Download 3 Religions

Grade 7 Religious Education
CHAPTER 3:
Living
Faiths in
the
World
HINDUISM
BUDDHISM
ISLAM (Muslim)
Traditional INNU
Hinduism originated around the Indus River in northwest
India, then spread throughout India.
India is home to 80%
of the world’s Hindus.
The other 20% is in
small pockets around
the world.
There are almost 800
million Hindus in
India alone and
several millions more
reside in countries all
over the world.
Ten Commitments of Hinduism:
1. Ahimsa - do no harm
2. Satya - do not lie
3. Asteya - do not steal
4. Brahmacharya - do not overindulge
5. Aparigraha - do not be greedy
6. Saucha - be clean
7. Santosha - be content
8. Tapas - be self-disciplined
9. Svadhyaya - study
10. Ishvara Pranidhana - surrender to God
What
should
this
remind
you of ?
Hindu society has long been controlled by the caste system, which binds
individuals to occupations and circles of social contact. Four major classes exist:
• Brahmin (priests)
• Kshatriya (warriors / rulers)
• Vaishya (merchants)
• Shudra (labourers / servants)
The rest are considered outcaste (untouchables). There are thousands of castes
within these divisions, even though caste barriers are officially (but ineffectively)
outlawed in India.
Hindu holy days and festivals follow a lunisolar calendar.
Dates vary from year to year. Examples include:
• Diwali. Known as the festival of lights, this commemorates the return of Lord
Rama from His exile in the forest. It is, for many traditions, a new-year celebration.
It takes place between late October and the middle of November.
• Dussehra. A celebration of good conquering evil, this festival lasts ten days and
takes place between late September and the middle of October.
• Holi. A spring festival to celebrate creation and renewal.
Hindu sacred texts: The Vedas and the Bhagavad Gita
Hindu Temples
There is no particular day of
worship in Hinduism. To Hindus,
every day is a day of worship.
The fundamental beliefs
shared by all Hindus are:
• the existence of One God: God is
One, but He manifests differently at
different times to different people
according to their need and faith.
• the Law of Karma: Whatever one
sows, one reaps. Karma puts the full
burden of one’s salvation on one’s own
shoulders. Good living bestows good
karma and bad living brings bad karma.
• the Cycle of Reincarnation: The soul
is indestructible, eternal, deathless.
Only the body decays. The soul takes
on a new body according to its karma.
The goal of all created beings is to
reach God and escape this endless
cycle of birth and death. This reaching
of God is called Moksha (Freedom).
The largest religious
gathering on Earth.
About 70 million
Hindus from around
the world participated
in Kumbh Mela at one
of the Hindu Holy
cities, Prayag, India.
There are 350 million Buddhists worldwide, concentrated in
three distinct areas of Asia:
•
Nepal and Tibet
•
Japan
•
Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia
Buddhism developed from Hinduism.
It was a protest against elements of the Hindu religion,
rejecting the caste system and the authority of the Vedas,
but keeping the ideas of karma, rebirth and liberation, which
Buddhists call Nirvana.
Buddhists do not worship gods. They believe that the path
to enlightenment is found by personal spiritual development.
Typically when worshiping in the home, a Buddhist will have a
Buddha statue, candles and an incense burner.
Founder of Buddhism: Siddhartha Gautama.
It is believed that he lived from 566 to 483 BCE.
He has several accepted titles:
• The
Buddha
• The Enlightened One
• The Awakened One
• God
Main sacred text: Tripitaka (The Three Baskets)
Buddhists believe in the Four Noble Truths:
1.
Life is Suffering. Human existence is painful. Death does not bring an end
to suffering because of the cycle of death and rebirth.
2.
Suffering is caused by craving and attachment. Selfish cravings and
attachments are the cause of our suffering.
3.
Craving and attachment can be overcome. Completely transcending
selfish craving ceases suffering and allows one to enter the state of Nirvana.
4.
The path towards the cessation of craving and attachment is the
Eightfold Path:
•
Right Understanding
•
Right Purpose
•
Right Speech
•
Right Conduct
•
Right Livelihood
•
Right Effort
•
Right Alertness
•
Right Concentration.
A Buddhist Temple must
have a statue of the
Buddha. The temples are
built to reflect The Five
Elements (fire, air, earth,
water, and wisdom).
Buddhist Temples are called
Stupa and are made of
stone.
This giant statue of the
Buddha stands in Sri Lanka,
the only South Asian nation
that is still predominantly
Buddhist.
There is a wide variety of Buddhist denominations in the
world, each with different celebrations. Examples include:
• Nirvana Day. Celebrated on the 15th February, it is the
date that Buddhist observe his passing.
• Buddha Day. This is the celebration of the Buddha’s birth.
It occurs on the April 8th.
• Bodhi Day. This day marks the day that Siddhartha sat
under the tree (a Bodhi tree) and eventually attained
enlightenment.
Main Ideas of Buddhism:
• Karma
- a cosmic law of “reaping what you sow”
• Reincarnation - rebirth
Buddhist Temples
This statue depicts a
group of supernatural
'cobra' demons,
protecting the Buddha
from a rainstorm.
Islam began in the 7th century CE, in Saudi Arabia. Within 100
years of Muhammad’s death, Islam had spread to India, as
well as the eastern and southern parts of the Mediterranean,
including Spain.
Islam is a monotheistic reform movement of traditional
Arabian religion, heavily coloured by the Jewish Torah and
to a lesser extent by the Christian New Testament.
Major Islamic Subgroups: Sunni (85%) Shia (Shiites) (15%)
Shiites Muslims are more strict religiously than the Shia.
Founder of Islam: Muhammad (570-632 CE).
Muhammad was born in Makkah in the year 570, at a time
when Christianity was not yet fully established in Europe.
His accepted titles include:
• Prophet
• Seal of the Prophets
Muslim God: Allah
A Mosque is a building used
by Muslims for worship.
• Muslims remove their shoes and perform Wudu (ritual washing) before entering a
mosque to pray.
•Internally, a Mosque is sparse, having little or no furniture, no artwork or statues.
Islam does not allow any form of representation of Allah – to attempt to create an
image of Allah is regarded as profane.
• A niche is made on the wall which denotes the direction of Makkah – the direction
in which people are to pray. This is called the Gibla Wall. Everyone is considered
equal and all in attendance sit on the floor. Women may attend the mosque, but
they sit separately from the men.
• As one of the five pillars of faith, a Muslim is duty-bound to pray five times a day.
These prayers do not have to be made within the walls of a Mosque.
• During the prayer recital there are also ritual movements (Rak’ha) which should
be performed.
• Mosques offer talks on Fridays by the Iman (a Qur’anic scholar).
Muslim Mosques
The Great Mosque of Djenné is the largest mud brick
building in the world.
It is located in the city of Djenné, Mali on the flood plain of the
Bani River (Africa).
Al-Aqsa Mosque and Dome
of the Rock, in Jerusalem
The main sacred text of Islam: The Qur’an (Koran)
The Qur’an is Allah’s message, given through his prophet,
Muhammad.
A few of the major Qur’anic teachings:
• The Qur’an teaches that Muslims are obliged to be
God’s servants and to spread God’s message. This
obligation is to the individual as well as to the community
at large.
• The Holy Scripture also stresses that all individuals are
equal before Allah and places a large obligation for the
rich to help the poor in society.
• Qur’anic revelation also raised the status of women in
marriage, divorce and inheritance. “Men and women are
equal in the eyes of God; man and woman were created
to be equal parts of a pair” (51:49)
• The Scripture stresses pluralism and tolerance – that
God has created many nations and peoples. It clearly and
strongly states that “there is to be no compulsion in
religion” (2:256)
• Heaven and hell await mankind’s final judgment at the
end of time
The Five Pillars of Islam:
• Shahadah - Confession of one’s faith
in God and in his Prophet Muhammad.
“There is no God but God; Muhammad
is the Prophet of God”.
• Salat - Ritual Worship. Prayer five
times daily (before sunrise, after
midday, at mid-afternoon, shortly after
sunset and in the fullness of night).
• Zakat - Almsgiving. A Zakat
(purification tax) on property is paid by
all Muslims for the benefit of the poor.
• Sawm - Fasting. Fasting is observed
during the holy month of Ramadan
• Hajj - Pilgrimage. All Muslims of
sound body and mind who can afford
the journey are expected to make a
Hajj to the holy city of Makkah
(Mecca).
The Kaba is the building towards which Muslims face 5 times
a day, everyday, in prayer. Here, worshippers touch the stones
of the Kaba.
Like most religions, Islamic rituals observe some of the
major events in a persons life:
• Akikah. An informal birth ceremony. This ceremony is not practiced
widely.
• Shadada. The marking of a young Muslim’s formal entry into Islam.
While there is no set age for this rite, it is usually celebrated during the
teens.
• Marriage Ritual. Witnesses observe the groom’s formal offer of
marriage and the bride’s acceptance of it. There is no elaborate
ceremony. The Waleemah is the reception which includes music and
dancing.
• Funerals and Mourning. This includes the recitation of the Janazah
(prayers for the dead) at the gravesite and may include a service at the
funeral home. Muslims do not condone cremation. Burial takes place
within 24 hours of death. The official mourning period for a family
member is 40 days.
Muslim Holy Days and Festivals:
• Ramadan. This Holy Festival takes place in the ninth month of the
Islamic calendar. It is a time of fasting and daily repentance.
• Lailat ul-Qadr. The final 10 days of Ramadan. Muslims celebrate
Muhammad’s first revelation.
• Id al-Fitr. The feast period just after the month long fast of Ramadan. It
lasts for three days.
• Id ul-Adha. Two to three months after Ramadan, animals are
slaughtered to benefit the poor. This celebrates the faithfulness and
obedience of Abraham.
• Al-Isra Wal Miraj. Celebrated on the 27th Day of the 7th month in the
Islamic Calendar. It marks Muhammad’s journey from Makkah.
• Maulid al-Nabi. Celebrates the birth of Muhammad.
Spirituality