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Basic Information
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Founders: Jesus Christ, and God.
Practiced: Western hemisphere and Europe
It’s a universalizing religion
Has approximately 1.6 billion members
worldwide.
Maps/Cathedrals
Catholic churches were
originally built the way they
are, because they were meant
to be seen from miles around.
They were also supposed to
show the importance and
power of the church.
Major Prophets/Beliefs
• Prophets- Jesus, 12 disciples, Jeremiah,
Elijah, Isaiah, Daniel, Ezekiel
• Beliefs- Jesus came to earth to live a sinless
life and die for our sins. If you accept him
you are forgiven of you sins.
• Afterlife- If you have accepted Jesus you
will go to heaven. If not you go to Hell.
Symbols/Our personal beliefs
Symbols- The cross/crucifix, The Virgin Mary,
Rosaries.
Our personal beliefs:
We are Baptists, so
what we believe is very similar. The major
differences are we don’t worship saints,
and we don’t baptize people as babies.
Judaism
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Judaism was founded in the
6th or 5th century B.C. by
Abraham.
Judaism is primarily
practiced in Israel (5,500
million), and in the U.S. (5
million).
Judaism is an ethnic religion.
Judaism is estimated to have
13 – 14 million followers
worldwide.
Jewish Religious Beliefs
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Major prophets or 'Navi' of
Judaism include: Joshua,
Samuel, Isaiah, Jeremiah,
and Ezekial.
Jewish belief says that there
is only one God, and that he
should be worshiped. There
are also ethics associated
with it, such as following the
Ten Commandments.
Jews traditionally believe
that the good go to a heaven
like place called Gan Eden,
and the wicked go to a place
known as Gehinnom.
Religious Symbols of Judaism
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The three symbols shown
here are the Magein David,
or Star of David, the
Mezuzah, and the Menorah,
respectively.
The Magein David
supposedly represents the
shape of David's shield.
The Mezuzah is a case
containing a scroll with part
of the Shema written on it.
The Menorah is a candlabra
representing the Jewish
nation.
Jewish Dispersal
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The Jewish people originally
inhabited what is now Israel,
but were displaced to other
places in the Middle East in
the 8th and 6th centuries BC.
In the 30's and 40's many
Jews fled from Poland,
Germany, and other
European countries to escape
the Holocaust. Many of these
Jews came to America.
When the state of Israel was
established in 1948, many
Jews migrated there.
Islam
The founder of Islam was Muhammad. Even
though Islam is mainly practiced in the Middle
East, Southeast Asia, and North Africa, it is still
a universalizing religion. Islam has over 1.5
billion members world wide.
Islam
• They believe that Abraham and Muhammad were
major prophets and teachers of this religion. Muslims
also believe that Islam is God’s final message to
humankind, a reconfirmation and perfection of the
messages that God has revealed through earlier
prophets. They also believe that people are born free
of sins.
• Like Christianity, Islam teaches the continued existence
of the soul and a transformed physical existence after
death. There will be a day of judgment and humanity
will be divided between the eternal destinations of
paradise and Hell.
Islam
• Christianity and Islam are the two largest
religions in the world and they have many points
of contact. Both inherited from Judaism a belief
in one God who created the world and cares
about the behavior and beliefs of human beings.
For the most part both of these religions believe
in the same things, although Christians sacred
text is the Bible while Muslim’s sacred text is the
Qur'an.
• In the Islamic faith there are no official symbols,
but several symbols or images that have a special
place in Islam. The Star Crescent is the bestknown symbol used to represent Islam. It shows
up on most flags.
main beliefs
6. The divine beings exist in unseen
1. One, all-pervasive
worlds and that temple worship,
Supreme Being.
2. Divinity of the four Vedas, the world's
rituals, sacraments and personal
most ancient scripture, and venerate the
devotionals allow communication
Agamas as equally revealed. These hymns
between devas and Gods.
are the Sanatana Dharma, or, the eternal
7. All life is sacred, to be loved and
religion. endless cycles
3. The universe undergoes
cherished, and practice ahimsa,
of creation, preservation and dissolution.
(the avoidance of violence), in
4. Karma, the law of cause and effect by which
thought, word and deed.
each individual creates his own destiny through his
8. No one religion leads to
thoughts, words and deeds.
salvation above all others, all paths
5. The soul reincarnates, evolving through
many births until all karmas have been
achieved, and moksha, or, liberation from
the cycle of rebirth, is attained.“Not a
single soul will be deprived of this destiny.”
are facets of God's Light, and
deserve tolerance and
understanding.
Other beliefs/facts
No one founder, it is a collective religion,
meaning it has been created over time.
Devas and Devis
Their religious texts are divided into two
groups, Śruti (revealed) and Smriti
(remembered).
Durga
The religion contains over 330 million
LakshmiSarasvati
deities, devas, devis, and gods. These PushaRudraSavitrShivaSomaVarunaVayuVishnu
Vishvedavas
contain local and
regional
god’s.
MarutasMoordha
AdityaAgniAntarikshaAshwinisBrahmaBrihaspatiDishasDyausIndraGanesh
PrajapatiPrithvi
Hinduism is the predominant religion of
India, with 80.5% of the country relating
themselves to the Hindu faith.
Hinduism is the 3rd, or possibly 4th, largest
religion, behind Christianity, Islam, Judaism,
and Buddhism, respectively.
Hindu beliefs on topics
Hell: Since Hindus believe in reincarnation, they do not have the same views
on hell. They view hell as a stage in the cosmic cycle. If you die with negative
karma, you wait in hell until a matching ‘parent’ body is found. If you die with
positive karma, you move on to the next level.
Women: Their beliefs/values vary from region to region, and based off of
which texts they pull their beliefs from. The Vedas is more authoritative, the
Ramayana and the Mahabharata defines the ideal women, and the Manu
Smriti advocates the restriction of women’s rights.
Abortion: While Hindu text believes you should do whatever cause they least
amount of harm, Hindus are free to have their own opinion on the topic.
Homosexuality: Hinduism is one of the only religions in the world that does not
condemn homosexuality. It recognizes it as a natural occurrence, and defines
love as a natural force and sees no gender.
Architecture
Lilburn, Georgia
West Bengal
Architecture
Dodda Basappa Temple
at Dambal, Karnataka
Built in the 17th century.
Shiva temple,
Prambanan, Central
Java
Architecture
TajMahal
Agra, India
Siddhartha Gautama
• In Nepal, c. 430 BC,
Gautama founded the
religion known today as
Buddhism.
• While sitting under a
papal tree, Gautama
became Buddha
‘enlightened one’.
Buddhists cremate their
dead as a symbol that
gives a sense of
detachment. They
believe that the soul of
the departed is set free
from bondage.
Reincarnation is the belief
that the soul, upon death of
the body, comes back to
earth in another body or
form.
(Disciples, Buddha)
Universalizing Religion
The Four Noble Truths
I.
II.
III.
IV.
All living things must endure
suffering.
Suffering, which is caused by a
desire, leads to reincarnation.
The goal of all existence is to
escape from suffering…
Nirvana is attained through an
Eightfold Path.
The Wheel of Life
The Eightfold Path
View, thought, speech, action,
livelihood, effort, mindfulness, and
concentration.
The Eightfold Path
c.380-250 BC – Buddhism spread to south India and into Sri
Lanka. (3rd century BC - King Asoka)
Map of Buddhist population today…
Today there are around 350 million Buddhists worldwide.
Buddhist
temples are
dedicated to
divine named
Buddhas.
Australian Temple
Venkateswara Swami Temple …
Atlanta Georgia
Vajrayana Temple… Chita Siberia
European Temple
• Theravada- They believe they are closer
to Buddha’s original approach and that
Buddhism is a full time occupation. They
also believe that one must become a
monk.
• Mahayana- They believe that their
approach to Buddhism can help more
people because it is less demanding and
all-encompassing.
 The founders of this religion are St. Paul and the
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Apostles
Eastern Orthodox is an Ethnic religion
The area where this is mostly practiced is eastern
Europe and Russia
The number of members of the church is 233,146,000
The major prophets/teachers of the religion are:
Patriarch in Constantinople and Jesus.
 That there are three Divine Persons in God, distinct,
yet equal.
 That the Father is the head of the Trinity, neither
begotten, nor proceeds from anyone.
 That there are Seven Sacraments: Baptism, Holy
Chrismation, Holy Eucharist, Holy Confession,
Ordination, Marriage, and Holy Unction.
 The people who follow this religion also believe in
resurrection
 The small top crossbar represents the sign that Pontius
Pilate nailed above Christ's head. It often is inscribed with
an acronym "INRI", meaning “Jesus of Nazareth, King of
the Jews”; however, it is often replaced or amplified by the
phrase "The King of Glory" in order to answer Pilate's
statement with Christ's affirmation, "My Kingdom is not of
this world".
 There is also a bottom slanting bar. This appears for a
number of reasons. Claims of evidence indicate that there
was a small wooden platform for the crucified to stand on
in order to support his weight; in Jesus' case his feet were
nailed side by side to this platform with one nail each in
order to prolong the torture of the cross.
 There are ten major Gurus(The Prophets)
 1.Nanak Dev, 2. Angad Dev , 3. Amar Das, 4. Ram Das, 5. Arjan Dev, 6. Har
Gobind, 7. Har Rai, 8. Har Krishan, 9. Tegh Bahadur, 10. Gobind Singh
 The principal belief of Sikhism is faith in Waheguru—represented by the
phrase ik ōaṅkār, meaning one God.
 Sikhism advocates the pursuit of salvation through disciplined, personal
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meditation on the name and message of God.
The rejection of the divisive Caste system. Sikhs reject any distinction made for
class, race, creed or sex. Sikhs believe in full equality for all people.
The Sikh goal is to end the cycle of birth, death and rebirth, and unite the
separated individual soul with the Universal Soul (God).
In Sikhism there are 4 cardinal sins (Kurahts).
Sikhism identifies 5 vices, which a Sikh must regulate and control.
To protect and help those in need through charity and community service.
Sikhism teaches that the soul reincarnates when the body dies. Sikhs believe
that good, or bad actions, determine the life form into which a soul takes
rebirth.
 Sikhism is a monotheistic religion founded in the fifteenth
century Punjab on the teachings of Guru Nanak Dev Ji(14691538), and ten successive Sikh Gurus.
 Sikhs make up 0.39% of the world population, 75% of Sikhs live in
the Indian state of Punjab. However, Sikhs only make up about
2% of the Indian population. Even though there are a large
number of Sikhs in the world, certain countries have not
recognized Sikhism as a major religion
 This religion is a universalizing religion, people are not born into
it like Jews which is ethnic.
 There are about 27 million Sikhs worldwide.
 Kesh
 Uncut hair, which is kept covered by a distinctive turban.
Kesh are a traditional symbol of holiness in India,
and the turban is a symbol of leadership.
 Kirpan
 A ceremonial sword, symbolizing readiness to defend the defenseless, and defend one's faith
against persecution.
 Kara
 A steel bracelet, symbolizing strength and integrity.
 Kangha
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A wooden comb, symbolizing cleanliness and order.
 Kachhera
 Cotton boxer shorts, symbolizing self-control and chastity; prohibition of adultery.
 > The Sikh Insignia - Khanda
 The Khanda constitutes three symbols in one.
However, the name is derived from the central symbol,
Khanda, a special type of double-edged
sword which confirms the Sikhs' belief in One God.
The Sikh Flag - Nishan Sahib
 The Sikh flag is a saffron-colored triangular-shaped cloth,
usually reinforced in the middle with Sikh insignia in blue.
GURDWARA - The Sikh Temple
India
Singapore-
Uganda, Africa
Augusta Georgia
London
Spread of Sikhism
 Sikh architecture was distinguished for its many curves and
straight lines.
 The four doors of a Sikh temple represent the Door of
Peace, the Door
of Livelihood,
the Door of
Learning and
the Door of
Grace. These
doors must
always
remain
open to all.
Mormonism
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Founder
• Founder- Joseph Smith
• Wrote Book of Mormon
• Organized The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter- Day Saints
• Visited by spirits
Mainly Practiced in…
- Majority
is in Utah
• Concentration is in the West (Arizona,
Nevada, Montana, Wyoming)
Mormon Symbols
• Lot of symbols are similar to other
Christian groups
• Bread and water stand for symbols of
flesh and blood of Jesus Christ
• Unlike other Christian groups there is an
absence of a cross
After-Life
• Everyone who dies will live
eternally
• Families can live together forever
in heaven if they are "sealed"
through special temple ceremonies
• Believe in Hell
• If you do not repent on EarthTemporary Hell
• If you do not repent after
temporary Hell- Eternal Hell
Number of Members
• Worldwide there are a total of about
13million Mormons.
Major Beliefs
• The main beliefs of Mormons are summarized
by the 13 Articles of Faith which were written
by the founder of Mormonism, Joseph Smith.
• Basically they just say that they believe in and
worship God.
Map
Personal Beliefs
• Valerie: I go to church like they do, but not as much. Also, I
am family oriented. I am not as into religion as they are though.
• Arianna:
Extra
• Stephanie Meyer is a MORMON!!!
•
gasp!
Baha'i
By: Tatiana Khov & Amber Brown
Baha’I Worldwide
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The Faith’s founder was Baha'u'llah. He was a Persian noble
man that was from Tehran, who left a life of princely comfort
& security. He also faced a rough life of deprivation &
persecution. In the mix & brutality he found a peace & unity
within himself. Baha'u'llah claimed to be nothing less than a
new and independent Messenger from God. The essential
message of Baha'u'llah is that of unity. He taught that there is
only one God, that there is only one human race, and that all
the world’s religions represent stages in the revelation of
God’s will and purpose for humanity.
The religion is mainly used throughout many places around
the world as of today. It is mostly spread through cities and
countries such as:
Wilmette, Illinois, USA
Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Kampala, Uganda
Sydney, Australia
Panama City, Panama
Apia, Samoa
New Delhi, India
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Baha'i's worship services have no rituals, sermon, or clergy.
Services consist of prayers, music, and reading of the
scriptures of all religions, especially the writings of the Baha'i
Messenger Baha’u’llah. Houses of Worship are open to people
of every religion
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Baha'i faith is an independent monotheistic religion with its
own sacred scriptures, laws, calendar, and holy day. It would
be considered as an universalizing religion because it slowly
but surely spreading worldwide with more than 5 million
adherents from virtually every nation and ethnic group on
earth.
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While the five-pointed star is the symbol of the religion, being
used to represent the human body and Messengers of God,
more common symbols include the nine-pointed star the
Greatest Name, and the Ringtone symbol, representing
perfection, and the Messengers of God.
•The symbol of the Greatest Name represents an
invocation which can be translated either as 'O Glory of
Glories' or 'O Glory of the All-Glorious.' The word glory
used in this connection is a translation of the Arabic term
Bahá, the name of Baha'u'llah."
•This graph demonstrates
the spread of the Baha'i
religion in the United
States.
Belief, Prophets, & Lessons
Major BeliefsProgressive- Revelation Baha'i theology
holds to the idea of progressive
revelation. In their system there are
different manifestations of God during
different periods of time.
Oneness and Unity- The Baha'i faith
teaches the oneness of God, the
oneness of all religions, and the
oneness of mankind. The emphasis
on oneness is not window dressing; it
is a core concept of the system. Unity
is sought, taught, and preached today
and is the goal for tomorrow. The
mission of Baha'i life is to bring to
fruition the unity of all mankind in a
divine civilization based on the
teachings of Baha'u'llah.
Laws & Obligations1.
Pray every day.
2.
Observe the Baha'i Fast from sunrise
to sunset each day from March 2
through 21.
3.
Consider work as worship.
4.
Teach the Cause of God.
5.
Avoid alcoholic drinks and drugs.
6.
Observe Baha'i marriage.
7.
Obey the government and not
participate in politics.
8.
Avoid backbiting and gossip.
9.
Observe Baha'i Holy Days.
10. Contribute to the Baha'i Fund.9)
The Twelve Principles1.
Oneness of God.
2.
Oneness of Religion.
3.
Oneness of Mankind.
4.
Elimination of prejudice of all kinds.
5.
Individual search after truth.
6.
Universal auxiliary language.
7.
Equality of men and women.
8.
Universal education.
9.
Harmony of science and religion.
10. Elimination of extremes of wealth and poverty.
11. World government.
12. Protection of cultural diversity.
Afterlife-
Baha'is believe in an afterlife in which the soul is separated from the body. At death,
according to the Baha'i faith, the soul begins a spiritual journey towards God through
many planes of existence.
Progress on this journey towards God is likened to the idea of "heaven." If the soul fails
to develop, one remains distant from God. This condition of remoteness from God can in
some sense be understood as "hell."
Thus Baha'is do not regard heaven and hell as literal places but as different states of
being during one's spiritual journey toward or away from God.
Baha'is understand the spiritual world to be a timeless and placeless extension of our
own universe--and not some physically remote or removed place.
But beyond this, the exact nature of the afterlife remains a mystery. Baha'u'llah wrote,
"The nature of the soul after death can never be described."
Map of locations of Baha'i House of Worship in the world. Green, countries with a
House of Worship (location shown with blue dot); red, countries with destroyed
House of Worship; light green, countries with a planned location for a House of
Worship
Our Beliefs
Tatiana –
My personal belief is quite different from the Baha'i religion. I don’t believe specifically in a
god or Buddha. I do believe there is a higher power and a great & good, but I am not a
mainly religious person. I was born into a Buddhist religion but I do not practice its
principles, laws, or obligations. I am not well connected towards my religion. So I have
drifted away from it. So I do not have a direct religion. This can be considered atheist. This
is different compared to the Baha'i religion because they believe in a god, they practice
principles, laws, & obligations and I do not.
Amber- My personal beliefs are very similar to those of the Baha'i religion. I believe in God
and that he is the higher power. I was born into a Christian religion and I am still Christian.
With being a Christian I don’t really practice much because there is nothing to really
practice in the religion. You do have principles that you are expected to follow but they are
not forced upon you. The Baha'i religion is basically the stricter version of Christianity.
The Ringstone Symbol
The purpose of the symbol that appears on Baha'i ringstones and
other Baha'i identity jewelry serves as a visual reminder of God's
purpose for man, and for Baha'is in particular
A simple nine-pointed star is generally used by Baha'is as a
symbol of their Faith.
The Greatest Name
Particularly cherished by Baha'is are calligraphic forms of the word Baha
known as the Greatest Name, a reference to Baha’u’llah. In this category is the
right symbol above, which is engraved on personal rings and on buildings to
establish their Baha'i identity.
UK
Canada
Atlanta, GA
Belgium
By Jordan
Fessehaie
& Megan
Dunn
India
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Founder-Mahavira (c. 599-527 BC)
Adherents-4 million (most in India)
Universalizing Religion
Mainly in Eastern India
Major sects-Digambaras ("skyclad"); Shvetambaras ("white-clad")
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Jain beliefs have their historical roots in Hinduism, but there are
many distinctive differences between the two Indian religions.
Jains believe that the universe and everything in it is eternal.
Nothing that exists now was ever created, nor will it be destroyed.
The universe consists of three realms: the heavens, the earthly
realm and the hells. There are seven levels of heaven in Jain
cosmology. The top level, "the Realm of the Jinas" is reserved for
liberated souls. The next level down is the realm of the gods.
We both believe that that there is a heaven and hell. We do not
agree that there are seven levels of Heaven.
Depending on one's karma and level of
spiritual development, death may mean
being reborn in another physical
appearance in the earthly realm, suffering
punishment in one of eight hells or joining
other liberated souls in the highest level of
heaven.
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Unlike hell imagery in most other
systems, the eight hells of Jainism
become progressively colder as
they go down. Suffering in these
hells is not eternal. Once a soul
has been severely punished, he or
she is reborn into another form.
ahimsa
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principle of non-violence to any living thing
Ambika
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Mother-Goddess
anekantvad
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principle of multiple viewpoints (illustration: story of blind men and elephant)
Arihanta
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"destroyer of enemies" - the spiritual state at which inner passions have been destroyed (ego, deceit, greed,
anger, etc.)
jinas
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spiritual victors; tirthankaras
kashaya
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passions
loka
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true nature of the universe
salekhana
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fasting to death (performed by Mahavira)
Shintoism
•Shinto followers believe in multiple gods and goddesses.
•Shinto is mainly based on purification.
•Shinto is indigenous to Japan, and has not spread.
•Shinto religious buildings are called shrines.
Izumo Taishakyo Mission of Hawaii
Torii gate – Marks the
boundary
between the
physical and
spiritual worlds.
Shinto doesn’t have a founder or any prophets or
teachers.
Shinto is indigenous to Japan, and has 2.8 million
followers. When Japan took over Korea and
Taiwan, Shinto was made the official religion
of these countries, but not many converted.
Tiffany Hudson
Amana Buggs Per3B
Zoroastrianism
Fast Facts:Date founded: c.6th cent. BC Place founded:
Ancient PersiaFounder: Zarathustra (Zoroaster) Followers:
150-200,000 universalizing religon
Practiced mainly in persia (Iran),India(parsees)
QuickTime™ and a
decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
religious
symbols
avesta = holy
book
fire=
god
white= purity
sudre =
goodness
kutsi =
prayer belt
gathas= holy
psalms
prophets/teachers of the
religon
ahura mazda = god
Zarathustra= founder/ prophet
Aura Mainyu = devil
jamaspa = son in law ( first seccsor)
. Frashaoshtra= first apostle
magi= priets
blifs of religon in afterlife/major bleifs
major belifs
after life
no conversions
no interfaith marriage
all seeing eyes
one god
duality of existence
similar belifs to big three
religons
dogs are important
so are eyes
bodies eaten by vultures
ever going fire
bones are barred
tower of silence
pictures of temples
zoroastriamism is very similar to the main christian
religons
may have been the idea for some values