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What is Religion? :a specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons 88% of the people worldwide hold some religious belief Number of followers of leading world religions Christianity: 2.3 billion followers (largest) Islam: 1.6 billion (2nd largest) Secular-non-religious: 1.1 billion Hinduism:950 million (3rd largest) Buddhism: 465 million (4th largest) Tribal and African religion: 400 million Chinese religion: 350 million Sikhism: 23 million Judaism: 14 million (12th largest) World’s Least Religious Places North Korea:71.3% Sweden: 31.2% Czech Republic:43.8% Latvia: 30.4% China 39.5% Estonia: 38.6% Mongolia: 36.3% Netherlands: 27.5% Uruguay: 34.5% Kazakhstan: 34.4% Judaism Christianity Islam Islam Judaism Christianity Muslims Jews Christians Middle East, SE Asia Israel, Europe, USA Europe, N & S. America, Africa mosque synagogue church, chapel, cathedral Koran or Qur’an Bible: Tanakh Bible Muhammad Moses/Abraham Jesus Christ One God: Allah One God: Yahweh One God: Yahweh, Holy Trinity, God Judaism Christianity Islam 1. Symbol :Star of David-six pointed star made up of 2 intersecting triangles 2. Believe there is only one God-Yahwehwho has revealed himself to Abraham, Moses and the Hebrew prophets 3. Hebrew Bible: Tanakh 4. Most sacred text: Torah-composed of the first 5 books of the Old Testament and the Tanakh • founding father of the Judaism • God promised Abraham and his wife Sarah a son if Abraham pledged his faith in God. They were both old-Abraham was 100 and Sarah was 90 and Sarah couldn’t have any children. They named their son Isaac. • God promised them numerous descendants who would form a great nation in a land called Canaan. • He believed the entire universe was the work of a single Creator and began teaching this to others • Under Judaism, people identify themselves as children (descendants) of Abraham • Greatest of the prophets: spokesperson for God • Received the Torah on Mount Sinai translated as “law” from God on stone tablets • Led the Jews out of exile in Egypt back to Canaan the “Promise Land” a. Refer to God as Yahweh (YHVH): creator & ruler of the universe, source of all goodness & morality-not allowed to say God out loud b. Pray regularly-Shema (prayer) in the morning & night c. Believe one day a Messiah (person from God) will one day rule Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple destroyed by the Romans d. The Torah contains everything from food & clothing to rituals & festivals. Follow these laws through the way they live e. The Torah is hand-written in Hebrew on a scroll and kept in a cabinet called the Ark. The text can never be changed. f. Rabbis are their spiritual leaders a. Sabbath-Saturday (sunset on Friday & ends at sunset on Saturday) b. Most important Jewish holy day: -Ten days into the new year -Yom Kippur - “Day of Atonement” 25 hr. fast to make amends for sins of the past year c. Passover: 8 days, celebrate the escape of the Jews from slavery in Egypt & their return to the Promised Land d. Hanukkah: “Festival of Lights” celebrates religious freedom and the rededication of the temple in Jerusalem e. Bar and Bat MitzvahWhen boys and girls turn thirteen they promise to follow the commandments of God f. Ceremonial worship can occur either the home or Synagogue (Temple) 1. Based on the teachings of Jesus Christ 2. God chose Mary, a virgin, to carry his son Jesus Christ, in order that he might save humanity from sin 3. Little is known of his childhood and young adulthood. At 30 he began preaching, teaching and healing. 4. His life is told in the Four Gospels: (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) found in the New Testament a. Jesus demonstrated his teachings by example, parables: (earthly story with spiritual truth) written in the Holy Bible, sermons, and miracles. b. People came to hear these stories when Jesus was on earth Ex. The Parable of the Mustard Seed: Jesus told them (Matt. 13:31-32) "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches" a. God is believed to be manifest in 3 persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit/Trinity. The doctrine of Trinity is rejected by Jews and Muslims. b. Sacred text: Christian Bible-God’s word 1. Old Testament is a collection of selected writings composed and edited by members of the Hebrew-Jewish community between the twelfth century B.C. 2. New Testament: tell story of Jesus’s life, recount his work, history of the disciples 1. Christians believe Jesus is God in the flesh who came to earth to offer forgiveness and salvation to all. 2. conceived as both human (man of Jesus of Nazareth) but without sin and divine (incarnation of God) • Symbol: Cross 1. The cross is the symbol of sacrifice that Jesus made to save humanity from sin. • Last Supper: final meal Jesus shared with 12 followers, known as the disciples or apostles before his death • Eucharist, Mass or Holy Communion: drinking wine and eating the bread represent the blood and body of Christ • Christians believe that humans are viewed as created in the image of God and accepting Jesus Christ as one’s savior can one be saved through grace • Advent: preparation for Christmas marked by fasting • Christmas-Dec. 25: celebration of Jesus’s birth marked by feasting, gift-giving & church service • Lent: 40 days from Ash Wed. to Easter- Jesus’s fast in the desert immediately before his crucifixion • Good Friday: remembers the Crucifixion of Jesus • Easter Day: Jesus’ Resurrection-when he rose from the grave and appeared to his disciples 1. God is referred to as Allah-the sole creator. 2. “Islam”: submission to the will of God 3. Green is the color of Islam and its symbol is the star and crescent 4. Arabic is the language in which the word of God was revealed to Muhammad 5. Followers of Islam: Muslims a. Born in Mecca and at the age of 40 was called to become the prophet b. Under Islam Muhammad is believed to be God’s messengerfinal revelation c. 610 CE he had his first revelation known as the “Night of Power and Excellence” d. Must flee Mecca to Medina in 622 CE-becomes known as the Hijrah: marks the start of the Islamic calendar each year a. Sacred text of Islam: Qur’an b. believed to be words of God himself revealed to Muhammadcontain the will of all humankind. c. It is the lifelong goal of many Muslims to memorize it. d. Must live up to the requirements of the Qur’an, fulfill their religious duties and refrain from prohibited actions a. Shahada: declaring that there is but one God, Allah, and Muhammad as his messenger b. Prayer: participate in prayer, facing the directions of Mecca, five times a day c. Ramadan: during the month, all able bodied Muslims must fast during daylight hours-God began to reveal the Qur’an to Muhammad. d. Zakat: an obligatory tax (usually 2.5%) that must be paid to the poor. e. Hajj: All Muslims physically able to do so are expected to make a pilgrimage to Mecca at least one in their lifetime a. Main difference: not spiritual but political b. Sunni is comprised of about 85% of Muslims all over the world c. Sunnis believe successors of the Prophet should be chosen by an election of the Muslim community d. Shiite found mostly in Iran, Iraq, Lebanon It marks the liberation of Moses from the Pharaoh e. Shiites claim that leadership should stay within the Prophet’s own family-hierarchy f. Day of Ashura (pictured): religious observance marked every year by Muslims on 10th day of the Islamic year More Info: a. Friday: Muslim holy day b. Hadith: sayings of Muhammad and is the second most holy book c. Prophets : Adam, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad d. Pork and alcohol are prohibited