WorldReligions

Definitions

•

_{Polytheistic: believe in more than one god}

•

_{Monotheistic: believe in only one God}

•

_{Atheism: believe that God does not exist}

•

_{Animism: believe that gods can be found in}

nature; worship nature

More Definitions

• _{Sect: A branch of a religion}

• _{Agnostic: believe that there is a higher power; no}

formal worship; often believe that all religions are true

• _{Reincarnation: belief that when a person dies they are}

reborn as another being

• _{Clergy: Leader of a faith}

• _{Church: building where Christians worship} • _{Synagogue: building where Jews worship} • _{Mosque: building where Muslims worship}

• _{Temple: building that is for worship (many religions}

Even More Definitions

• _{Catholic: Christians; believe that good works are}

necessary for salvation; led by the Pope

• _{Orthodox Christian: Christians; broke off from Catholic}

church; believe that good works are necessary for

salvation; leadership is not found in one specific person

• _{Protestant: Christians; broke off from the Catholic}

church; believe that only the grace of God is necessary for salvation; leadership is not found in one specific

The Last of the Definitions

• _{Islam: religion of the Prophet Muhammad; Allah}

is God;

• _{Muslim: followers of Islam}

• _{Sunni: sect of Islam where they believe that the}

leader after Muhammad was a high-up follower of Islam;

• _{Shi’a/Shiite: sect of Islam; believe that the leader}

after Muhammad was a relative of Muhammad;

• _{Orthodox (in general): strict follower of religious}

Buddhism

• _{Founded by Siddhartha Gautama from India}

– _{He was a prince who saw the suffering of his people and abandoned}

his royal life

– _{He meditated to find the way to overcome suffering}

• _{Percentage of the world who follow this belief system: 6%} • _{Sacred Text: Tripitaka (Three Baskets)}

• _{Sacred Symbol: Buddha, the Wheel of the Law (representing}

Buddhism

• _{Sacred Site: Bodhi Tree in Bodh Gaya, India}

– _{It is where Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha)} achieved enlightenment

• _{Location: Mostly in East Asia}

– _{Theravada Buddhism in Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, Laos,} Cambodia, India

Buddhism

• _Beliefs:

– _{Reincarnation: Belief that they can be reborn as}

another person or being after death

– _Polytheistic

– _{Life is full of suffering}

– _{Trying to end the suffering of the world by understanding the Four Noble Truths}

and following the Eightfold Path

• _{Need to stop wanting things you do not have}

– _{There are 2 branches of Buddhism: Mahayana and Theravada} • _{In Theravada, Buddhism is a way of life without a belief in god}

• In Mahayana, Buddha is believed to have joined the universe as one of many gods

• _{Worship and Celebration:} – _Meditation

– _{Trying to achieve Nirvana, the enlightened state in which individuals are free from}

Christianity

• _{Followers are called: Christians}

– _{Includes Catholics, Orthodox, Protestant}

and other branches of Christianity

• _{Founded by Jesus Christ}

• _{Percentage of the world who follow this belief}

system: 33%

• _{Sacred Text: Bible (including the 5 books of}

Moses)

• _{Sacred Symbol: Cross, Christus}

• _{Sacred Site: Bethlehem (Jesus was born there)}

and Jerusalem (Jesus taught and died there)

• _{Location: Began in the Middle East, but is now}

Christianity

– _{Christianity broke off from Judaism}

– _{Christians believe that Jesus was the Messiah or Savior of} the world (Jews are still waiting for the Messiah to come) – _{As the son of God, Jesus saved the world from their sins} – _{Faith in Jesus is needed for salvation in the next life}

• _{Worship and Celebration:}

– _{Communion (Sacrament): Weekly meeting where bread} and wine (or water) is taken in remembrance of the death and sacrifice of Jesus

– _{Christmas: Celebrates the birth of Jesus}

– _{Easter: Celebrates the death and resurrection of} Jesus (believe he was brought back from death to live in Heaven)

Confucianism

• _{Percentage of the world who follow this belief}

system: 6%

• _{Founded upon the teachings of Confucius} • _{Sacred Text: The Analects}

• _{Sacred Symbol: Yin Yang (symbol of}

balance in the universe and all things)

• _{Sacred Site: Temple at Qufu}

• _{Location: Mostly in China, but spread to other}

Confucianism

– _{Happiness comes from accepting one’s role in life}

• _{There are 5 key relationships that must remain balanced}

• In each relationship, the lower-ranking person needs to obey the person with higher rank, but the higher-ranking person has the responsibility to care for the lower-ranking person and not abuse the power

– _{Leader and}

– _{Husband and wife}

– _{Older brother and younger brother} – _{Parents and children}

– _{Teacher and student}

• _{Worship and Celebration:}

– _{They do not believe in a god or clergy, but are more a} spiritual way of life

Confucianism

• _{Famous words of wisdom from}

Confucius (sometimes found in fortune cookies!):

– _{“Be not ashamed of mistakes and thus make them}

crimes.”

– _{“Be not ashamed of mistakes and thus make them}

crimes.”

– _{“Be not ashamed of mistakes and thus make them}

crimes.”

– _{“Be not ashamed of mistakes and thus make them}

Hinduism

• _{Followers are called: Hindus}

• _{Percentage of the world who follow this belief}

system: 13%

• _{Sacred Text: The Vedas}

• _{Sacred Symbol: Om (a sound used in chanting}

during prayer, meditation, etc

• _{Sacred Site: Ganges River (bathe in it}

to purify their souls and be released from rebirth)

Hinduism

– _Polytheistic

– _{Believe in a caste system: people are born into different} ranks depending on how good they were in the last life

• _{Brahma are the highest and untouchables are the lowest}

– _{Untouchables literally could not be touched}

• _{Don’t change the system because believe you can behave well in}

this life and be rewarded with a better life next time you are born

– _{Reincarnation: can come back as another person (or}

being), in a higher or lower status, depending on how you behave in this life

– _{Believe in many heavens and hells}

– _{Kharma: What goes around comes around}

• _{Worship and Celebration:}

– _{Holi: the triumph of good over evil and celebrates the} beginning of spring

Indigenous

• _{Percentage of the world who follow this}

type of belief system: 7%

• _{Indigenous means “native,” so these are}

religious practices of natives or ethnic groups

• _{Sacred Text: No universal text between indigenous}

religions; Use stories and oral traditions to pass down religious beliefs

• _{Sacred Symbol: Often use nature as}

symbols, like sun, water, trees, etc.

Indigenous

• _Beliefs:

– Most indigenous religions see a close relationship with nature as part of their beliefs

– Animism

– Polytheistic

• _{Worship and Celebration:}

– _{Celebrate with dance, singing, rituals} – _{Some pray to nature or ancestors}

Islam

• _{Followers are called: Muslims}

• _{Founded by the Muslim prophet Muhammad} • _{Percentage of the world who follow this belief}

system: 22%

• _{Sacred Text: The Quran (Koran)} • _{Sacred Symbol: Crescent moon} • _{Sacred Site: Mecca (Makkah)}

• _{Location: Started in the Middle East; Now spread}

Islam

• _Beliefs:

– _{Islam means “peace”}

– _{Has the same roots as Judaism and Christianity}

• _{Broke off from the other two}

– _{Believe the 5 books of Moses are part of sacred scripture} – _{Monotheistic: Believe in 1 God, call Him Allah}

– _{Follow the 5 pillars of Islam: faith, prayer, fasting, pilgrimage}

(hajj) to Mecca, and charity

– _{Muhammad was the last prophet}

– _{Halal: Dietary laws including no alcohol, no pork}

• _{Worship and Celebration:}

– _{Ramadan is a month-long celebration that}

includes fasting from sundown to sunrise all month long

Judaism

• _{Followers are called: Jews}

• _{Percentage of the world who follow this belief}

system: 0.2%

• _{Sacred Text: The Torah (first 5 books of Moses)} • _{Sacred Symbol: Star of David, Menorah}

• _{Sacred Site: Western Wall of Solomon’s Temple}

in Jerusalem

• _{Location: Originated in the Middle East,}

Judaism

• _Beliefs:

– _Monotheistic

– _{Same origins as Christianity and Islam} – _{Believe in 5 Books of Moses}

– _{Waiting for a Messiah to deliver them}

– _{Kosher: Jewish dietary law that includes not eating pork,} not eating milk and meat in the same meal, etc.

• _{Worship and Celebration:}

– _{Yom Kippur is holiest day of the year: fast to gain} forgiveness of sins

– _{Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year} – _{Hanukkah: It is not a huge holiday but}

Sikhism

• _{Followers are called: Sikhs}

• _{Percentage of the world who follow this belief}

system: 0.4%

• _{Sacred Text: Adi Granth}

• _{Sacred Symbol: Khanda: composed of weapons}

like swords and daggars; symbolizes truth, the

willingness to fight for what is right, and one God

• _{Sacred Site: The Golden Temple}

at Amritsar

Sikhism

• _Beliefs:

– Influenced by Hinduism and Islam

– _{Believe in one God who is formless but can be known}

through meditation

– Forbids discrimination based on caste, class, color, religion, gender, etc

• _{Worship and Celebration:}

– _{Vaisakhi is the celebration of the new year and the}

beginning of harvest

Nonreligious and Atheist