Download Religions of Europe - Effingham County Schools

European Religions
 Three major religions in
Europe
 Christianity, Judaism, and
Islam
 All 3 are monotheistic
Judaism… Major Beliefs
 In one true god, God that is allknowing, all-powerful, and present
everywhere
 They are God’s “chosen people”
 God will send a Messiah, or savior
to save them
 Sometimes called the “children of
Israel” in the Bible

Judaism… Holy books
 Torah or Pentateuch the Five Books of Moses
(what Christians call the Old Testament)
 Within the Torah, God gave the Jewish people
through Moses the Ten Commandments (The
laws of God)
Judaism… Houses of Worship
 Jewish people
worship in a
synagogue (means
meeting place)
 Prayer is lead by a
rabbi, or teacher
 The Sabbath for
Jews begins at
sundown on Friday
night
Jewish
people
living in
Europe in
2005
Top countries in 2002:
France
UK
Russia
Ukraine
Germany
Belarus
Belgium
Hungary
Spain
Judaism… Founder
 Founder of Judaism is Abraham
 Lived in what is now known as Iraq
 According to Jewish belief, God told Abraham
to leave his homeland and mover where God
told him. He would also make Abraham the
father of a great nation
 Abraham then traveled to what is now known
as Israel
Islam… Major Beliefs
 One god, Allah
 Muhammad is the Islamic prophet
 A person who practices Islam is a Muslim
 Five Pillars of Islam
 Profession of faith (there is only one god, Allah)
 Prayers (5 times at certain times towards Mecca)
 Giving of alms (charitable giving)
 Fasting (during Ramadan)
 Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca)
Islam… Holy Books
 Koran or Quaran
 However, view
Torah and New
Testament as
holy books too
Islam… Houses of
Worship
 Mosque
 Friday is the Sabbath day
 Religious leaders- imams
Islam… Founder
 Muhammad- the last and greatest prophet
 Also view Abraham, Moses, and Jesus as
great teachers BUT Muhammad is the
greatest (closest to perfection)!
 Received revelations from Allah through an
angel, Gabriel the arch-angel
 Put the revelations in the Koran
Islam… Location(s)
in
 RussiaEurope
 The Balkans (close to the “Middle East”)
 Albania
 Bosnia and Herzegovina
 Bulgaria
 Greece
 Kosovo (disputed independence)
 Macedonia
 Montenegro
 Croatia
 Serbia
 Slovenia
 Romania
 Turkey
Christianity…Major
Beliefs
 Second oldest religion
 Only one god, God sent his son, Jesus who
Christians call Messiah or Christ
 Only way to get to heaven is through Jesus
 Christians and Jews share many of the same
beliefs
 Early Christians were Jews, as was Jesus
Christianity…Holy
 Easter- celebrates the resurrection of Jesus
Daysabout the same time as the Jewish
(celebrated
Passover)
 Christmas- celebrates the birth of Jesus
 Sabbath day is Sunday
Christianity… Holy
 The Bible- both
books
the Old and New
Testament
 New Testamentare the teachings
of Jesus and
his followers,
the Disciples
Christianity… Houses of
worship
 Place of worship is called a
church
 Person who leads the
congregation is called a pastor,
priest, or minister
Christianity…
Founder
 Jesus is the true founder
 Paul of Tarsus– transformed the
faith from a branch of Judaism
into a full-fledged religion
 Helped spread Christianity
throughout the Roman Empire
Christianity… primary
locations in Europe
 Largest religion in Europe
 Mainly divided into 3 different
sects:
 Roman Catholic or Catholic
 Eastern Orthodox
 Protestant
Catholicism
 Largest branch of Christianity
 The Pope is Christ’s representative
on Earth
 Center of the Catholic church is in
Rome and it is called the Vatican
Eastern Orthodox
 Officially split from Roman
Catholicism in the 11th century
 Found mostly in Greece, Eastern
Europe, and Russia
 Do not follow the Pope or his
“rules” but have their own leaders
called Patriarchs
Protestant
 Began in the 16th century with Martin Luther
nailing his 99 theses on the door of the
Catholic church (he was a Catholic monk)
 Many churches are included in this group:
Baptist, Lutherans, Presbyterians,
Methodists, Pentecostals, Quakers,
Calvinists, and others
 Do not follow the Pope’s leadership or a
patriarch