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Chapter 10
World Religions
Islam
Origins of Islam
• Muhammad, the Prophet
• Mecca and Medina on the Arabian Peninsula: Early Muslim cities
Spread of Islam
• Across Asia and Africa and into Spain
• Geographic extent of first Muslim empire
Beliefs, traditions, and customs of Islam
• Monotheism: Allah (Arabic word for God)
• Qur’an (Koran): The word of God
• Five Pillars of Islam
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
One God,
Give alms to the poor,
Pray 5x/day,
Make pilgrimage to Mecca
Fast during Ramadan
• Acceptance of Judeo-Christian prophets, including Moses and Jesus
Geographic influences on the origin and spread of Islam
• Diffusion along trade routes from Mecca and Medina
• Expansion despite great distances, desert environments,
and mountain barriers
• Spread into the Fertile Crescent, Iran, and Central Asia
facilitated by weak Byzantine and Persian empires
Geographic influences on economic, social, and political development
• Political unity of the first Muslim empire was short-lived.
• Arabic language spread with Islam and facilitated trade
across Islamic lands.
• Slavery was not based on race.
Historical turning points
• Death of Ali: Sunni-Shi’a division
• Muslim conquests of Jerusalem and Damascus
• Islamic capital moved to Baghdad
• Muslim defeat at the Battle of Tours
• Fall of Baghdad to the Mongols
Cultural contributions and achievements
• Architecture (Dome of the Rock)
• Mosaics
• Arabic alphabet
• Universities
• Translation of ancient texts into Arabic
Scientific contributions and achievements
• Arabic numerals (adapted from India, including zero)
• Algebra
• Medicine
• Expansion of geographic knowledge
Buddhism
Biography of Lord Buddha
• Buddhism began in India as a protest to the caste
system of Hinduism. It was founded in the 5 & 6th
centuries BCE by Siddhartha Gautama (known as
Buddha). According to Buddha, suffering is caused
by selfishness and desires, and in order to achieve
Nirvana (the state of enlightenment), Buddhists
must release themselves of these two evils. If they
cannot, they are subject to repeated lifetimes that
are good or bad depending on one’s karma. In order
to rid yourself of worldly desires one must use
meditation and follow the 4 Noble Truths and
Eightfold path. Through this one will practice good
religious and moral behavior and achieve Nirvana.
Confucianism
Confucianism
• Confucius was a Chinese philosopher who lived
during the 5th & 6th centuries BCE.
Confucianism began as a movement against a
strife-ridden time in Chinese history. It is more
of a lifestyle than religion that focuses on
individuals achieving proper behavior. This
behavior develops out of filial piety (respect for
your elders), and five basic relationships a
person must have in their lives. These
relationships include son to father, wife to
husband, subjects to government, younger
sibling to older sibling, and friend to friend.
Again, while it is debated whether
Confucianism is a philosophy or religion,
Confucius did regard heaven as a possibility. He
did recognized a positive and personal force in
the universe that one could achieve.
Catholicism
• The Roman Catholic Church, with 980 million followers, is
the largest Christian church in the world. It claims direct
historical descent from the church founded by the apostle
Peter. The Pope in Rome is the spiritual leader of all Roman
Catholics. He administers church affairs through bishops and
priests. Members accept the gospel of Jesus Christ and the
teachings of the Bible, the laws of the 10 Commandments,
as well as the church's interpretations of these. God's grace
is conveyed through the seven sacraments, especially the
Eucharist or communion that is celebrated at mass, the
regular service of worship. The other six sacraments are
baptism, confirmation, penance, holy orders, matrimony,
and anointing of the sick. Redemption through Jesus Christ
is professed as the sole method of obtaining salvation,
which is necessary to ensure a place in heaven after life on
earth.
Judaism
• Stemming from the descendants of Judah in Judea, Judaism was founded c.
2000 B.C. by Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and has 18 million followers in the
U.S. Judaism espouses belief in a monotheistic God, who is creator of the
universe and who leads His people, the Jews, by speaking through prophets.
His word is revealed in the Hebrew Bible (or Old Testament), especially in that
part known as the Torah. The Torah also contains, according to rabbinic
tradition, a total of 613 biblical commandments, including the Ten
Commandments, which are explicated in the Talmud. Jews believe that the
human condition can be improved, that the letter and the spirit of the Torah
must be followed, and that a Messiah will eventually bring the world to a
state of paradise. Judaism promotes community among all people of Jewish
faith, dedication to a synagogue or temple (the basic social unit of a group of
Jews, led by a rabbi), and the importance of family life. Religious observance
takes place both at home and in temple. Judaism is divided into three main
groups who vary in their interpretation of those parts of the Torah that deal
with personal, communal, international, and religious activities: the Orthodox
community, which views the Torah as derived from God, and therefore
absolutely binding; the Reform movement, which follows primarily its ethical
content; and the Conservative Jews, who follow most of the observances set
out in the Torah but allow for change in the face of modern life. A fourth
group, Reconstructionist Jews, rejects the concept of the Jews as God's
chosen people, yet maintains rituals as part of the Judaic cultural heritage.
Hinduism
• A religion with 648 million followers, Hinduism developed from
indigenous religions of India in combination with Aryan religions
brought to India around 1500 BCE, and codified in the Veda and the
Upanishads, the sacred scriptures of Hinduism. Hinduism is a term
used to broadly describe a vast array of sects to which most Indians
belong. Although many Hindus reject the caste system-in which
people are born into a particular subgroup that determines their
religious, social, and work-related duties-it is widely accepted and
classifies society at large into four groups: the Brahmins or priests,
the rulers and warriors, the farmers and merchants, and the
peasants and laborers. The goals of Hinduism are release from
repeated reincarnation through the practice of yoga, adherence to
Vedic scriptures, and devotion to a personal guru. This will result in
good karma. Various deities are worshipped at shrines; the divine
trinity, representing the cyclical nature of the universe, are Brahma
the creator, Vishnu the preserver, and Shiva the destroyer.
Hinduism
Eastern Orthodox
• With 158 million followers, the Orthodox Eastern Church is the
second largest Christian community in the world. It began its split
from the Roman Catholic Church in the fifth century. The break was
finalized in 1054. The followers of the Orthodox Church are in fact
members of many different denominations, including the Church of
Greece, the Church of Cyprus, and the Russian Orthodox Church.
Orthodox religion holds biblical Scripture and tradition, guided by
the Holy Spirit as expressed in the consciousness of the entire
Orthodox community, to be the source of Christian truth. It rejects
doctrine developed by the Western churches. Doctrine was
established by seven ecumenical councils held between 325 and
787 and amended by other councils in the late Byzantine period.
Relations between the Orthodox churches and Roman Catholicism
have improved since the Second Vatican Council (1962.65).
Eastern Orthodox Church