Download The Major Religions of the World

The Major
Religions of the
World
How Many Do You Know?
List all of the religions of the
world that you can think of.
We will study these….
 Judaism
 Hinduism
 Buddhism
 Christianity
 Islam
 Mormonism
World Religion #1
Judaism
The First Israelites
 First monotheistic religion – Judaism
– Established about 1800BCE
– Believed that they were the descendants of Abraham
– Spoke Hebrew
 Built a kingdom in Canaan in 1000BCE
– Today Lebanon, Israel and Jordan
 Wrote their beliefs in the Torah
– First five books of the Old Testament
Moses leads the Israelites out of
Captivity
Moses receives the “laws” from
God
The Kingdom of Israel
 First King was Saul
 War against the Philistines
– David slays Goliath and becomes King
– David’s son Solomon builds a famous temple
• Now the famous “Wailing Wall”
The Western “Wailing” Wall
The Growth of Judaism
 Ancient Israelites met once a week on the
“Sabbath,” a holy day of prayer
 They met in “Synagogues,” houses of
worship
 They read from the Torah (Hebrew Bible),
Prophets and 34 other books
The Jewish Way of Life
 Great importance placed on sons
 Jews can only eat certain foods = Kosher
 Major Holy Days = Passover, Rosh Hoshana (New Year), Yom Kippur,
Hanukkah
 Jewish men wear head coverings as
tradition
 Jewish leaders called Rabbis
World Religion #2
Hinduism
Hinduism
 Third largest religion in the world
 Formulated by 1500BCE
 Based on basic principles are found in 4
Vedas – sacred writings
 Priests are called Brahmins
 There is no “leader” or “founder”
Early Hinduism
 Thousands of deities are all part of one
universal spirit – Brahman
 Reincarnation – passing through many
lives to reach the Brahman
 Karma – consequences of how a person
lives
Hinduism Beliefs
 God in Hinduism is the Supreme Being
– Everywhere, all-knowing, and all-powerful
 The purpose of life is to obtain liberation
from the cycle of reincarnation.
 Everyone has three “debts”
– God
– Saints and sages (wise-men)
– Ancestors
World Religion #3
Buddhism
Who is the Buddha?
 Founder-Siddhartha Gautama (c.520BCE)
– Known as the Buddha or “enlightened one”
 Present spiritual leader -Dalai Lama
– Head of Buddhist Church
 4th largest religion in the world today
– Mainly found in China, Japan, Korea, SE Asia
Buddhist Beliefs
 Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path
 The only way to the truth is to give up all
desires
 Purpose of life is to escape the cycle of
rebirth and attain nirvana
– Nirvana – a state of wisdom
The Dalai Lama –
The present spiritual leader of Buddhism
World Religion #4
Christianity
History of Christianity
 Founded c.33CE in Palestine
– Founded by Jesus and his followers (disciples)
– Jesus is believed to be the messiah
 Currently, main locations are:
– Europe
– North America
– South America
Christian Population throughout the World
Christianity Beliefs
 Sacred Text
– The Bible (Old and New Testament)
 Purpose of Life
– To know, love, and serve God
 Major Holidays
– Easter, Christmas, Lent, Advent
 Belief in God
– One God (a trinity of Father, Son, Holy Spirit)
Christianity Facts
 Over 2B followers…largest religion in the world
 Major Sects
– Roman Catholic (RCC)
– Eastern Orthodox (EO)
– Protestant
 House of Worship
– Church or Chapel
 Leaders of the Church
– Hierarchy of priests and Pope (RCC) and (EO)
Canterbury Cathedral, England
World Religion #5
Islam
History of Islam
 Founded in 622CE
– Founded by Muhammad in Saudi Arabia
– Muhammad is considered to be a prophet
– A messenger of Allah (God)
 Two Major Sects (split c.650CE)
– Sunni
– Shia (or Shiite)
Muhammad
Islamic Beliefs
 One God – Allah
 Five Pillars of Islam
– Faith-one god, Allah
– Prayer-5x/day
– Charity-give to poor
– Fast-during Ramadan
– Pilgrimage-to Mecca
Islamic Beliefs
 Sacred Text
– Qur’an (Koran)
– Hadith
 Religious Law
– Sharia
 House of Worship
– Mosque
 Leaders of the Religion
– imams
Islam Facts
 Over 1B followers…second largest
religion in the world
 Major Areas in the World
– Middle East
– SE Asia
Mecca,
Saudi Arabia
Blue Mosque
Istanbul, Turkey
World Religion #6
Mormonism
Mormonism
 The Church of Ladder-Day Saints (LDS)
–
Followers are known as Mormons
 Founder-Joseph Smith
–
Translated a sacred history of the Americas,
known as the Book of Mormon in 1830
The Mormon Church
 Way of Life
– Belief in prophets (Gordon B. Hinckley)
– God (Father), Christ (Son), & the Holy Ghost
are three separate individuals
– Must give up alcohol, tobacco, coffee, tea
– Must give 10% of income to church
– House of Worship: Temple or Church
San Diego Mormon Temple
San Diego, California
Salt Lake Temple
Salt Lake City, Utah
The Mormon Church
 Sacred Texts
– The Book of Mormon, the Christian Bible,
Doctrines & Covenants
 Current Headquarters: Salt Lake City,
Utah
 To Achieve Salvation: Faith and
works…works are emphasized (missionary)
 Today there are more than 12 millions
followers, half outside the US