Download There are around 20 million Sikhs in the word today (most live in the

There are around 20 million Sikhs in the word today (most live in the
Punjab area of India). Sikhism was started in the 16th century (in the
Punjab) by Guru Nanak. A Guru is like a teacher and the religion is based on
the teachings of Guru Nanak and other Sikh gurus.
Followers of this religion are called Sikhs. All Sikhs believe that there is
only one God and that to lead a good life you have to keep God in your
mind and heart. They also believe that God has no form or gender. A key
Sikh idea is that everyone is equal before God and everyone can access
God. They focus their lives around their relationship with God and being
part of the Sikh community.
The Gurdwara is the place where Sikhs worship together; it means the
door to the Guru. In Gurdwaras today the Guru is the holy book (the Guru
Granth Sahib). Any building that has this book is a Gurdwara.
The Gurdwara is a place to learn about Sikhism and is also a community
centre that offers food and shelter to those who need it.
Equality is a really important idea to Sikhs. Every Gurdwara has a Langar
(free kitchen) attached to it where free food is severed to anyone who
wants it. The food is simple and is usually vegetarian to make sure that
everyone can eat it. When eating the Langar everyone sits on the floor
together to show that they are all equal
Hinduism is the religion of the majority of people in India. It comes from the Indus valley
(India) and is said to be one of the oldest living religions in the world. Unlike other religions,
Hinduism has no single founder and no singe holy book. It is often called a way of life
rather than a single religion.
Each Hindu does not have to believe the same thing as other Hindus. Their beliefs
will depend on their background, education and what they have worked out for
themselves. There are some beliefs which nearly all Hindus will accept.
Most Hindus believe that there is only one God (Brahman) that takes many
shapes and forms. Hindus feel that God is everywhere, in everything and is
eternal. God might be called by different names but all the gods and goddesses
are aspects of Brahman. Each form tells us something about what God is like.
Hindus usually focus on one form of Brahman and they will keep an image of the
god/goddess in their homes.
Hindu worship (puja) is usually an individual act that involves making offerings to God. At
a Hindu temple (Mandir) each part of the building has special meaning e.g. the shrine is
the heart of the worshipper.
As part of worship a priest may read from the holy books (Shastras). The most important
Shastras are the Vedas. Hindus believe the Vedas came from God and contain
everything to be known about the world. The Vedas include hymns, prayers and
instructions on how to live and worship. At first holy men and women learned the Vedas
by heart.
Buddhism is a way of life based on the teachings of the Buddha. Buddhists believe that everyone wants to
be happy but that most people don’t really know how to reach happiness. The teachings of the Buddha aim
to help people to overcome suffering and learn to be truly happy.
Buddhism is a religion that focuses on personal spiritual development and
following the path of the Buddha. There is no belief in God and Buddhists don’t
see the point in focusing on a relationship between humans and God. Buddhists
instead follow the example of the Buddha and try to live according to his
teachings. There are currently 376 million followers worldwide.
Buddhist worship is called puja. It takes place at a shrine and may include
chanting, making offerings, listening to scriptures etc. Buddhist worship doesn’t
have to take place at the temple (Vihara) and followers can choose to worship at
home instead. Any place where a Buddha image is used in worship is called a
shrine. Shrines also have offering bowls, flowers, candles, incense and cushions.
For hundreds of years after the death of the Buddha, there were no written
scriptures. Stories and teachings were passed down by word of mouth. The
earliest scriptures were written in Pali (the Buddha’s language). They are called
the Tripitaka. This means 3 baskets and is in 3 parts 1 Vinaya Pitaka – this contains the rules for the lives of monks and nuns
2 Sutta Pitaka – this has 5 collections of the teachings of the Buddha
3 Abhidhamma Pitaka – contains the Buddha’s teachings on the nature of
life and is very complicated.
The Buddha travelled around Northern India for more than 40 years teaching. His
followers became known as the sangha, which means community. Buddhists
believe that it would be difficult to follow the teachings of the Buddha on your own.
Buddhist who become monks or nuns take on a special responsibility to share the
Buddha’s teachings.
Judaism started in the Middle East over 3500 years ago, it was founded by Moses. About 0.5% of people in
the UK are Jewish. Judaism has about 13 millions followers throughout the world, mostly in the USA and
Israel. 6 million Jews were murdered in the Holocaust and there is a history of discrimination against Jews.
Jews believe that there is one God who created the universe. They also
suggest that every Jew can have a personal relationship with God. They
believe that God continues to work in the world, affecting everything
that people do. Jews see their relationship with God as a covenant
(promise) where in exchange for what God has done for them they
promise to follow God’s laws and live a good life.
The Torah is the first part of the Jewish holy books. It is the most
important document of Judaism. Jews believe that God gave the Torah to
Moses on Mount Sinai. It shows how God wants Jews to live and contains
613 commandments (rules). It is written in Hebrew, the oldest of the
Jewish languages.
The synagogue is the Jewish place of worship, but it is also used as a
place to study, and often a community centre too. Every synagogue
contains an Ark, which is a special cupboard where the Torah scrolls are
kept. In some synagogues men and women sit separately, and everyone
has their head covered. Jewish men always wear hats when they are
saying prayers which mention God’s name.
Islam is the second largest religion in the world with over 1 billion followers.
Around 2.7% of people living in the UK are Muslim. The word Islam means to
submit to the will of God. Muslims believe that Islam was revealed over 1400
years ago in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
The Arabic word for God is Allah. Muslims believe that there is only one God.
They believe that Allah created and rules everything. For Muslims Allah has
always existed and always will, Allah knows everything, Allah can’t be seen
and Allah rewards and punishes fairly. Muslims worship only Allah because
only Allah is worthy of worship.
Muslims worship in a building called a mosque. Outside every mosque is a
place where worshippers can take their shoes off. There is also a place
where they can wash before prayer. The main hall of the mosque is a bare
room. There are no pictures as Muslims think it is wrong to have images of
Allah. Everyone sits on the floor and men/women are usually separated.
The Qur’an is the holy book for Muslims. It contains 114 chapters which are
written in Arabic. It is treated with great respect as Muslims believe it is the
sacred words of Allah. When it is being read Muslims are quiet and do not eat or
drink. They would also usually wash their hands before touching the book and
use a special stand to make sure that it doesn’t touch the floor. When Muslims
have a Qur’an at home it is put at the highest place above all other books.
Christianity is the most popular religion with over 2 million followers across
the world. Around 42 million people in the UK are Christian. Christians
believe that Jesus is the son of God and that he was sent to earth to save
humans from sin. One of the most important beliefs is that Jesus died on
the cross so humans could be forgiven by God.
Christians believe that there is only one God. They ay that God is perfect
and knows everything. God created the universe and is everywhere. They
believe that God loves everyone and humans can get to know God through
prayer, worship and love. Christians see God as a Trinity of Father, Son and
Holy Spirit.
Christians worship in Churches. The word Church means assembly.
Christians used to meet secretly to worship God and they used symbols like
the fish to recognise each other. This was because if they were caught they
could be put to death. Today there are also special large churches called
Cathedrals.
The Bible is not just one book, but an entire library, with stories, songs,
poetry, letters and history. It is treated with great respect and Christians use
the stories and teachings within to help guide their lives, following the
example of Jesus.