Download Table of Major Belief Systems

Table of Major Belief Systems
Judaism
Christianity
Islam
The Hebrew leader
Jesus Christ, who was Muhammad, founded
Abraham founded
crucified around A.D. around 622 CE in
Judaism around 2000 30 in Jerusalem.
Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
B.C. Moses gave the
Jews the Torah
around 1250 B.C.
Hinduism
Buddhism
Sikhism
Daoism
Hinduism has no
Siddhartha Gautama, Shri Guru Nanak Dev Lao-Tzu around 550
founder. The oldest called the Buddha, in Ji @ 1500 BC in South BCE, in China
religion, it may date the 4th or 5th century Asia
to prehistoric times. B.C. in India.
Basic ideas brought to
South Asia by the IndoAryans @3000 BCE
Confucianism
Confucius, between
551 and 479 BCE, in
China
Gods
one
one
many (all gods and
none, but there are
goddesses are
enlightened beings
considered different (Buddhas)
forms of one Supreme
Being.)
none
none
Holy Books
The most important The Bible is the main
are the Torah, or the sacred text of
first five books of
Christianity
Moses; others include
Judaism's oral
tradition, the written
form of which is know
as the Talmud
The Koran is the
sacred book of Islam
The most ancient are The most important Shri Guru Granth
the four Vedas
are the Triptaka, the Sahib
Mahayana Sutras,
Tantra, and Zen texts
Tao Te Ching amd
Chuang-Tzu
The Analects
Main Beliefs
Jews believe in the
laws of God and the
words of the
prophets. In Judaism,
however, actions are
more important than
beliefs.
The Five Pillars, or
main duties, are:
profession of faith;
prayer; charitable
giving; fasting during
the month of
Ramadan; and
pilgrimage to Mecca
at least once.
Reincarnation states
that all living things
are caught in a cycle
of death and rebirth.
Life is ruled by the
laws of karma, in
which rebirth
depends on moral
behavior.
Inner peace and
To fulfill one’s role in
harmony with nature; society: follow the
passive
Five Relationships;
filial piety (family
reverence); be active
to create a better
community/state =
group ethic
Founder
one
Jesus taught love of
God and neighbor and
a concern for justice;
Jesus can to save man
from their sins
The Four Noble
Truths: (1) all beings
suffer; (2) desire—for
possessions, power,
and so on—causes
suffering; (3) desire
can be overcome; and
(4) the path that leads
away from desire is
the Eightfold Path
(the Middle Way).
one
Believe in samsara,
karma, and
reincarnation as
Hindus do but reject
the caste system;
equal status in the
eyes of God
Groups or
sects within
the system
Judaism
The three main types
are Orthodox,
Conservative, and
Reform. Conservative
Jews follow most
traditional practices,
but less strictly than
the Orthodox. Reform
Jews are the least
traditional.
Christianity
In 1054 Christians
separated into the
Eastern Orthodox
Church and the
Roman Catholic
Church. In the early
1500s the major
Protestant groups
(Lutheran,
Presbyterian, and
Episcopalian) came
into being. A variety of
other groups have
since developed.
Islam
Hinduism
Almost 90% of
No single belief
Muslims are Sunnis. system unites Hindus.
Shiites are the second- A Hindu can believe in
largest group. The
only one god, in
Shiites split from the many, or in none.
Sunnis in 632 when
Muhammad died.
Buddhism
Theravada (Way of
the Elders) and
Mahayana (Greater
Vehicle) are the two
main types.
Sikhism
Daoism
none
Confucianism
none