an• Place of Worship: Mosque• Practices: Use prayer mats to kneel pray, women and men

pray separately, don’t eat pork• Holidays/Festivals: Ramadan- time of sacrifice in an attempt

to with Allah, Muslims fast from sun up to sun down• Symbol: crescent moon and star

National Geographic Cover-L

Must include the following:• Image that represents the 6

major religions• 6 “Headlines” regarding each

major religion• Cost• Date

On the back: Create an acrostic for each of the 6 religionsExample• Is the fastest growing religion

• Some followers are Shi’ite and some are Sunni

• Language of this religion is Arabic

• Abraham is considered a prophet

• Muslims is the name of Islamic worshipers

K Assignment

1. Complete Culture of Religion2. Create an acrostic for each of the 6 religions on a

separate sheet of paper and staple to Religion worksheet

• Example• Is the fastest growing religion

• Some followers are Shi’ite and some are Sunni

• Language of this religion is Arabic

• Abraham is considered a prophet

• Muslims is the name of Islamic worshipers