Download Religions of the Middle East

Religions of the Middle East
Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are three important religions
that began in the Middle East. All three religions teach
monotheism, a belief in one God.
Judaism
 followers are called Jews (Hebrew language)
 Abraham began practicing it around 2000 B.C.
 it is the oldest of the three religions
 name for God is Jehovah or Yahweh
 its holy books are the Torah (Old Testament) which
contains The Ten Commandments and the Talmud which
contains other laws
 Moses is considered a great leader / Jerusalem is holy city /
place of worship is a synagogue or temple
 Basic beliefs: Obedience to the Torah and the Ten
Commandments; obey Jewish traditions such as
forgiveness, charity, keeping kosher, “holiness” and ritual
holidays; believe the “messiah” is yet to come; afterlife
earned through obedience to Torah and Talmud
Christianity
 followers are called Christians
 developed from Judaism approx. 2000 years later
 began with teachings from Jesus Christ around 33 A.D.
 name of God is Jesus Christ
 its holy book is the Bible (Old and New Testament)
 Paul is considered a great leader / Jerusalem, Bethlehem,
and Rome (Catholics) are holy cities / place of worship is a
church
 Basic Beliefs: Jesus Christ is the Son of God and
“messiah/savior”; obedience to the Ten Commandments;
practice repentance, grace, forgiveness, baptism, and the
Holy Spirit; afterlife earned through being “born again”
Islam
 followers are called Muslims (Arabic language)
 founded in Saudi Arabia by an Arab leader named
Muhammad around 600 A.D.
 name for God is Allah; holy book is the Koran (Arabic)
 Saladin and Suleiman the Magnificant are considered great
leaders
 holy cities are Mecca, Medina, and Jerusalem
 place of worship is called a mosque
 Basic Beliefs: Muhammad was God’s messenger; Practice
Five Pillars of Islam: declaration of faith, daily prayer,
fasting for Ramadan, charity to the poor, and pilgrimage to
Mecca; afterlife earned through righteous works