Download Notes: Monotheist Religions

MONO=
one
theos
Greek= god
THEOLOGY
THEOLOGIAN
THEOCRACY
theology: the
study of
religion/god
theologian: a
person who
studies religion
theocracy: gov’t and
religion are the same
i.e. Iraq, Iran
1.Judaism=Jews
2.Christianity=
Christians
3.Islam=Muslims
JUDAISM
• One God
• Founder: Abraham (covenant w/ God)
• Holy city: Jerusalem
• Place of worship: synagogue
• Holy books: Torah (Laws of Moses)
Talmud (explanation of the
Torah)
• Religious symbol: Star of David
• Religious divisions: orthodox, conservative
and reform
• 11th largest religious group in the world
• Although found worldwide, the Jewish
state is the country of Israel.
• Judiasm believes that a Messiah will come
but that this has not yet happened.
• Restore the country of Israel to power
• Messiah to come with an army
• Most Jews view Jesus as a prophet.
What makes a person Jewish?
• According to traditional Jewish Law, a Jew
is anyone born of a Jewish mother or
converted to Judaism in accord with
Jewish Law. Reform Judaism accept the
child of one Jewish parent (father or
mother) as Jewish if the parents raise the
child with a Jewish identity. All mainstream
forms of Judaism today are open to
sincere converts.
• The question of what determines Jewish
identity in the State of Israel is important
because it determines who has the right to
citizenship in Israel.. This is far from
settled, and occasionally resurfaces in
Israeli politics
HIGH HOLY DAYS
Rosh Hashanah, ("Day of Remembrance”).
Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year
and falls on the first day of the seventh
month of the Hebrew calendar. It begins a
10-day period of atonement leading up to
Yom Kippur, during which Jews are
commanded to search their souls and
make amends for sins committed,
intentionally or not, throughout the year.
 Yom Kippur, ("Day of Atonement") is the most
solemn day of the Jewish year. It is a day of
communal fasting and praying for forgiveness
for one's sins. Observant Jews spend the entire
day in the synagogue, sometimes with a short
break in the afternoon, reciting prayers from a
special holiday prayerbook called a "Mahzor."
Many non-religious Jews make a point of
attending synagogue services and fasting on
Yom Kippur.
OTHER HOLY DAYS
• Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of
Lights, is an eight day Jewish holiday that
starts on the 25th day of the Hebrew
calendar. The festival is observed in Jewish
homes by the lighting candles on each of the
festival's eight nights on a minora.
• The holiday was called Hanukkah meaning
"dedication“ and commemorates the
"Miracle of the Oil". According to the
Talmud, at the re-dedication of the Temple
in Jerusalem following the victory of the
Maccabees over the Seleucid Empire,
there was only enough consecrated oil to
fuel the eternal flame in the Temple for one
day. Miraculously, the oil burned for eight
days.
• Hanukkah is not mentioned in the Bible
and was never considered a major holiday
in Judaism, but it has become much more
visible and widely celebrated in modern
times, mainly because it falls around the
same time as Christmas and has national
Jewish overtones that have been
emphasized since the establishment of the
State of Israel
CHRISTIANITY
•
•
•
•
•
One God
Founder: Abraham (Jewish tradition)
Holy city: Jerusalem
Place of worship: church
Holy book: Bible
• Old Testament
• New Testament: tells of the life of Jesus
and fulfillment of prophesy
• Epistles: Saul/Paul
• Religious symbol: cross
• Religious divisions: Catholic, Orthodox and
Protestant
• Christianity is the largest world religion
with 2.1 billion followers
• Only one of the three that recruits
members via command
• Christianity exists worldwide and does
not have a state or country
• Christians believe that the Messiah has
come with the birth of Jesus and thus Old
Testament prophesy fulfilled
• Referred to as Christos wh/ is the Greek
word for Messiah (Jesus Christ)
• Christians must believe in the birth, death
for the atonement of the sins of man, and
resurrection
HOLY DAYS
• Christmas: celebrates the birth of Christ
although most theologians do not believe
this was the actual date of Jesus' birth
• Easter: celebrates the resurrection of
Christ
ISLAM
• One God
• Founder: Abraham (Jewish tradition)
• Holy cities: Mecca, Medina, Jerusalem
• Place of worship: mosque
• Holy book: Koran (Qur’an)
• Arabic peoples
• Religious symbol: crescent moon & star
• Religious divisions: Shi’ite & Sunni
• There are approximately 1.61 billion Muslims,
making Islam the second-largest religion in
the world, after Christianity.
• Islam exists worldwide occupies several
states that operate as a theocracy: i.e. Iraq,
Iran
SIX ARTICLES OF FAITH
1. Allah. Like Judaism and
Christianity, Islam believes
there is one true Allah (The
Arabic translation of the word
God). Allah alone is the creator
of all the universe.
2. Angels. Angels exist and interact with
human lives. They are comprised of
light, and each have different purposes
or messages to bring to earth. Each
man or woman has two angels who
record his actions; one records good
deeds, the other bad deeds.
3. Scripture. There are four inspired
books, the Torah of Moses, the
Psalms of David, the Gospel of
Jesus Christ and the Qur'an. All but
the Qur'an have been interpreted
and changed by Jews and
Christians
.
4. Prophets. God has spoken
through prophets throughout time.
The six greatest are: Adam, Noah,
Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and
Muhammad. Muhammad is the
last and greatest of Allah's
messengers
5. Afterlife. On the last day there
will be a time of resurrection and
judgment. Those who follow Allah
and Muhammad will go to Islamic
heaven. Those who do not will go
to hell.
6. Divine Creed
Five Pillars of Islam
1. Faith: “I testify that there is no
god but Allah and Muhammad is
His Prophet”
2. Prayer: Five times a day toward
the holy city of Mecca
3. Alms: money for the poor
4. Fasting: during the month of
Ramadan, Muslims cannot eat or
drink from sun up to sun down
5. Pilgrimage: one in a lifetime all
Muslims must go to Mecca (if they
can afford to do so)
Jihad, or to Strive.
Denotes the struggle to keep
the faith and the ability to
practice it freely. This can be
a personal battle or one
against leadership
Jihad: holy war
Death in a holy war =
immediate ascension into
Heaven This is not
considered one of the 5
pillars but is still part of the
cultural thought process
HOLY DAYS
• Ramadan (Arabic: ‫رمضان‬, Ramaḍān) is a
Muslim religious observance that takes place
during the ninth month of the Islamic
calendar 09/02/08, believed to be the month
in which the Qur'an began to be revealed.
The name "Ramadan" is taken from the
name of this month; the word itself derived
from an Arabic word for intense heat,
scorched ground, and shortness of rations. It
is considered the most blessed month of the
Islamic year.
INFLUENCE
•Arabic numbers
•Spices
•Alchemy
•Astronomy