MAJOR RELIGIONS IN THE WORLD

JUDAISM

SYMBOL

• The Star David
• Kabbalistic use (the miss understood doctrine; folk superstitions)
• often yellow-colored
• Is on the flag of Israel
• a symbol of Judaism and the Jewish community

LOCATION WHERE RELIGION BEGAN

• Started in Israel
• Israel is central the Jewish religion
• Home to more than 1/3 of the worlds Jews
• It is the land promised to Abraham
• Land flowing with milk and honey

STRUCTURE

• Led by Rabbis/ counsul
• Rabbi is a teacher educated in Jewish law
• Chazzan- canter to lead people in prayer
• Gabbai- lay person who volunteers to read
• Rebbe- the leader of a Chasidic community

FIGURE 1 ... ABRAHAM

• Founder to Judaism
• Founded it off of his relationship with god
• Abraham came to believe in one supreme being
• Had child when he was 100 years old
• Father to Isaac

FIGURE 2 ...ISAAC

• Showed extraordinary faith when father attempted to sacrifice him
• Married Rebecca
• Father to twin sons; Jacob and Esau

FIGURE 3 ... JACOB

• Also known as Israel
• Married four women
• Fathered 12 sons (tribes of Israel) and one daughter
• After wrestling with God was blessed with the name Israel

HOLY BOOK

• Hebrew Bible including the Torah
• The written Torah is the first five books of the bible
• The oral Torah is the Talmud and other writings given to Moses
• Torah scrolls (hand written parchment on scrolls covered with fabric)
• Scrolls in a cabinet in the synagogue called the Ark

BELIEFS

• Monotheistic
• No pork
• The dead will be resurrected
• Actions are far more important than beliefs
• 13 principles of faith

KEY TERMS

• Tefilah- Prayer
• Kavanah- The Mindset for Prayer
• Hebrew- The Language for Prayer
• Berakhot- Blessings
• Birkat Ha-Mazon- Grace After Meals

MAP OF RELIGION

EVENTS AND DATES

• Abraham and the patriarchs (2000-1500bc)
• Exodus to desert (1500-1200bc)
• Destruction of first temple (586bc)
• Destruction of second temple (70)
• The Holocaust(1938-1945)

GODS

BUILDINGS

• Called synagogues, shuls,and temples
• Synagogues is the same as a church
• Shuls is a school
• Temples is the center of the religion

WOMENS ROLES

• Have to sit separate from men at synagogues
• Three commandments reserved for women
• Nerot (lighting candles)
• Challah (separating a portion of dough)
• Mikvah (ritual bath)

BAD THINGS THAT HAPPENED

• Two temples were destroyed
• The Holocaust ... Six million Jews were killed
• The King David Hotel bombing was attacked on July 22, 1946
• 91 people of various nationalities were killed and 46 were injured.

UNIQUE FACTS

• 613 commandments
• Jewish dietary laws
• Can't eat pork, shellfish,shrimp or crab
• Boys are responsible for observing the commandments at age 13
• Girls are responsible for observing the commandments at age 12

HINDUISM

SYMBOL

• Om or Aum
• Om mystically embodies the essence of the entire universe.
• Represents 3 worlds (earth, atmosphere, and heaven)

LOCATION WHERE RELIGION BEGAN

• Started in India
• 3rd largest religion in the world
• 900 million followers

STRCUTURE

• Led by Holy men
• Sadhu is a holy person
• They often wear saffron(yellow)
• They could be men or women

FIGURE

• No one founder
• Guru or sage figure
• Guru is a teacher deep in knowledge
• Sage is are saints

HOLY BOOK

• Vedas is a scripture guide for daily life
• Upanishads is a continuation of Vedic philosophy
• Sutras is the words and teaching of the Buddha
• Bhagavad Gita is a dialog between the god Krishna and the warrior Arjuna

BELIEFS

• Reincarnation
• Meditation
• Authority of the Vedas
• The existence of an enduring soul
• The law of karma ( ones destiny in this and the next)

KEY TERMS

• Atman- concept of the eternal soul
• Caste- social classes in Hindu society
• Moksha- libration from the cycle of death
• Brahmin- priestly caste of Indian society
• Samsara- cycle of rebirth

CHART OF RELIGION

EVENTS AND DATES

• Earliest form of Hinduism acknowledge (2000bc)
• Gandhi joins the nationalist movement (1915-1948)

GODS

• Brahma god of creation
• Vishnu god preservation and love
• Shiva god of destruction and rejuvenation

BUILDINGS

• Temple most have murtis (status of a Hindu god)
• Not important for marriages or funerals
• Home shrine it is a puja room for daily prays

WOMENS ROLES

• As a child to remain in care of parents
• Then takes responsibility of husband
• Then to the house of her sons
• In ancient times wife would burn on husbands funeral fire

BAD THINGS THAT HAPPENED

• Ghandi was killed in 1948

UNIQUE FACTS

• Holy number 108
• 10 commandments

BUDDHISM

SYMBOL

• The wheel of life
• 8 spoke wheel
• Each spoke represents the eight-fold Noble Path
• Divided into 3 parts ( hub- discipline, spokes- wisdom, and rim- concentration)

LOCATION WHERE RELIGION BEGAN

• Started in Northern India
• Began in the 4th century bc

STRUCTURE

• Led by Dali Lama
• He is the head monk of Tibetan Buddhism
• The current Lammas is the reincarnation of past Lammas
• Dali lama means ocean of wisdom

FIGURE

• The Buddha
• He lived around the 6th century bc

HOLY BOOK

• Tripitaka
• It is nearly 40 volumes
• It is what the Buddha taught

BELIEFS

• Reincarnation
• Meditation
• Enlightment
• Centers around understanding human natural and ultimate reality
• The purpose of life is to end suffering

KEY TERMS

• Samsara- cycle of Rebirth
• Atman- soul
• Dhyana- trance
• Bodhi- enlightenment
• Prajña- wisdom

MAP OF RELIGION

EVENTS AND DATES

• Enlightenment of Buddha (528bc)
• First Buddhist council (5th century bc)
• Second Buddhist council (4th century bc)
• Third Buddhist council (250bc)

GODS

BUILDINGS

• Temples
• Mahabodhi (Great Enlightenment) Temple is located in Bodh Gaya, India.
• Haeinsa (Temple of Reflection on a Smooth Sea) important Buddhist temple in S. Korea.
• Shwedagon Pagoda (Golden Pagoda) is the holiest Buddhist shrine in Yangon,Burma.
• Borobudur is the largest and most famous Buddhist temple in the world.

WOMENS ROLES

• They can become monks
• Early buddhism taught husbands to respect wife's
• They can obtain enlightenment

BAD THINGS THAT HAPPENED

• Bodh Gaya bombings
• Five blast bombing

UNIQUE FACTS

• When the Dali lama dies the high lamas search for a boy born around same time as the death
• There is no almighty god
• The ultimate objective is enlightenment

CHRISTIANTY

SYMBOL

• Cross
• Crucifix has Jesus on it
• Ichthus is the secret symbol for persecuted believers in the early church
• Dove represents the Holy Spirit

LOCATION WHERE RELIGION BEGAN

• Started in Palestine Israel
• The church started in 33 ce

STRUCTURE

• Pope in charge
• Led by priests

FIGURE

• Jesus Christ
• He is Devine and human
• He was sent to save the world
• Through throughout Galiee
• Died on the cross and was resurrected

HOLY BOOK

• Bible
• Road to salvation
• Two parts to the bible
• Old Testament- everything before Jesus
• New Testament- everything during and after Jesus

BELIEFS

• One God
• A trinity
• Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

KEY TERMS

• Eucharist- good gift, the lord's supper
• Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John- authors of the gospels
• Gospel- good news, an account of the life of Jesus
• Sin- wrongdoing, seen as disobedience to God
• Trinity- the 3 persons in God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit

MAP OF RELIGION

EVENTS AND DATES

• Protestant reformation Martin Luther (1521-1610)
• Pentecostal movement (1904)
• Russian Revolution (1917)
• World Council of Churches founded (1948)
• Second Vatican Council (1962-1965)

GODS

BUILDINGS

• Church
• Worship place
• Used for religious actives and worship services
• They are becoming more widespread these days
• Other forms of it are Basilica and Cathedral

WOMEN ROLES

• Cannot be priest
• Cannot be pope
• Can sing in the choir
• Can cantor
• Can read

BAD THINGS THAT HAPPENED

• The KKK burned crosses and did many more things to Catholics among others.

UNIQUE FACTS

• 3 major forms
• Catholic led by the pope
• Orthodox follows the catholic
• Protestant or Lutherans
• Is a Abrahamic religion

ISLAMIC

SYMBOL

• Star and crescent
• Often green
• On Islamic flags
• The star is a "Ay-yildiz"

LOCATION WHERE RELIGION BEGAN

• Started in Mecca

STRUCTURE

• Led by Imams
• Grand Imams has a great influence
• Grand Mufti highest official of religious law
• Muezzin any person at the Mosque
• Mujtahid an interpreter of the Qur'an

FIGURE

• Muhammad/ Allah
• Creator and judge of the universe.

HOLY BOOK

• Qur'an
• Is the central religious text of Islam

BELIEFS

• Afterlife
• 5 pillars faith
• Monotheistic
• Six Articles of Faith
• There is one God

KEY TERMS

• Arab- arabian people
• Allah- the word for God in Arabic
• Umma- the Muslim world
• Islam- the name of the Muslim faith
• Hajj- the pilgramage to Mecca

MAP OF RELIGION

EVENTS AND DATES

• Revolt defeats the Umayyads (747)
• First Fatimid caliph in Tunisia (908)
• Christian Crusaders take Jerusalem (1099)
• Mongols take the Punjab (1241)
• Ottomans control Mecca and Medina (1517)

GODS

BUILDINGS

• Dome of the Rock
• Chinli Kiosk
• Great Mosque
• Great Mosque of Damascus
• Mosque of Sultan Ahmed

WOMENS ROLES

• Needs permission from husband to leave house
• Needs permission from husband to get a job
• Have to wear head cover

BAD THINGS THAT HAPPENED

• 1992 attack on Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires

UNIQUE FACTS

• Islam means Peace through the submission to God
• Muslim means anyone or anything that submits itself to the will of God
• Islam is not a cult
• Islam is a complete way of life that governs all facets of life
• Allah is an Arabic word that means God

SHINTOISM

SYMBOL

• Torii gate
• Often red

LOCATION WHERE RELIGION BEGAN

• Started in Japan

STRUCTURE

• Led by an emperor

FIGURE

• No identifiable founder

HOLY BOOK

• The Kojiki/ The Nihongi

BELIEFS

• Afterlife
• Rami(spiritual essence)
• Impurity
• Purification
• kami(sacred or divine beings)

KEY TERMS

• Aikido- Japanese martial art
• Ame-no-iwato- a cave
• Amaterasu Omikami- the divinity of the Sun
• Chinkon- Shinto spiritual exercises
• Butsudo- the way of the Buddha

MAP OF RELIGION

EVENTS AND DATES

• Empress Genmei Reigns (707-715)
• Japanese Capital Moved to Nara (710)
• Court Orders Compilation of Fudoki (713)
• First Known Ryobu Shinto Texts Compiled(1150-1200)
• Military Rule of Japan Begins(1185)

GODS

BUILDINGS

• Ise Grand Shrine
• Izumo Taisha
• Tsubaki Grand Shrine
• Yasukuni Shrine
• Katori Shrine

WOMENS ROLES

• They could become priestess
• They can do what the men can.

BAD THINGS THAT HAPPENED

• All that is left of one Shinto shrine in Nagasaki. (Shown in picture)
• The arch is made of elements.
• The fact that the blast could go through and around the structure.
• This enabled it to escape destruction
• October 1945

UNIQUE FACTS

• There are 4 different focuses
• Shrine Shinto
• Imperial Household Shinto
• Sect Shinto
• Folk Shinto