Download The Five Major World Religions

A
religion is an organized system of beliefs
and practices, often centered on one or
more gods.
 Monotheistic- one god
 Polytheistic- many gods
 There are five major world religions:
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Buddhism
Christianity
Hinduism
Islam
Judaism
 Hindus
believe that a supreme being called
Brahman is the soul of the universe.
 The same presence, they believe, can be
found within each person.
 People can be freed from suffering and
desires once they understand the nature of
Brahman.
 Believe in reincarnation (rebirth/reborn) to
free themselves from suffering.
 Sacred
text is called Four Vedas (“truth”) –
sacred hymns of praise

Contain knowledge revealed by Brahman
 Hinduism
is the major religion of India and
Nepal.
 Spiritual leaders are called gurus or sages.
 Pilgrimage to Ganges River. Bathing in it will
purify them and remove bad karma.
 Began
in India in the sixth century.
 Founded by Siddhartha Gautama who
became known as the Buddha.
 Spiritual leaders are called monks.
 Worship takes place in a temple or
meditation hall.
 Today, most Buddhist live in Sri Lanka, East
Asia, Southeast Asia, and Japan.
 Believe in reincarnation
 He
taught his followers that the way to end
suffering was by practicing the Noble
Eightfold Path.
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Right opinions, right desires, right speech, right
action, right job, right effort, right
concentration, and right meditation
 Nirvana
is a state of perfect peace in which
the soul would be free from suffering, and
would escape from the cycle of rebirth.
 If nirvana is not achieved, then the soul
would be reborn to live through another
cycle of suffering.
First major (and oldest) monotheistic religion.
 The Hebrew leader Abraham founded Judaism in
Mesopotamia around 1300 B.C.
 Basic teachings come from the Torah, the first
five books of the Hebrew Bible.

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Contains the five books revealed to Moses by God
on Mount Sinai.
Judaism teaches that a person serves God by
studying the Torah and living by its teachings.
 Their holy city is Jerusalem.
 Worship in Synagogues or temples, led by a
Rabbi.

The
largest religion in the world.
Based on the life and teachings
of Jesus, the Son of God.
The Holy Bible serves as the holy
text.
They
believe in heaven and hell.
Place of worship is in a church.
 Catholics
 The
Pope has universal
authority within the
Catholic church and serves
as the figure head of the
church.
 Protestants
 Founded
by Martin Luther
when he challenged the
authority of the pope
resulting in the Protestant
Reformation.
 Founded
in Arabia by Muhammad in 622 A.D.
 Islam is a religion based on the teaching of the
Qur’an, the religion’s holy text.
 Followers of Islam are known as Muslims.
 Islam believes there is only one God, Allah.
 They show their devotion through the Five
Pillars of Islam:
 Faith, prayer, charity, fasting, and pilgrimage
to Mecca (Saudi Arabia)
 Mostly found in the middle east, southwestern
and central Asia, and parts of Africa.
 Place of worship is called a Mosque.
 After
the death
of the prophet
Muhammad,
Sunni Muslims
thought the new
leader should be
elected from
among those
capable of the
job.
 Other
Muslims
(Sunni) believed
that leadership
should have
stayed within
the Prophet's
own family.
 Create
a comparison chart for the five major
world religions.
 You need to have the following for all five
religions:
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The name of the religion
The founder and god
Holy Text
Basic beliefs
One interesting fact
Picture or symbol
 You
need to be neat and creative.
 When you are finished, hole punch it, and put it in
your binder. DO NOT TURN IT IN!
Reflect
on what you learned
during this class period, and how
it compares to your life and/or
personal religious beliefs.