Download Supplemental Ethnic Religions PPT

Ethnic Religions
Hinduism
Confucianism
Daoism (Taoism)
Shintoism
Judaism
Animism / shamanism
Hinduism
Origins in the early beliefs of the Aryans; comes
from the Vedas—collection of hymns and religious
ceremonies that were passed down orally then
written
Developed a belief in reincarnation—a belief that an
individual is reborn into a different form after death
After numerous existences the soul reaches
Brahman (oneness with god). This is the goal of
every Hindu.
Karma is important in the achievement of the goal.
Karma is the force generated by a persons actions.
Leads to their presence in the next life
Karma is ruled by dharma or divine law. It requires
that people do their duty Yoga helps achieve
Brahman
Many ordinary Indians had
difficulties relating so that led to
creation of more gods. There a
hundreds of Hindu gods but the
three main ones are: Brahma, the
Creator, Vishnu the Preserver and
Siva the Destroyer & Protector.
Hindus regard the multitude of gods
as expressions of the one: Brahma
Brahma
Siva
Vishnu
There is no rigid approach to theological
matters
Individuals decide the best way to worship
god
No central authority or holy book, they do
have the Vedas
Vaishnavism—Vishnu—loving god
incarnated as Krishna (68% some east,
west, some south)
Sivaism—Siva—(27% north and south)
Shaktism—worship dedicated to female
consorts of Siva and Vishnu—(north and
east
Tirtha—in Hinduism, a place made
sacred through association with a
deity or saint.
Mt. Kailas(h)
Mouth of Ganges
Holy
The Chinese Philosophies
Hindus and Buddhists focus on the
freeing of the human soul from
reincarnation—Chinese thought
focuses on the natural world and
maintaining order within
From the Hearth of Huang He
(Yellow) River Valley
Confucianism –
originated in China about 2500 years ago
* real meaning of life lay in the present
founder: Confucius
sacred text: “Confucian Classics”
diffusion: East Asia, Southeast Asia
Confucianism
Founder, Confucius born in 551 BC, wanted to be
political advisor but couldn’t find a patron
Dissatisfied with moral decay and violence of his
age
Began to travel China in an attempt to get political
leaders to follow his ideas
Few listened at the time but a small group of
followers recorded his sayings in the “Analects”
and spread the message
Almost every Chinese pupil studied these sayings
until the late 20th century making his Confucianism
an important part of Chinese culture and history
Interest was solely political and ethical not spiritual
Beliefs
Believed it was better to assume there was order in
the universe and be concerned with ordering the
world
Universe was created in such a way that if humans
would act in harmony their own affairs would
prosper—much of his concern was with human
behavior—one must behave in accordance with the
Dao
Two elements of the Dao: duty and humanity, duty
is making one’s own needs subordinate to the
needs of the greater unit such as family or
community; humanity is as having a sense of
compassion and empathy
The Five Constant
Relationships
» Ruler to Subject
» Father to Son
» Husband to Wife
» Elder Brother to
Younger Brother
» Friend to Friend
From the Hearth of Huang He
(Yellow) River Valley
Daoism –
originated in China more than 2500 years ago
* oneness of humanity and nature
founder: Lao-Tsu
sacred text: “Book of the Way”
social manifestation: Feng Shui
diffusion: East Asia
Daoism
System of ideas based on Laozi (debate
whether he actually existed)
Ideas became popular in 5th and 4th
century BC
Main ideas discussed in the work “Tao Te
Ching” (The way of the Dao)
Like Confucianism, doesn’t concern itself
with universe
True way to follow the will of heaven is to
do nothing
Cosmogony-beliefs concerning the
origin of the universe
Yin and Yang—believe that the
universe is made up of two forces
which exist in everything
Yin—earth, darkness, female, cold,
depth, passivity and death
Yang—heaven, light, male, heat,
height, activity, and life
Shintoism
Ancients considered forces of nature divine
Transmitted orally until Chinese writing in
5th century facilitated recording
Gradually deceased emperors and
ancestors became more important deities
Meiji (1868-1912) made it state religion and
deified himself
After WWII made Hirohito renounce himself
Still thrives although no longer state
religion
Over 80,000 shrines
Buddhism
is mixed with local religions in some places. In Japan, Buddhism is
mixed with the local religion, Shintoism.
Shinto Shrine
In Kyoto, Japan,
this Shinto shrine
is visible after
walking through a
torii – a gateway
usually formed by
two wooden posts
and topped by two
horizontal beams.
From the Hearth of the
Eastern Mediterranean
Judaism –
originated in Southwest Asia about 4000 years ago.
* first major monotheistic religion, covenant
between
God (one God) and Abraham (the chosen people)
sacred text: Torah
founder: Abraham
sacred sites: Jerusalem (Western Wall), land
between
the Mediterranean and the Jordan River
social manifestation: Zionism
diffusion: into European cities during the diaspora,
into N. America during WWII, into Israel over
center is Yahweh—creator of the world and all that’s in it
involved with people and expected goodness from them
God of mercy and love but would punish
possible to have personal relationship
was eternal, transcendent and fully sovereign (rules all and
subject to nothing) marks break in near eastern traditions
removal of gods from nature—necessary prerequisite to
scientific thought
Hebrews were concerned with God’s will, feelings of the
heart, and righteous behavior
12 tribes—Judah
Assyria—forced diaspora
Romans—forced diaspora again
Unlike other near eastern gods,
Yahweh was not driven by lust or
motivated by evil
According to the Hebrew scriptures:
“The Lord is gracious and
compassionate, slow to anger and
rich in love. The Lord is good to all;
he has compassion on all he has
made. “ Psalm 145:8