Download Name : Thematic Review: Religions Two types of religions: Poly

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Thematic Review: Religions
Two types of religions:
Polytheistic: religions that believe in many gods / spirits.
(poly = many)
Monotheistic: religions that believe in one god.
(mono = one)
I. Polytheistic Religions:
Religion
Founder
Holy Book
Where its
practiced
Main Beliefs
Animism
-
-
Africa
The term animism does not describe one religion. It
describes any number of belief systems that vary
depending on where you are. The thing animist
religions share in common is that they believe that
spirits inhabit all living and non-living things. Some
animist religions also believe that the spirits of
ancestors are still around and can influence events in
the present.
Hinduism
-
The Vedas
India
Hindus believe in thousands of gods. They believe
that all these gods come from one supreme being,
Brahman. So in a way, Hinduism is both monotheistic
and polytheistic at the same time.
The
Upanishads
The
Bhagavad
Gita
Some key concepts of Hinduism are:
Caste System: the idea that all people fit into four
castes, or social categories.
1.) Brahmins: these are the priests.
2.) Kysatriyas: these are the rulers and warriors.
3.) Vaisyas: these are commoners such as shop
owners and farmers.
4.) Sudras: these are people who perform the
“lowest” tasks in society.
The
Ramayana
Religion
Founder
Holy Book
Where its
Reincarnation: Hindus believe that when we die, we
are reborn into a new body. Depending on how you
lived your life, you will be either born into a higher
caste or a lower caste. If you live a perfect life, you
will achieve moksha, which is release from the cycle of
reincarnation and your soul being united with
Brahman.
Main Beliefs
practiced
Buddhism Siddartha
Gautama,
an Indian
prince.
Later called
“Buddha,”
which
means
“Enlightened
one.”
Many parts
of south
and east
Asia
In truth, Buddhism is not really a monotheistic or
polytheistic religion. It usually gets grouped under
polytheistic because some of Buddhism’s beliefs have
changed over time to include various gods and spirits.
(India,
China,
Korea,
Japan, etc.)
Buddha’s main teaching was the Four Noble Truths.
These are:
1.) All existence is suffering
2.) The cause of suffering is desire.
3.) To end desire is to end suffering.
4.) To end desire you must follow the Noble Eightfold
Path.
The Eightfold Path is a way to live your life that will
help you end all your worldly desires.
Like Hindus, Buddhists believe in reincarnation. They
believe that if you can truly eliminate all your worldly
desires and emotions, you will reach a state of
nirvana. Once you reach this state, you will be
released from the cycle of reincarnation, which means
you will free of suffering. It is similar to the Hindu
belief of moksha.
Buddhists also believe in karma. Karma refers to how
all your actions follow you around for the rest of your
life, and determine where you will be reborn into
society.
Shintoism
Japan
Shintoism is a religion that is native only to Japan. It is
a form of animism. Followers of Shinto believe that
spirits inhabit all things in nature, including inanimate
objects like trees and rocks. Followers of Shinto also
believe that the spirits of their ancestors still observe
and influence events that are occurring on Earth.
The terms Brahma, dharma, and moshka are most closely associated with which religion?
1. Judaism
3. Hinduism
2. Islam
4. animism
The Upanishads, the Ramayan, and the Bhagavad Gita are considered to be significant pieces of Indian
literature because they
1. provide guidelines for Hindu living and behavior
2. identify basic Buddhist principles
3. show the constant class struggle in Indian life
4. reflect the similarities between the Hindu and Muslim religions
“Just as a man, having cast off old garments, puts on others, even so does the embodied one, having cast off
old bodies, take on other, new ones.”
Which belief or practice is expressed in this quotation?
1. rigid class structure
2. monotheism
3. reincarnation
4. fasting and prayer
The religious terms Four Noble Truths, Eightfold Path, and nirvana are most closely associated with
1. Judaism
3. Shintoism
2. Islam
4. Buddhism
The Eightfold Path, the Four Noble Truths, and the concept of nirvana are associated with the religion of
1. Islam
3. Shinto
2. Jainism
4. Buddhism
Which action is most closely associated with polytheism?
1. praying in a synagogue
2. accepting the Eightfold Path
3. worshipping many gods
4. reading the Koran
A belief in animism is that
1. after death the soul is reborn in another human form
2. holy wars must be fought to gain entry into heaven
3. meditation leads followers to nirvana
4. spirits of nature inhabit all living and nonliving objects
One similarity between animism and Shinto is that people who follow these belief systems
1. practice filial piety
2. worship spirits in nature
3. are monotheistic
4. are required to make pilgrimages
One similarity between Japanese Shintoism and African animism is the belief that
1. everything in nature has a spirit and should be respected
2. only one God exists in the universe
3. people's moral conduct determines afterlife
4. religious statues should be erected to honor the gods
II. Monotheistic Religions
Religion
Founder
Holy Book
Where its
practiced
Main Beliefs
Judaism
Abraham
The Torah
All over,
originated
in the
Middle
East
Judaism is a religion that is concerned with
how to live an ethical life. The Torah lays out
many rules that Jews are supposed to follow
during their life. The most important are the
Ten Commandments.
Judaism can be divided into three categories,
and these categories refer to how strictly the
believers follow the rules set out in the Torah.
Orthodox Jews try to follow all the rules set
out in the Torah and are very strict. They
believe the Torah is the literal word of God.
Conservative Jews believe that the spiritual
laws of the Torah should always apply, but that
customs and rituals can be adapted to whatever
society they are living in.
Reformed Jews are the most permissive, and
believe that the Torah is not the literal word of
God, but must be interpreted by individual
believers. They also believe that customs and
rituals can be adapted to whatever society they
are living in.
Christianity Jesus Christ
The Bible
All over,
originated
in the
Middle
East
Christians believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of
God, and that he died to save mankind.
Like Judaism, Christ was concerned with
teaching about how to live a good life.
Christians divide the Bible into the Old
Testament and the New Testament. The Old
Testament is the same as the Torah. The New
Testament is stories about Christ’s life and
times, and believers are supposed to use those
stories as examples on how to live their life.
Islam
Muhammad The Qur’an
All over,
mostly the
Middle
East,
South
Asia, and
Southeast
Asia
Muslims believe that Muhammad is the last
messenger God sent to earth, and that he
received his messages through the Angel
Gabriel. Just like Judaism and Christianity,
Islam is about teaching followers how to live an
ethical life.
A common misconception about Islam is that
people worship Muhammad. This is not true.
He is seen as God’s messenger and a role
model, but does not have any divine qualities.
Muslims worship Allah, which is simply the
Arabic word for “God.”
Muslims’ main beliefs are the Five Pillars of
Islam.
1.) Profession of Faith: “There is no God but
God and Muhammad is his messenger.”
2.) Prayer: Muslims must pray five times a day
in the direction of Mecca.
3.) Giving Zakat: Zakat refers to giving money
to help the poor, needy, and sick.
4.) Fasting during Ramadan: during the
Muslim month of Ramadan, a Muslim does not
eat or drink during the day (sunup to
sundown). The idea is to test your faith and
show your spiritual purity.
5.) Hajj: The Hajj refers to a pilgrimage
(journey) all Muslims must make to Mecca at
least once in their life. (Mecca is where
Muhammad was born).
Practice Questions:
Judaism, Islam, and Christianity share a belief in
1. papal supremacy
2. teachings of the Koran (Quran)
3. reincarnation and the Four Noble Truths
4. an ethical code of conduct and monotheism
Christianity, Islam, and Judaism are similar in that they all ask their followers to
1. believe in reincarnation
2. strive for nirvana
3. follow a code of behavior
4. practice polytheism
One way in which the Eightfold Path and the Five Pillars of Faith are similar is that these rules
1. represent codes of behavior
2. restrict social mobility
3. stress the spiritual being in all natural objects
4. suggest a deep respect for nature and reincarnation
One similarity between the Five Pillars of Islam and the Ten Commandments is that both
1. support a belief in reincarnation
2. promote learning as a means to salvation
3. encourage the use of statues to symbolize God
4. provide a guide to proper ethical and moral behavior
Judaism, Islam, and Christianity share a belief in
1. papal supremacy
2. teachings on the Koran (Quran)
3. reincarnation and the Four Noble Truths
4. an ethical code of conduct and monotheism
- “Most Gracious, Most Merciful”
- “Master of the Day of Judgment”
- “Thee do we worship, and Thine aid we seek.”
This translated quotation from the Qur'an (Koran) refers to
1. Buddha
2. Shiva
3. Allah
4. Muhammad