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Growth and
Development
of World Religions
Growth and Development of
World Religions
Explain how world religions or belief systems
grew and their significance.
- Hinduism
-
Judaism
Buddhism
Christianity
Islam
Five of the world’s major faiths and ethical
systems emerged establishing institutions,
systems of thought, and cultural styles that
would influence neighboring peoples and
endure for centuries.
Hinduism
• Religion based on the
belief that humans and
animals reincarnate
– Reincarnation: Come
back to the Earth many
times in different forms.
Hindu
Origins
Hinduism underwent a change that transformed it into
a popular religion of salvation
Hinduism was initially very complex
Changes in eventually resulted in a faith that
addressed the needs of ordinary people
Hindu Epics:
The Mahabharata
and the Ramayana
• The great epic poems the Mahabharata
and the Ramayana show how Hindusim
developed its values
• Both poems began as nonreligious stories
told about the great epic age of classical
Indian history (1500-500 BC)
• The brahmins revised both and
created a major roles for Hindu
Gods
Ramayana
• These groupings
of writings is
called the Vedas:
– Religious
writings
– songs of praise
– Laws and rules
•
Hindu Beliefs
•
•
The soul does not die with
the body, but is
reincarnated at death.
The caste system demands
certain responsibilities; the
duty of shudras was to
serve, of vaishyas to work,
of brahmins to learn the
scriptures, and of
kshatriyas to govern and
fight
Individual have social
responsibilities – failure to
fulfill caste duties is in fact
a sin, but if you follow
these standards you are
brought spiritual rewards
• Caste System:
Divides people
into classes based
on wealth
• What you do in
one life will affect
what caste you
are born into in
another life.
Hindu Ethics
• As represented in the Bhagavad Gita, only by active
participation in the world and the meeting of caste
responsibilities was it possible to attain salvation
– humans should not become emotionally involved in their actions, but
should concentrate on the actions alone, with no thought of their
consequences
• This led to the emergence of four specific aims of human life
Four Principal Aims of
Life
1. Obedience to religious and
moral laws (dharma)
2. The pursuit of economic
well-being and honest
prosperity (artha)
3. The enjoyment of life’s
pleasures (karma)
4. The salvation of the soul
(moksha/nirvana)
A proper balance of the
first three aims would
help individuals attain
moksha/nirvana
Hindu Gods
• Polytheistic:
Believe in more
than one God
• What you do in
this life affects
the who you are
in the next life, so
live your life as
the gods would
want.
Hindu Male Gods
• Principal Hindu gods
are Vishnu, Shiva and
Devi
• Vishnu evolved into a
father-god who works
continuously for the
welfare of humanity
• Shiva a powerful god
who represents the
cosmic force of
change, and the
reconciliation of the
extremes and
opposites of violence
and other forces
Vishnu
perso.wanadoo.fr/revue
Shiva
www.asiasociety.org/arts
Hindu Female Gods
Lakshimi and Vishnu
www.jorgebastosgarcia
• The wives of
Vishnu (Lakshimi)
and Shiva (Parvati)
are powerful
goddesses,
stemming from a
worship of female
gods as early as the
Indus culture
• Devi a supreme
Goddess, both
tender mother and
ferocious warrior;
wears a necklace of
skulls and rides
into battle on a lion
She represents the
creative power of
the universe
Dancing Devi
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Growth in the
Popularity
of Hinduism
• Hinduism gradually replaced Buddhism as the most
prominent religion in India.
• Hinduism attracted popular support from the wealthy
• Guptan emperors and their supported Hinduism
• In India today Hinduism (and even the more recent
faith of Islam) have completely eclipsed Buddhism
• Most Indian Hindus today
are devout followers of
either Vishnu or Shiva,
although there are
thousands of Hindu gods,
and animals like the cow
are also considered as
sacred
• Hinduism possesses no
Bible or Koran; nor does it
have a single personal
founder like Mahavira or
Buddha
• There is no precise body
of doctrine – people are
Hindu basically if they
observe the rules of their
caste
Hinduism
Today
• Most Hindis live in
India and Southeast
Asia today
• Ganges River:
Sacred place
– Scatter human and
animal ashes