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Name: Class: P9.03 Project: “Food for Thought” World Religions Cribsheet Hinduism History and Core Beliefs Hinduism is the oldest religion; it may date to prehistoric times. It was founded in India and developed out of the religion of Brahminism. Hinduism has no founder and it is not considered a single religion. Hinduism is the practices of a variety of different religious groups that come out of India. 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 in reincarnation – the cycle of repeated births and deaths. They also believe in Karma – our incarnation in this life is dependent on how the previous life was lived. The spiritual goal of a Hindu is to achieve Moksha – to become one with Brahma through knowledge, meditation and devotion. Sacred Text The most ancient sacred texts of the Hindu religion are written in the language of Sanskrit and are called the Vedas. Hinduism does not have one sacred book but several scriptures. The word Vedas means knowledge and these scriptures are the law. Most beliefs, concepts, and ceremonies are based on information in the Vedas. They are considered as a guide to Hindus daily lives and they help to preserve the religious dimensions of family and society. The four Vedas are: Rigveda, Yajur-Veda, Sami-Veda and Atharva-Veda. The books are so special that they are often kept in glass cases. Festivals The main festival in Hinduism is Diwali - ‘festival of light’. This celebrates the New Year and is India’s most important holiday. Diwali celebrates the rescue of Prince Rama and his wife, Sita who are banished from their home by the King. Their community lit oil lamps to guide Rama and Sita back home. Diwali is a celebration of how good wins over evil and lights are used to symbolise this. Celebrations last for five days and consist of visits to temples, exchanges of traditional gifts of sweets and candles, decorating homes in bright colours and fireworks. Food and Dietary Requirements Many Hindus will not eat meat, especially beef. This is because Hindu beliefs emphasise the importance of living in harmony with nature and having mercy, respect and compassion for all creatures. Also, Hindus divide food into three categories, based on how they enhance or hinder spiritual development. Tamasic foods are considered heavy and depressive and include meat and heavy cheese. Rajasic foods are hot and spicy and can lead to a state of anger and hate. Sattvic foods are supposed to help unfold love and compassion, these include fruits, fresh yoghurt and leafy greens. © Enabling Enterprise | All rights reserved | www.enablingenterprise.org Name: Class: P9.03 Project: “Food for Thought” World Religions Cribsheet Islam History and Core Beliefs Islam is the second most popular religion in the world with over a billion followers. It is more often thought of as a complete way of life rather than a religion. Islam began in Arabia and was revealed to humanity by the Prophet Muhammad. Those who follow Islam are called Muslims. Islam is mainly followed in the Middle East, Asia, and the north of Africa. Muslims have six main beliefs: belief in Allah as the one and only God; belief in angels; belief in the holy books, belief in the Prophets; belief in the Day of Judgement and belief in Predestination. They follow the five Pillars of Islam – five duties they are obliged to perform. These are: Shahadah – declaration of faith; Salah – prayer; Zakat – giving to charity; Saum – fasting during Ramadam; Hajj – pilgrimage to Mecca Sacred Text The Muslim scripture is the Holy Qur’an. Muslims believe it is ‘the word of God’. Muslims treat the Qur’an with great respect because they believe that the Qur’an is from Allah, and every word and every letter is sacred. It is usually placed on a special wooden stand to be read. The words of the Qur’an are used to decorate the mosques where Muslims go to worship Allah. Festivals Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, and a time when Muslims across the world will fast during the hours of daylight. During Ramadan, Muslims celebrate the time when the verses of the Qur’an were revealed to the Prophet Muhammad. It is a time of worship and contemplation, a time to strengthen family and community ties. Muslims get up before dawn to have a light meal. At the end of each day Muslims break their fast with a meal called the iftar. Eid marks the breaking of the fast for Muslims at the end of Ramadan. Lasting for three days, it is a time for family and friends to get together, for celebrating with good food and presents for children, and giving to charity. Food and Dietary Requirements Muslims do not drink alcohol and they do not eat meat that is not slaughtered in the name of Allah. They believe this because it is commanded by Allah, who decreed some foods halal (allowed) and some haram (forbidden). Obedience to this is a matter of faith. Overeating is heartily discouraged and healthy, naturally grown food is ideal. © Enabling Enterprise | All rights reserved | www.enablingenterprise.org Name: Class: P9.03 Project: “Food for Thought” World Religions Cribsheet Buddhism History and Core Beliefs Buddhism began in Northeastern India and is based on the teachings of Siddhartha Guatama. The religion is 2500 years old and is followed by 350 million Buddhists worldwide. Buddhism is a religion about suffering and the need to get rid of it. Buddhists believe in a cycle of birth, life and death and rebirth and so on. They believe that unless someone gains Enlightenment, they will not break out of this cycle. Breaking the cycle is called Nirvana, this is a state of perfect peace, free of suffering. Buddhists try to reach Nirvana by following Buddha’s teachings and by meditating. Sacred Text The sacred book of Buddhism is called the Tripitaka. This is a very large book that and the English translation is nearly forty volumes long. The book is divided into three sections (three baskets of wisdom): Vinaya Pitaka – a rule book for monks and nuns; Sutta Pitaka – the actual experiences of Buddha; Abhidhamma Pitaka – an explanation on the teaching of Buddha. Parts of the Tripitaka are among the most expressive religious books in the world. Some of Buddha’s parables are very similar to those used by Jesus. Festivals The main Buddhist festival of the year is Buddha Day/Wesak/Vaiskha, the celebration of the Buddha’s birth, enlightenment and death. The festival is a celebration of much colour. Homes are decorated and lanterns are made of paper or wood. Buddhists also visit their local temples for services and teachings, and give offerings to monks. Some Buddhist festivals are special to particular countries, such as Losar, the most important Buddhist holiday in Tiber celebrating the Tibetan New Year, or Hanna Matsuri, a Japanese celebration of the Budha’s birthday. Food and Dietary Requirements There are no set dietary laws in Buddhism and no clear distinction between permitted and forbidden foods. Therefore, there is a great deal of diversity in Buddhist practice. They believe in reincarnation and that the soul may at some point inhabit an animal, thus they abstain from killing living creatures. Also, the Buddha exhorted followers to stay away from the ‘five pungent spices’ – onions, garlic, scallions, chives and leeks – as cooked they are said to intensify desires, and raw, increase anger. © Enabling Enterprise | All rights reserved | www.enablingenterprise.org Name: Class: P9.03 Project: “Food for Thought” World Religions Cribsheet Christianity Sacred Text The Bible is the Christian holy book and is divided into the Old and New Testaments. The Old Testament is the collection of religious writings by the ancient Israelites that form the first section of Christian Bibles. The books included in the Old Testament varies markedly between Christian denominations. The New Testament is a collection of 27 works written by early disciples of Jesus. They consist of the ‘gospels’ - four narratives of the life, teachings, death and resurrection of Jesus; the ‘Acts of the Apostles’ – a narrative of the Apostles ministries; the ‘epistles’ – twenty one letters consisting of Christian doctrine and instruction; and the ‘Book of Revelation’ which is a book of prophecy about the end times. Festivals The two main Christian festivals are Easter and Christmas. They are major milestones in the Western secular (non-religious) calendar. Christmas is a Christian holy day that marks the birth of Jesus, as described in the New Testament. The eve of Christmas is marked by a midnight church service and followed by a day of celebration and exchanging presents. Today, Christmas is a largely secular holiday with many seeing as a time to celebrate with friends and family. Easter is the holiday that celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ as described in the New Testament. In preparation for Easter is the 40 day period of repentance and fasting known as Lent. This ends on Easter Sunday, a particularly joyous day marked by a church service and the exchanging of chocolate eggs Food and Dietary Requirements For some Christians, eating habits are not affected – though some will choose be vegetarians, usually for moral reasons. Traditionally, on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday and all Fridays in Lent Catholics would not eat meat. These acts of self-denial and penance are in observance of divine law that each person should turn from sin and make reparation to God for their sins. History and Core Beliefs Christianity is the world’s biggest religion, with about 2.2 billion followers worldwide. It is based on the teachings of Jesus Christ who lived in the Holy Land 2000 years ago. Christians are people who believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and he rose from the dead and appeared to his disciples to show everyone that there is another life with one, eternal, loving God. They only believe in one God, but that one God consists of 3 ‘persons’: The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit. Christian worship involves praising God in music, speech, reading from scripture, prayers of various sorts, a sermon and various holy ceremonies © Enabling Enterprise | All rights reserved | www.enablingenterprise.org Name: Class: P9.03 Project: “Food for Thought” World Religions Cribsheet Sikhism History and Core Beliefs Sikhism is one of the world’s youngest religions being founded just over 500 years ago. Despite being so young, it is the fifth largest religion in the world with over 20 million followers. Guru Nanak is the founder of Sikhism. The core beliefs are: There is one God, men and women are equal, people should meditate, live honestly and share with others. The five articles of faith are called the Panj Kakkar. These are worn to display the commitment to their beliefs and they are: Kesh – uncut hair, Kangha – comb, Kara – steel bracelet, Kirpan – sword, Kaccha – soldier’s shorts. Sacred Text The Sikh Scripture is called Guru Granth Sahib. It is a collection of teachings and writings by Guru Nanak and other Gurus as well as Sikh, Hindu and Muslim saints. This scripture teaches through divine poetry that is set to a formal system of Sikh classical music. It is kept under a special canopy in the Sikh place of worship – the Gurdwara. Sikhs take off their shoes in the presence of the holyscriptures. At every festival, the scriptures are read continuously from beginning to end, this takes about 48 hours. Festivals Hola Mohalla is a time for contests when Sikhs show their skills at athletics, horsemanship and martial arts. It occurs in February or March each year. Baisakhi Day in April celebrates the New Year and is the day Sikhs are baptized into their faith. Guru Nanak’s birthday is celebrated each October and the Guru Granth Sahib is carried through the streets by five men. Foods and Dietary Requirements The Sikhs do not have many strict rules regarding food but many choose to be vegetarians. As Sikhism orginated in India many Sikhs still follow traditional Indian methods of cooking. Their meals may include foods such as: Roti - a flat and round type of wholemeal bread, Daal – a cooked pulse or lentil, and Paneer – specially prepared cheese cubes. Similarly, their sweet dishes often follow traditional Indian cooking, using ingredients such as milk, sugar and ghee (a type of oil). © Enabling Enterprise | All rights reserved | www.enablingenterprise.org Name: Class: P9.03 Project: “Food for Thought” World Religions Cribsheet Judaism History and Core Beliefs Judaism is the oldest of the world’s four biggest monotheistic religions (religions with only one god). It is also the smallest, with only about 12 million followers around the world. Jewish history begins with the covenant established between God and Abraham over 3800 years ago in Israel. Jews believe that there is a single God who not only created the universe, but with whom every Jew can have an individual and personal relationship. Moses is also an important figure as he gave the Jews the Torah (holy book) that contains the laws of God. The most important day of the week is the Sabbath, which is a day made holy by refraining from work, including driving and cooking. On the Sabbath, Jews attend services at the synagogue, often led by a Rabbi. Sacred Text The most holy Jewish book is the Torah. This contains the five books revealed to Moses by God on Mount Sinai, these are: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. No one is allowed to touch the Torah, so a special pointer called a yad is used to follow words when reading it. Portions of the Torah are read publically at least once every three days and this is one of the bases for Jewish communal life. Festivals Passover is celebrated to commemorate the liberation of the Children of Israel who were led out of slavery in Egypt by Moses. It is a major eight day festival. A highlight is the Seder meal held in each family’s home at the beginning of the festival, when the story of their deliverance is recounted. Matzah (unleavened bread) is eaten throughout the festival, as are other foods that contain no leaven. Another important festival is Hanukkah - the Jewish festival of Lights. It is an eight day holiday that celebrates the miraculous victory over religious persecution in the Holy Land and also commemorates the re-dedication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem and the miracle of the burning oil. Each day Jews will light a candle on a Menorah and give a blessing. Food and Dietary Requirements Jews do not eat pork or shellfish and they do not eat meat and dairy in the same meal. This is because the Torah says no. Fruits and vegetables must be washed to ensure a lack of insects. Three hours must be allowed between eating meat and dairy. Popular Jewish foods include: Challah – braided egg bread; Gefilte fish – a stuffed fish, filled with a mixture of chopped fish, eggs, onions, crumbs and spices; bagels and cream cheese and lox (cured salmon) © Enabling Enterprise | All rights reserved | www.enablingenterprise.org