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MAJOR WORLD
RELIGIONS
UNIT FOUR
RELIGION
• A belief in a supernatural power or powers that are
regarded as the creators and maintainers of the
universe
THE FIVE MAJOR WORLD RELIGIONS
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Christianity
Islam
Hinduism
Buddhism
Judaism
ABRAHAMIC RELIGIONS
• Abrahamic religions are the monotheistic (belief in
one God) faiths of West Asian origin, emphasizing
and tracing their common origin to Abraham or
recognizing a spiritual tradition identified with him
JUDAISM
• Began in 2,000 BC in the Middle East
• Moses was the main founder of Judaism, but Jews
trace their history back to Abraham
• Major Beliefs:
• There is only one God
• They have a special agreement or covenant with
God.
• In exchange for all the good that God has done
for them, Jewish people keep God's laws and try
to bring holiness into every aspect of their lives and
to the world
• God revealed his laws to his people through Moses
and the Ten Commandments
JUDAISM
• The Jewish holy book is
the Torah
• Jews worship in
Synagogues and a Jewish
religious leader is called a
Rabbi (“teacher)
• There are currently over
13 million followers of
Judaism, most of whom
live in Israel
CHRISTIANITY
• Christianity was heavily influenced by Judaism, except
Jews did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah (savior)
• Christianity is focused on the life and teachings of Jesus
Christ, who Christians believe to be the Son of God. Jesus
was born in Bethlehem in the Middle East over 2000 years
ago.
• Major Beliefs:
• There is only one God
• Jesus Christ died for the sins of humankind
• Salvation comes from faith in the Holy Trinity (God the
Father, God the Son, Holy Spirit)
CHRISTIANITY
• The Christian holy book is the Bible and their place of
worship is a Church
• Today, there are over 2 billion followers of Christianity
and it is the largest religion in the world
• Branches of Christianity:
• Roman Catholic
• Eastern Orthodox
• Protestants
ISLAM
• The word 'Islam' in Arabic means “submission to the will
of God”
• Muslims believe that Islam was revealed over 1,400 years
ago in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, through a man called
Muhammad
• Major Beliefs:
• Followers of Islam are called Muslims. Muslims believe
there is one true God, “Allah” (the Arabic word for
“God”)
• Muhammad is believed by Muslims to be the last
prophet sent by God
• Muslims follow the five basic Pillars of Islam.
• The Five Pillars of Islam:
1. Shahada - The declaration of
faith
2. Salat – Pray five times a day
towards Mecca
3. Zakah - Giving money to
charity
4. Sawm - Fasting
5. Hajj - Pilgrimage to Mecca at
least once in a lifetime
• The Muslim holy book is called the
Qur’an and Muslims worship in
Mosques
• Today, Islam is the second largest
religion in the world and has over
one billion followers
ISLAM
HINDUISM
• Hindus are polytheistic (the
belief in many gods)
• The religion dates back over
4,000 years and there is no
known founder
“AUM”
• Hinduism is made up of a
variety of different religious
beliefs and practices which
originated near the river Indus
in India.
• The name 'Hindu' comes from
the word Indus.
HINDUISM
• Major Beliefs:
• Belief in a supreme God Brahman,
the universal soul, which is found in
everything. Brahman is worshipped in
a variety of forms, including Vishnu,
Krishna, Rama, Shiva, etc.
• Life is a cycle of birth, death, and
rebirth (Reincarnation)
• Every action has an effect and there
is a cause for everything. This is
called the law of Karma. Hindus
believe that the soul passes through
a cycle of lives and that the next life
is dependent on how the previous
life was lived.
HINDUISM
• Major Beliefs:
• Atman is the spirit or soul of a person, which most
Hindus believe is eternal
• The goal of life is to realize that your atman is the same
as Brahman and thereby reach Moksha, or
Enlightenment (liberation; perfect understanding and
wisdom)
• Three Main Deities (gods):
1. Brahma – the Creator
2. Vishnu – the Protector
3. Shiva – the Destroyer
HINDUISM
• The Caste System:
• A system of social organization in India
once used to separate the different
classes of Hindus
1. Brahmins – teachers, priests
2. Kshatriyas – warriors, nobles
3. Vaishyas – farmers, merchants,
businessmen
4. Shudras – servants, laborers
• Untouchables – outside the caste
system due to being the lowest
members of society (gravediggers,
garbage collectors)
HINDUISM
• The main scripture of
Hinduism is the Vedas, a
collection a hymns praising
the gods
• Puja (worship) takes place
in the Mandir (temple)
• Hinduism is the world’s third
largest religion with over
900 million followers
• Most Hindus live in India
BUDDHISM
• Buddhism started in India over 2,500 years ago.
• Siddhattha Gotama (Siddhartha), later to become the
Buddha (“the awakened one”), lived in the 5th century
BC and was a prince born into a rich family. He had an
easy life, living in what is now Nepal. However, when he
saw the suffering of old age, sickness and death, he
decided to renounce his life in the palace and live
among the holy men of the day in search of truth and
enlightenment. His search took him six years, but he
became enlightened while meditating under a Bodhi
tree.
• Siddhartha dedicated his life to spreading his teachings.
BUDDHISM
• Major Beliefs:
• The Buddha is not
considered a god by his
followers
• There is no supreme god or
deity in Buddhism
(Nontheistic)
• The essence of Buddhism is
the attainment of
enlightenment (ultimate
truth and wisdom)
• It points to a way of life that
avoids self-indulgence and
self-denial
BUDDHISM
• Eightfold Path:
• Five Moral Precepts:
1. No harming living things
2. No taking what is not given
3. No sexual misconduct
4. No lying or gossip
5. No taking intoxicating substances
BUDDHISM
• When Buddhists meditate, they focus
on awakening to truth as the Buddha
did.
• In Buddhist countries, there are many
temples where people can make
offerings of flowers and incense for
the shrine and food for the monks
• There is no holy book in Buddhism
• Today, Buddhism is mainly found in
East Asia and has almost 400 million
followers