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World Religion Review Sheet, Things you need to know about the religions
When
Animism
Old
Old
Judaism
2000
BCE
Confucianism
Christianity
Who Started it
How they started
Holy
Books
Noneoften holy
places are
in nature
Synagogue
Poly
Spiritual realm
Mono
Heaven and Hell
Western
Jerusalem
God/
Yahweh
There are
temples,
but
emphasis
is on daily
interaction
s, all
spaces are
sacred
Church
Neither, a
set of
principles
. Often
believer
follows
other
religions
as well
Mono
Depends on other
beliefs of follower
Eastern
Qufu—
Confucius’s
birth place.
Depends on
other beliefs
of the
follower.
Heaven and Hell
Western
Bethlehem
Jerusalem,
Vatican City
Trinity
(God, Jesus,
and the Holy
Spirit)
Koran
Mosque
Mono
Heaven and Hell
Western
Mecca,
Medina, and
Jerusalem
Allah
Vedas
Mandir
Poly
Eastern
The River
Ganges
Main God is
Brahman.
Others are
Brahma,
Vishnu and
Shiva
Tripitaka
Stupa
Kind of
atheistic
A cycle of
reincarnation until
you achieve
Moksha - the
release of the soul,
also known as the
Atman
Reincarnation until
you achieve
enlightenment.
Then you go to
Nirvana, a place
free of pain and
suffering
Every
continent
Based on close
connection to
nature/natural world
None
Modern
Day Iraq
-Torah
500
BCE
Confucious
Modern
Day China
God made a promise
to Abraham that he
would be a father of a
great nation and that
a savior would come.
Confucius did not see
himself as founding
anything, merely
teaching and
clarifying the views
that were already part
of the culture.
30 CE
Jesus Christ
Jerusalem,
Israel
Jesus, the Son of
God, and Savior, died
and rose from the
dead to pay to the
price of sin for
mankind.
Muhammad received
messages from Allah,
through the Angel
Gabriel, about how
one should live.
Unknown. It is a
combination of many
early beliefs from this
area.
Bible
Siddhartha, after
realizing life is about
suffering, meditated
and achieved
enlightenment.
People began to
follow his teachings.
590 CE
Hinduism
2000
BCE
The Prophet
Muhammad
Mecca,
Saudi
Arabia
No one
person.
Northern
India, the
Indus
Valley
Unknown
Around
600
BCE
Siddhartha
Gautama,
a.k.a. Buddha
North East
India
The Si Shu
(Four
Books),
and the
Wu Jing
(Five
Classics)
Buildings
Mono or
Poly
Afterlife
Old &
New
Testament
Eastern
Holy Cities
God’s Name
Eastern
or
Western
Both
Unknown,
many people
in many
places
Abraham
Islam
Buddhism
Where
None
Varies
Buddhists do
not believe I a
personal
creator God
Animism
Confucianism
Basic Beliefs
Animists believe in many personal supernatural beings that inhabit objects and/or living
beings and govern their existence. Animism refers to many different beliefs of this type, not
one specific creed or doctrine.
Most Animists believe:
 There are souls or spirits in the natural world
 There is a natural world and a separate, spiritual world
 Shamanism—a set of practices and skills that can help control the spirits
 The spirit survives physical death
Confucians do not have any specific rituals. Often Confucians follow the practices of other
religions. In Confucianism humans are seen as positive and able to work to improve their
behavior. They are expected to live their lives by the 5 principles.
Li: includes ritual, propriety, etiquette, etc.
Hsiao: love within the family: love of parents for their children and of children for their
parents
Yi: righteousness
Xin: honesty and trustworthiness
Jen: benevolence, humaneness towards others; the highest Confucian virtue
Chung: loyalty to the state, etc.
Judaism
“Holy Books” were not assembled until the Sung Dynesty (1200 CE)
Jews believe that there is a single God who not only created the universe, but with whom
every Jew can have an individual and personal relationship.
The Covenant: Agreement between God and the Patriarch Abraham that he and his
descendents will obey God and live by his rules and in exchange will be his chosen people,
given the Holy Land and protected by Him.
10 Commandments: Fundamental law code that is part of the Torah. Rules to live by. There
are also many other rules spelled out elsewhere in the Torah.
Messiah—Person who will someday lead the Jews to success/happiness
Symbols
No specific symbol, but symbols
are often circles, stars and things
from nature.
Christianity
Christians believe that Jesus Christ was the Son of God and that:
- God sent his Son to earth to save humanity from the consequences of its sins
- Jesus was fully human, and experienced this world in the same way as other human
beings of his time
- Jesus was tortured and gave his life on the Cross (At the Crucifixion)
- Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his Crucifixion (the Resurrection)
Christians believe that Jesus was the Messiah promised in the Old Testament
Christians believe that there is only one God, but that this one God consists of 3 "persons"
o God the Father
o God the Son
o The Holy Spirit
Christians believe that God made the world.
Buddhism
Understand the Four Noble Truths
- Suffering exists
- There is a cause for suffering.
- There is an end to suffering
- In order to end suffering, you must follow the Eightfold Path
Follow the Eightfold Path
- Right View (understanding)
- Right Thought
- Right Speech
- Right Action
- Right Livelihood
- Right Effort
- Right Mindfulness
- Right Contemplation (concentration)
These are rules to live by. The main five are:
* Do not take the life of anything living. (Do not kill)
* Do not take anything not freely given. (Do not steal)
* Abstain from sexual misconduct and sensual overindulgence.
* Refrain from untrue speech, (Do not lie)
* Do not consume alcohol or other drugs.
Islam
Muslims have 6 main beliefs
1. Belief in Allah as the one and only God.
2. Belief in angels.
3. Belief in the holy books.
4. Belief in the Prophets (special messengers).
a. Adam, Abraham, Moses, David, Jesus.
b. Muhammad is the final prophet.
5. Belief in the Day of Judgment
a. The day when the life of every human being will be assessed to decide
whether they go to heaven or hell.
6. Belief in Predestination...
a. That Allah has already decided what will happen.
b. Muslims believe that this doesn't stop human beings making free choices
The five Pillars of Islam
These are five duties that every Muslim is obliged to perform. The five pillars of Islam help
Muslims put their faith into action.
1. Shahadah: declaration of faith
a. "I bear witness that there is no god, but God; I bear witness that Muhammad
is the prophet of God." By reciting this, one enters Islamic faith.
2. Salah: prayer
a. Muslims are required to pray five times a day, washing themselves before
prayer and facing in the direction of Mecca while praying.
3. Zakat: giving a fixed proportion to charity.
a. Muslims are required to give away a percentage of their earnings to those less
fortunate, regardless of their religion.
4. Saum: fasting during the month of Ramadan
a. Muslims fast for one lunar month each year, a period called Ramadan.
b. During this time, Muslims reflect on their behavior and strive to purify their
thoughts.
5. Hajj: pilgrimage to Mecca. If it is financially possible, Muslims are required to travel
to Mecca once in their lifetime.
Hinduism
For many Hindus there are four goals in human life:
1. Moksha - the release of the soul (Atman) from the cycle of rebirth.
a. The individual soul (Atman) unites with Brahman the universal soul. There
are different ways to Moksha.
i. Spiritual - involves acquiring spiritual knowledge through yoga and
meditation. Devotion to god
ii. Working selflessly for the good of society.
b. How a person is reincarnated is determined by karma.
2. Dharma - the code for leading one's life.
a. Respect for elders is considered important and many consider marriage as a
son's religious duty.
3. Artha - the pursuit of material gain by lawful means.
4. Karma- through pure acts, knowledge and devotion, you can reincarnate to a higher
level. The opposite achieves the contrary result.