Download Notes on Religion for Teachers

Religion and Symbols
Judaism
Islam
Christianity
Sikhism
God, Language & Holy
Book
Adonai
Hebrew
Torah / TeNaKh
Basic Beliefs
Place of Worship & Leader
Other
Live a good life according
to Torah.
Keep Sabbath day
“Shabbat” holy.
Kosher diet.
Synagogue
Rabbi
God of Abraham
Holy Day (Sabbath):
sundown on Friday to
sundown on Saturday
Jerusalem is holy city.
Major Groups: Orthodox,
Conservative, Reformed
God of Abraham
Holy Day: Friday
3 holiest cities in order of
importance: Mecca,
Medina, Jerusalem
Major Groups: Sunni and
Shi’ite
Allah
Arabic
Koran / Q’uran
Five Pillars of Faith;
Living according to God’s
guidance by way of Koran.
Mosque
Imam
Yahweh
No sacred language
Bible
Trinity, Jesus’ divinity,
Salvation through Jesus
Baptism
Sacraments
Church
Minister, Pastor, Preacher,
Priest
Holy day is Sunday
Major Groups: Roman
Catholic, Orthodox,
Protestant
Worship one God
No one sacred language
Guru Granth Sahib
All are created equal
be honest, share with
others, remember God
everyday5 K’s = Kara
(bracelet to remind one of
the need for good deeds),
Kirpan (sword shows that
Sikhs protect the weak),
Kachhera (long
underpants represent
need for self discipline),
Kesh (uncut hair symbol of
Gurdwara
Any Sikh can lead the
worship service, but there
are very devout Sikhs who
can guide you called Gurus
No particular holy day.
No major groups.
Sikhism started in Punjab,
India, 5th largest world
religion.
There is a free
community kitchen called
a langar in every
Gurdwara. Anyone can
Hinduism
The many gods of
Hinduism are aspects of
Brahman, the genderless,
sexless, formless divine.
Some famous Hindu gods:
Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva
No specific holy language
Holy books: Vedas,
Upanishads, BhagavadGita
faith), Kanga (comb
represents importance of
cleanliness), Turbans are
worn to keep long hair
tidy and to let others
know the wearer is Sikh
For many Hindus, religion
is a matter of practice
rather than of beliefs. It's
more what you do, than
what you believe. Hindus
believe in a universal soul
or God called Brahman.
Brahman takes on many
forms that some Hindus
worship as gods or
goddesses in their own
right. Hindus believe that
there is a part of Brahman
in everyone and this is
called the Atman. Hindus
believe in reincarnation - a
belief that the soul is
eternal and lives many
lifetimes, in one body
after another. The soul is
sometimes born in a
human body, sometimes
in an animal body and
sometimes in a plant body
etc.. Hindus believe that
all forms of life contain a
soul, and all souls have
the chance to experience
get food there.
Hindus worship at altars
called MANDIRS. You can
have one at home or they
are also in temples.
There are no specific
worship leaders, but gurus
can guide you in your
study of the scripture.
Hindus can worship at any
time, alone or in a group,
so there is no specific holy
day.
The spiritual goal of a
Hindu is to become one
with Brahman. This
freedom is referred to as
moksha. Until moksha is
achieved, a Hindu believes
that he/she will be
repeatedly reincarnated in
order that he/she may
work towards it.
life in different forms.
Samsara means going
through the cycle of
repeated births and
deaths (reincarnation).
Hindus believe that
existence of this cycle is
governed by your Karma
(whether you did more
good than bad deeds in
your past lives).
Buddhism
Most Buddhists do not
believe that the Buddha
was a god. He was a
human being just like
them. They believe that he
was important because he
gained Enlightenment, and
he chose to teach other
people how to reach it too.
No sacred language.
Holy book: Tripitaka
Buddhist believe that the
Buddha saw the truth
about what the world is
like. They believe that
nothing in the world is
perfect, and that the
Buddha found the answer
to why it is like this.
One important belief
involves reincarnation: the
concept that one must go
through many cycles of
birth, living, and death.
After many such cycles, if
a person releases their
attachment to desire and
the self, they can attain
Nirvana - a state of
Buddhist temples come in
many shapes. Perhaps the
best known are the
pagodas of China and
Japan. Another typical
Buddhist building is the
Stupa (upside down bowl
shape). All Buddhist
temples contain an image
or a statue of Buddha.
Buddhists do not need a
priest to lead them in
worship. But there are
certain Buddhists who
devote their lives to
Buddhism called monks
and nuns. The monks
sometimes guide other
No specific holy day.
Major Groups:
Theravada, Mahayana and
Zen Buddhists
liberation and freedom
from suffering.
At the heart of the
Buddha's teaching lie The
Four Noble Truths and
The Eightfold Path which
lead the Buddhist towards
the path of
Enlightenment.
Buddhists.