Download Three Religions of the Middle East

Three Religions of
the Middle East
Christianity, Judaism and Islam
Where is the holy land?
Why is this area called the
holy land?
Christianity, Judaism and
Islam
 All belong to the same monotheistic
tradition, a belief in only one god, the
God of Abraham
 All originated in the Middle East and look
to the city of Jerusalem as a holy site.
 In 1990, 90% of the people in the Middle
East practiced Islam, 5% Christianity and
2% Judaism.
Judaism
 Oldest of the three religions
 First practiced by a small group of people in
Mesopotamia called the Hebrews
 According to Jewish belief, the Hebrews
descended from Abraham
 Jews believe that God made a covenant with
them that they would be God’s chosen people
as long as they worshipped him and followed
God’s laws
The best known of these laws are
the Ten Commandments
TEN COMMANDMENTS
I. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
II. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image.
III. Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain.
IV. Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
V. Honour thy father and thy mother.
VI. Thou shalt not kill.
VII. Thou shalt not commit adultery.
VIII. Thou shalt not steal.
IX. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.
X. Thou shalt not covet any thing that is thy neighbor's.
Exile
 Israel became an important and
prosperous state until the kingdom split in
two. Afterwards, the Jewish people
would be moved and dispersed many
times. Eventually, the Jewish people
spread to countries around the world.
 Jews have been viewed with suspicion
and hatred because they have followed
their religion and customs.
More than 6 million Jews were murdered
in Europe during WWII in the 1940’s
Israel
 The Jews believe that God will deliver a
messiah, or savior, to them and provide
them with a homeland, or country, of their
own.
 In 1947, a Jewish state was created in
Palestine and immediately surrounding
Arab states invaded. This was the
beginning of hostilities that continue
today.
PLO
 Caught in the middle of the turmoil are the
Palestinians
 In 1949 the Palestinians who had lost their
homes with the creation of Israel were moved
to refugee camps until they could be resettled.
 Today Palestinians are still living in these
camps
 In the 1960’s the Palestinian Liberation
Organization was formed to regain the land
Yasser Arafat
 Supporters referred to
him as a freedom
fighter
 Opponents referred to
him as a terrorist
 Died November 11,
2004
Wailing Wall
 Modern Jews come to pray at the holiest
site in Jerusalem, the Western, or
Wailing, Wall.
 It is the only remaining piece of the
destroyed temple that housed the ark of
the covenant, the home of God
Christianity
 The world’s largest religion
 Began as a movement within Judaism
 Believe that Jesus is the Son of God and the
messiah that the Jews were waiting for
 Holy Book – Bible – contains the history and
traditions of Judaism in the Old Testament and
the life and teachings of Jesus in the New
Testament
Jesus
 Around 30AD Jesus began preaching,
encouraging people to turn to God and
lead moral lives
 Religious and government leaders
considered Jesus a threat to their power
 They arrested and crucified him
 Crucified – put to death by nailing hands
and feet to cross
Resurrection
 Christians believe that Jesus rose from
the dead proving life after death for those
who believe
 Those who followed Jesus broke away
from other Jews and began worshipping
God in a new way focusing on the
teachings of Jesus
Roman Empire
 Disciples (followers of Jesus)
spread his teachings
 Until 300 AD Christians were
persecuted in the Roman
Empire
 Then emperor Constantine
made Christianity the official
religion of the state, thus
spreading throughout the
world
Rome – head of Roman
Catholic Church - Pope
 Pope John Paul II
(pictured)
 1920-2005
 Pope Benedict XVI
 2005-present
Islam
 The world’s second
largest religion
 Islam means “to
submit” to the will of
God in Arabic
 Followers are called
Muslims
Muhammad
 Muslims believe that Muhammad is the last
and greatest prophet
 Born in Mecca in 570 AD
 He had a vision in which the angel Gabriel
appeared to him and told him that he was to be
the messenger of God
 For 23 years, Gabriel continued to send
revelations to Muhammad and he spread the
message
Teachings
 Taught acceptance of all Hebrew prophets
including Jesus
 Did not believe Jesus was Son of God
 Believe Hebrews did not follow God’s law,
therefore breaking their covenant with God
 God made Mecca the center of Islam and the
holiest city
Five Pillars
 The new religion united the people of the
Arabian Peninsula more than ever before
 Requires certain religious duties called the Five
Pillars
 Faith – There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is
the messenger of Allah
 Prayer – Five times a day facing Mecca
 Almsgiving– support the less fortunate
 Fasting – during holy month of Ramadan
 Pilgrimage – at least once in life must travel to
Mecca
Caliph
 Rulers of the Muslim community after
Muhammad died were known as caliphs.
 His duty was to spread God’s word.
 In carrying this out, they created an empire,
which was a theocracy.
 Theocracy – government ruled by a religious
leader
 Today much of the Middle East has religious
leaders.
Sunni and Shiite
 Sunni – share belief that the first four
caliphs- Mohammad’s successorsrightfully took their place as leaders of
Muslims
 Shiite – believe that only the heirs of the
fourth caliph, Ali, are the legitimate
successors of Mohammad
God
 Christianity- Holy Trinity, Yahweh
 Islam- Allah
 Judaism- Yahweh, Elohim
Holy Book
 Christianity- Bible (Old Testament and
New Testament)
 Islam- Qur’an (Koran)
 Judaism- Old Testament
Key Beliefs
 Christianity- belief that Jesus is son of
God, died for sins, resurrection
 Judaism- 10 Commandments, covenant
with God, belief in God
 Islam- 5 Pillars of Islam (prayer 5 times a
day, almsgiving, pilgrimage to Mecca,
fasting during Ramadan, faith)
Common Practices and
Rituals
 Christianity- Baptism, communion
 Islam- 5 Pillars of Islam
 Judaism- Kosher food, Jewish law
Where does each religion
worship?
 Christianity- church, chapel, cathedral
 Islam- mosque
 Judaism- synagogue
Major Sects
 Christianity- Protestant, Catholic
 Islam- Shi’ite, Sunni
 Judaism-Reform, Orthodox