Download Major World Religions

Major World Religions
Overview
B
U
D
D
H
I
S
M
Of the major religions, Buddhism is the
fourth largest, being exceeded in numbers
only by Christianity, Islam and Hinduism.
Buddhism began around the year 535 BC in
India and since then has amassed about
376 million followers.
The founding person of Buddhism
is Guatama, the Buddha.
Buddhism can be traced back to Gautama
Siddhartha (c. 620-540 BC) who is titled The
Buddha (Sanskrit for "The Awakened"). He was
born a prince and lived in luxury. As Siddhartha
continued living in the luxury of his palaces, he
grew increasing restless and curious about the
world beyond the palace walls. He finally
demanded that he be permitted to see his
people and his lands. The king carefully
arranged that Siddhartha would not see any
suffering when he left the palace.
However, he chanced to see a couple of old men who had
accidentally wandered near the parade route. Amazed
and confused, he chased after them to find out what they
were. In his chase he came across the ill and the dead.
For the first time in his life saw death. He learned that all
of us get old, sick, and eventually die.
At the age of 29, Siddhartha came to realize that he could
not be happy living as he had been. He had discovered
suffering, and wanted more than anything to discover
how one might overcome suffering. He renounced his
princely title and became a monk, depriving himself of
worldly possessions in the hope of comprehending the
truth of the world around him.
Seeking the solution to human suffering
He first tried meditation.
He then fasted severely for six years. Siddhartha then
realized that these extreme practices were leading him
nowhere, that in fact it might be better to find some
middle way between the extremes of the life of luxury
and the life of self-mortification.
He determined that a better path to achieve the state of
Nirvana -- a state of liberation and freedom from
suffering -- was to pursue a "Middle Way." This way was
largely defined by moderation and meditation.
Key Beliefs
Reincarnation
The concept that one must go through many
cycles of birth, living, and death. After
many such cycles, if a person releases
their attachment to desire and the self,
they can attain Nirvana - a state of
liberation and freedom from suffering.
Virtue, good conduct, morality
The principle of equality: that all living
entities are equal.
The principle of reciprocity: This is the
"Golden Rule" in Christianity -- to do onto
others as you would wish them do onto
you. It is found in all major religions.
Concentration, meditation, mental
development
Developing one's mind is the path to wisdom
which in turn leads to personal freedom.
Mental development also strengthens and
controls our mind; this helps us maintain
good conduct.
Discernment, insight, wisdom,
enlightenment
This is the real heart of Buddhism. Wisdom
will emerge if your mind is pure and calm.
Summary
The aim of Buddhist practice is to end the
suffering of cyclic existence, by awakening
the practitioner to the realization of true
reality, the achievement of liberation Nirvana.
To achieve this, one should purify and train
the mind and act according to the laws of
karma: perform positive, wholesome
actions and avoid negative, harmful
actions.
H
I
N
D
U
I
S
M
Most people believe that Hinduism began as early
as 3100 BC in the region around the Indus River
in India. Hinduism is generally regarded as the
world's oldest organized religion. Hinduism is
different from most world religions, because it
does not have a founder. Rather it is a faith
tradition that has evolved in India over
thousands of years.
Today Hindu believers number about 900 million
and is the third largest religion in the world.
The Nature of God
 Hindus believe in the universal
soul (Brahman), as the sole reality
who is present in all things.
 Brahman has no form, and is
eternal.
 Brahman is creator, preserver and
transformer of everything.
 Brahman appears in the human
spirit as atman, or the soul.
God or gods?
Contrary to popular understanding, Hindus
recognize one God, Brahman. The gods of
the Hindu faith represent different
expressions of Brahman.
Hindus recognize three principal gods:
 Brahma, who creates the universe
 Vishnu, who preserves the universe
 Shiva, who destroys the universe.
The Vedas
These are the most ancient religious texts
which define truth for Hindus and are
written in the sacred language, Sanskrit.
Hindus believe that the texts were received
by scholars direct from God and passed
on to the next generations by word of
mouth.
Key Beliefs
Dharma
Hindus themselves refer to their beliefs as
dharma, which means law or a way of life.
It represents the individual's internal law, to
which obedience must be given if that
individual life is to live in accordance with
a Divine Will. This is what Hindus consider
the sole or primary purpose of life.
Reincarnation
the rebirth in another body (after physical
death)
cycle of birth and death, until it attains
liberation (moksha)
Karma
Karma is central to the Hindu faith.
Hindus believe that the soul passes through
a cycle of successive lives and its next
incarnation is always dependent on how
the previous life was lived.
So if you behave badly in this life, your next
incarnation is likely to be more unpleasant
than your current one—you reap what you
sow.
The Caste System
Traditionally, there were four main castes, plus one group
of outsiders:
 The Brahmins, or priests: the highest caste, believed to




have emerged from Brahma’s mouth.
The Kshatriyas, the warrior or ruling class who were
made from Brahma’s arms.
The Vaishyas, merchants or artisans who came from
Brahma’s thighs.
The Shudras, the unskilled laborers and servants who
emerged from Brahma’s feet. These were the lowest
class.
The Untouchables, those too lowly to be within the
system were known as the untouchables
Caste Today
Members of the upper castes consider the lowest
castes to be ritually unclean, therefore marrying
someone from a different caste, while not
officially outlawed, is generally not recognized.
Today, caste barriers have largely broken down in
the large cities. "Untouchability" has been
abolished by law.
However, loyalty to a caste is much harder to
eliminate and it still provides a sense of
community and belonging, particularly in country
areas.
I
S
L
A
M
The Islamic religion started in Saudi
Arabia in the year 622 AD.
It has about 1.5 billion followers, most of
them in the Middle East.
Islam means “to submit to the will of
God”
Muslim – a person who follows the
religion of Islam
Holy Book
The holy book of the Muslims is the Qur'an, 114 chapters of
Muhammad's divinely inspired revelations.
Followers of Islam believe that God (Allah) revealed his direct
word for mankind to Mohammad and other prophets,
including Adam, Abraham, Moses and Jesus. Muslims
believe that parts of the Gospels and Torah have been
misinterpreted or distorted by their followers. Muslims view
the Qu’ran as corrective of Jewish and Christian scriptures.
Mohammed
Mohammed was born around 570 A.D. in
the city of Mecca in what is today Saudi
Arabia.
He is considered by Muslims to be God's
last and greatest prophet.
The Muslim creed:
"I believe in God; and in His Angels; and in His
Scriptures; and in His Messengers; and in The
Final Day; and in Fate, that Good and Evil are
from God, and Resurrection after death be
Truth.
"I testify that there is nothing worthy of worship
but God; and I testify that Muhammad is His
Messenger."
Some of the religious beliefs are:
 Allah (God) alone is worthy of worship.
 The Entire universe is created by Allah, and nothing





is unrelated to Him.
Allah provides the material resources necessary to
maintain life.
Allah has raised up prophets for humanity's needs,
and revealed to them the straight path of life.
Allah gives to humanity freedom of choice.
All Muslims are equal before Allah.
There will be a day of judgment. Allah has sovereign
rights to judge whether all people have followed the
straight path, as described in the Qur'an, during their
lifetime.
Five Pillars of Islam
 Faith - There is none worthy of worship except




God and that Mohammed is his messenger.
Prayer -Establishing of the five daily Prayers
Charity -The giving of charity (almsgiving)
Fasting- from dawn to dusk in the month of
Ramadan
Hajj- The Pilgrimage to Mecca, which is
compulsory once in a lifetime for one who has
the ability to do it.
Countries with Muslim populations
in excess of 10%
C
H
R
I
S
T
I
A
N
I
T
Y
The Founding People of
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based
on the life and teachings of Jesus of
Nazareth as presented in the New
Testament writings of his early followers.
The Christian religion began about 30 AD.
It is the world's largest religion, with an
estimated 2.1 billion adherents, or about
one-third of the total world population.
Place of Origin
Christianity started out in Judea, during the early
Roman Empire. It was in this area where Jesus
was born, that the first true beginnings of
Christianity began to develop.
Christianity spread throughout the world when it
was adopted as the religion of the Roman
Empire 300 years after Jesus was crucified.
Followers/Leaders of Christianity
The leader of Christianity was Jesus, and
the followers were his 12 disciples. After
Jesus was crucified the disciples took over
full control and found other people that
were interested in practicing the Christian
religion.
Main Philosophy
The main points of Christian beliefs are:
 God is the Creator of the universe.
 God is a Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
 Jesus is both fully man and fully God. He was born of
the Virgin Mary, crucified, resurrected from the dead, and
ascended to the Father.
 Salvation from spiritual death, a separation from God
due to mankind's sin, is available to believers only
through the person and work of Jesus Christ and by the
grace of God.
 Sin and Evil are realities in their existence.
 The Bible records God's revelation.
 All believers are promised life everlasting.
Holy Book
The holy book for the Christian religion is the
Holy Bible that contains an Old Testament
and a New Testament.
The Old Testament is actually a part of the
Jewish religious writings at the time.
J
U
D
A
I
S
M
Founder
The founder of the Jewish religion was
Abraham around the year 2000 BC. The
God of the ancient Israelites established a
divine covenant with Abraham.
The concentration of these people began in
the area of the world east of the
Mediterranean Sea in a region called
Palestine.
There are about 14 million Jewish believers
in the world today.
Holy Book
The sacred writings of the Jewish people is
found in the Tenakh.
The Tenakh corresponds to the Jewish
Scriptures, (often referred to as the Old
Testament by Christians).
Jewish Practices
 Observation of the weekly Sabbath as a day of
rest, starting at sundown on Friday evening.
 Strict discipline, according to the Law, which
governs all areas of life
 Regular attendance by Jewish males at
Synagogue Celebration of the annual festivals
including Passover, Rosh Hashanah (Sep. 30)
(Jewish New Year) and Hanukkah.
 The local synagogue is governed by the
congregation and is normally led by a rabbi who
has been chosen by the congregation. A rabbi is
a teacher who has been well educated in Jewish
law and tradition.
Basic Philosophy of Judaism
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
God is one and unique, God is the creator
God is lawgiver
God is personal
We have the obligation to worship
The Torah is God's law
God is judge and will reward the good and punish the wicked
The Messiah will come.
Prayer is to be directed to God alone and to no other
The words of the prophets are true and Moses was the greatest of
the prophets
10. God knows the thoughts and deeds of men
11. The dead will be resurrected