THE CHILDREN'S GUIDE TO THE MAJOR RELIGIONS

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• 1-3: Hinduism
• 4-7: Buddhism
• 8-11:Judaism
• 12-14: Christianity
• 15-18: Islam
• 19: Map
• 20: Sources

CHAPTER 1: HINDUISM

• Hinduism is believed to have originated between 4000 B.C. and 10000 B.C. but does not have a single founder or sacred text. Their most important figure is Brahman, along with other gods. Important locations include Hindu Temples. Geography negatively influenced the spread of the religion because India is located very near the Himalayan Mountains, which was near impossible to travel through at the time. India is also a peninsula, which isolates spread of religion.

HINDUISM (cont.)

• The fundamental belief of Hinduism is the importance of 'dharma', or the religious and moral duties of a person. Hinduism also includes the beliefs of Reincarnation, the rebirth of the soul in another bodily form, and the caste system, a social structure of levels in which people are born into, and can rarely move levels. Hindus also believe in 'ahimsa', or nonviolence, because they feel everyone should be respected.

This is Brahma, The Creator, the most important Hindu God.

CHAPTER 2: BUDDHISM

• About 563 B.C., the founder of Buddhism was born; a reformer by the name of Siddhartha Guatama (The Buddha or Enlightened One). Important locations include shrines and Buddhist Stupas, or dome-shaped shrines that tell the story of Buddha's life.

BUDDHISM (CONT.)

• Geography did not impact the spread of Buddhism significantly, besides the water surrounding Asia. What was impacted though, was the way the subgroups of Buddhism were divided.
• The basic beliefs of Buddhism are essentially the 4 Noble Truths.

BUDDHISM (THE 4 NOBLE TRUTHS)

• All life is full of suffering, pain, and sorrow.
• The cause of suffering is nonvirtue, or negative deeds and mindsets such as hatred and desire.
• The only cure for suffering is to overcome nonvirtue.
• The way to overcome nonvirtue is to follow the Eightfold Path (the path of life that is full of genuine behavior and morals).

Spread of Buddhism

CHAPTER 3: JUDAISM

• Around 4,000 years ago, Israelites(now called Hebrews) developed the religion Judaism. Israelites believe in an all-powerful, all-knowing God, which makes Judaism a monotheistic religion, or a religion that believes there is only one God. In Judaism, history and faith are interconnected, and the past laws and events are recorded in the Torah, their most sacred text. The present-day nation of Israel is on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, or the western end of the Fertile Crescent.

JUDAISM (CONT.)

• The Torah includes the first 5 books of the Hebrew Bible, but the Hebrew Bible has a total of 24 books. Additional laws and customs are written in the Talmud.
• A fundamental belief of Judaism is that Abraham made a covenant with God, and that it stated Canaan would eventually belong to the Israelites.

JUDAISM (CONT.)

• Judaism centers it's teaching around Law and Morality, and most laws and moral principles are included in the Torah. Jews also center Judaism with the 10 Commandments, a set of laws believed to have been given to Moses through God. Even with geography surrounding the Fertile Crescent that was not ideal, Judaism never had significant problems spreading because of it's contribution to religious thought and influence on Christianity and Islam.

The Torah, the most sacred text of the Hebrew Bible.

CHAPTER 4: CHRISTIANITY

• Around 390 A.d., Christianity was made the official religion of the Roman Empire. When the Roman Empire fell, the Christian church took over almost completely and has been dominant throughout Western civilization for the last 1,000 years. Christianity teaches the Love of God along with the need of justice, morality and service to others.

CHRISTIANITY (CONT.)

• The most important figure of Christianity is Jesus, along with his disciples.
• Paul, a Jew from Asia Minor, most significantly influenced the spread of Christianity. The Mediterranean Sea influenced the spread of Christianity because traveling around it was difficult.

The Holy bible is the most important text to Christians.

CHAPTER 5: ISLAM

• The religion of Islam originated in the Arabian peninsula. Muhammad, the eventual prophet of Islam, was born around A.D. 570, in the town of Mecca (most important town for Muslims). Kaaba, an ancient temple that housed pagan gods and goddesses, is also in Mecca. Islam is monotheistic, believing in the one almighty God.

ISLAM (CONT.)

• The Quran is the sacred text of Islam, and it teaches That people are responsible for their own actions.
• Muslims pray in mosques, or their house of worship.
• Sharia, or the Islamic system of law, does not separate church and state and applies Islamic principles to everyday life.

THE 5 PILLARS OF ISLAM

• Make a declaration of faith
• Pray 5 times daily
• Give charity to the poor
• Fast during the holy month of Ramadan
• Make a pilgrimage to Mecca.

KAABA IN MECCA

MAP OF MAJOR RELIGIONS

SOURCES

• Prentice hall world history book
• Britannica.com