WORLD RELIGIONS

A Look at the Way

the World Prays

World Religions

Lets look at the Abrahamic

Religions first.

Target: I can describe the

beliefs of Christianity
Vocabulary:
Catholic-largest Christian group
Protestant-non catholic christian

Christianity
Supreme Being?
God/ Yaweh/Jesus
Where did it begin?
Palestine, modern day Middle East (Israel)
Symbols?

Major Beliefs
Based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ
Believe that Jesus was the son of God who
came and died for peoples sins and then rose
so that all people could be saved
Believe in one God(monotheistic) who created
the universe and all things in it

Christian Way of Life

Fellowship with God
relationships with others
Obedience to God's commands
prayer
Attending church

CHRISTIANITY
The two main segments of
Christianity are Catholics
and Protestants.

Comparing Christianity and

Judaism

Christianity

Judaism

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World Religions
Target: I can identify the
five major religions of the
world
Key Vocab:
1.Monotheistic
2.Polytheistic
3. Abrahamic
4. Dharmic

What is religion and why

study it?
Purpose of Religion?
To explain
To get to heaven
To do good
To give life meaning
Law and order
Why is it important?
Religion has shaped history for thousands of years.

It is okay to learn about religions not your own.

You do not, and should not, agree with all beliefs, but you should
be respectful of them.

What are the types of

religions?
Monotheistic-believe in one god
Polytheistic-believe in more than one god

There are 5 major world

religions
Think about this
Can you name the 5 major religions of the
world?

PRIMARY WORLD RELIGIONS

ISLAM
JUDAISM
HINDUISM

BUDDHISM
CHRISTIANITY

Activity: (3 minutes)

Order by popularity (size of membership)

Hinduism
Christianity
Islam
Buddhism
Judaism

World Religion Membership

Religion

Member World Population

Christianity

2 Billion +

Islam

1.2 Billion +

Hinduism

785 Million

Buddhism

350 Million

Judaism

17 Million

(WHY?)

The Two major groups of Religions

Abrahamic Religions
Ex: Islam, Christianity, & Judaism
Founder was Abraham

Dharmic Religions
Ex: Hinduism & Buddhism
Began in Asia

Judaism

Founder/Supreme Being
the God of the ancient Israelites or
Yahweh established a divine covenant
with Abraham, making him the patriarch
of many nations.
The term Abrahamic Religions is derived
from his name. These are the three or
four major religions which trace their
roots back to Abraham: Judaism,
Christianity, Islam

JUDAISMs Origin
The second oldest faith among the
major religions of the world is
Judaism, or Jewish. The Jews or
Hebrewshave been around for
thousands of years.
Judaism began in what is today
Israel in the Middle East.

Holy Text
Jews sacred
literature is the
Torah.
It is the Old
Testament of the
Bible. They do not
use the New
Testament.

JUDAISM
The menorah is a
symbol of the
Jewish religion. So
is the star of David.

JUDAISM Beliefs
Jews were first to
believe in one God and
are waiting for the
Messiah or chosen one.
Jews follow their laws
and traditions.
Jews practice many
traditions including
prayer and fasting.

They read from

the torah

JUDAISM: Practices
A Jewish place of
A Jewish church leader
worship is called a
is called a rabbi.
synagogue.
Jews have many laws
Jewish ceremonies
and traditions, including
are often performed eating Kosher food.
in Hebrew.

Beliefs

Observation of the weekly Sabbath

as a day of rest, starting at
sundown on Friday evening.
following the laws in all areas of
life
Passing down Jewish traditions
celebrating the annual festivals
including:
Passover, or Pesach is held each
Spring to recall the Jews'
deliverance out of slavery in Egypt
Hanukkah or the Feast of Lights
is an 8 day feast of dedication.
Barmitzvah-coming of age
rituals

Current location

Jerusalem:
The Holy City

Review Time!
1. Why is Judaism and Christianity considered
Abrahamic religions?
2. What is the Christian concept of the Trinity?
3. How do Christians achieve salvation?
4. Why do you think Christianity is the largest
religion in the world?

ISLAM
Islam means:
submission to God
Supreme Being: Muslims
worship the same God as
Christians and Jews.
They call him Allah,
which is Arabic for
God.
Muslims are located
mostly in the Middle East
Islam was founded by
the prophet Muhammad

ISLAM
The Muslim
symbol is the
crescent moon
with a star.

ISLAM

The sacred text of

Islam is the Koran

ISLAM: Beliefs
Monotheistic- Allah
Islam is based on the life and teachings of
Muhammad
Muslims follow the teachings of the Koran
Muslims are expected to follow the 5 Pillars
of Faith

5 Pillars of Faith
1. Shahada-declaring your faith
2. salat-prayer 5 times a day.
3. zakat-giving to the poor
4. Siyam-fasting
5. hajj-making a pilgrimage to Mecca once
in your life

Practices
of ISLAM
A Muslim temple is
called a mosque. A
Muslim priest is
called an imam.
Reading the Koran
Practicing the 5 pillars
of faith.

ISLAM
Like Christians, Muslims are divided. The
two main groups are Shia, (or Shiites),
which make up about 90 percent of
Muslims. The other sect is Sunni.

Current Location:

What is a Muslim
extremist?

What many people think about when they hear

Islam or Muslim..

The Extremists are remembered, while the

true Muslims are condemned.

But we forget that Religious Extremists

are in every religion..

Comparing the 3
Abrahamic Religions
Use your handouts to complete
the activity.
You can draw the symbols or use
the following:
C=Christianity
I=Islam
J=Judaism

Exit
1. Monotheism means:
a. Belief in one God
b. Belief in many Gods
c. Belief in no God
2. The Abrahamic religions are Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
a. True
b. False
3. A Mosque is a place of worship for:
a. Jews
b. Christians
c. Muslims
d. All of them
4. The rank of Islam in the top 5 major religions is:
a. 1st
b. 2nd
c. 3rd
d. 4th
5. All of the Abrahamic religions began in:
a. Asia
b. The Middle East
c. Europe
d. Africa

Hinduism
Target: I can describe the
beliefs of Hinduism
Vocab:
Karma
Reincarnation
Nirvana

HINDUISM
Hinduism is the oldest of
the 5 major religions.
Hinduism is polytheisticbelief in many Gods
differs from Christianity and other
Hinduism
monotheistic religions in that it does not have:
a single founder,
a single concept of God
a single holy text,
a single system of morality,
a central religious authority,
the concept of a prophet.

Where did Hinduism begin?

Hinduism began
in India around
2000 B.C.

What is Hinduism?
Although it is not easy to define
Hinduism, It is viewed as a religion that
believes all life is sacred.

HINDUISM
supreme being

Brahma is the
senior God,
and creator of
the universe.

HINDUISM
Another main
form of God for
Hindus is Shiva,
the protector.

HINDUISM
Vishnu is
another form
of God in the
Hindu religion.
He is the
destroyer.

HINDUISM
This is symbol for
Hinduism.

Sacred Text

The Vedas are a

collection of ancient
poems that describe
Hindu Beliefs

Beliefs
Reincarnation is the belief that the
soul repeatedly goes through a cycle of
being born into a body, dying, and
being reborn again in a new body.
Karma, a force that determines the
quality of each life, depending on how
well one behaved in a past life.
Hinduism says we create karma by our
actions on earth. If you live a good life,
you create good karma. If you live a
bad life, you create bad karma.

Beliefs
Each time a Hindu soul is born into a better
life, it has the opportunity to improve itself
further, and get closer to ultimate liberation.
This liberation is called Moksha.
One attains Moksha when one has "overcome
ignorance", and no longer desires anything at
all.
The ones who reach this state no longer
struggle with the cycle of life and death. This
Nirvana or enlightenment.
The way to get to Moksha is to not create any
bad karma.

Caste System
Whatever caste youre
born into you are in for
the rest of your life.
It served to keep the
wealthy at the top and
keep the have nots on
the bottom.
Higher castes dont
associate with lower
castes because you can
become unclean.

Hindu Practices
Each Hindu has 4 daily duties:
Revere the deities (gods)
Respect ancestors
Respect all beings
Honor all humankind
Meditation
Yoga

HINDUISM
The temple is
where Hindus
worship.

Hinduism in the World

Exit
1. Hinduism can be considered polytheistic
a. true b. false
2. Hinduism began in:
a. China b. India c. Middle East d. Africa
3. Hinduism is unlike the Abrahamic religions because there is nor central
figure or prophet
a. True b. False
4. Hinduism is the ________ largest religion in the world.
a. 3rd b. 5th c. 2nd d. tied for 3rd
5. Hindus believe which of the following:
a. All life is sacred
b. People can achieve enlightenment
c. Reincarnation is affected by Karma
d. All of these

BUDDHISM
The most different of the five major
religions is Buddhism. It is more a
lifestyle that focuses on ending
desire, thus ending suffering.

BUDDHISM
Buddhists dont really
worship a god
Some believe god is
everywhere, and that
when we end desire we
are at peace with
ourselves and nature.

BUDDHISM
Many people believe
that Buddhists
worship statues of
Buddha, like the one
at right. Not so.
Buddhists work to
end attachments and
desire.

BUDDHISM
Buddhist priests are
called lamas or monks.
The Buddhist scriptures
are called the
Tripatakas, or three
baskets.

BUDDHISM
Founder: Siddhartha
AKA The 1st Buddha
Born 563 BCE in modern Nepal

Siddhartha was rich but

unhappy. Lived as a poor
person.
Discovered that unhappiness
& suffering come from
attachments.
Dalai Lama = Siddhartha

Four Noble Truths

The truth of dukkha (suffering, anxiety,
unsatisfactoriness)
The truth of the origin of dukkha
The truth of the cessation of dukkha
The truth of the path leading to the
cessation of dukkha

Eight Fold Path

Right view: Viewing reality as it is, not just as it
appears to be
Right intention: Intention of renunciation, freedom
and harmlessness
Right speech: Speaking in a truthful and non-hurtful
way
Right action: Acting in a non-harmful way
Right livelihood: A non-harmful livelihood
Right effort: Making an effort to improve
Right mindfulness: being aware of the present reality
within oneself, without any craving or aversion
Right concentration: Correct meditation or
concentration

BUDDHISM
One thing Buddhists and Hindus have
in common is the belief in
reincarnation. They believe you come
back in a different form based on your
actions in this life.

BUDDHISM
Samsara is defined as the continual
repetitive cycle of birth and death that
arises from ordinary beings' grasping
and fixating on a self and experiences.
Moksha or
Nirvana is
freedom,
enlightenment &
release from this
cycle.

BUDDHISM
Most Buddhists
live in Asian
countries such
as China.

LETS REVIEW THE WORLD

RELIGIONS

What god does each

religion believe in?

What is the scripture

for each religion?

Match the religion with its

place of worship
Synagogue
Church
Cathedral
Mosque
Temple

Muslim
Protestant
Jewish
Catholic
Buddhist &
Hindu

Match the term to the religion

Priest, Bishop
Monk, lama
Imam
Rabbi
Minister, Reverend
Guru

Judaism
Buddhism
Protestant
Hindu
Catholic
Muslim

Match the geographic

location to the religion
Middle East
Israel, Europe, U.S.
N. & S. America, Europe
Asia
India
U.S., Australia

Protestant
Muslim
Jewish
Hindu
Catholic
Buddhist

What is the BIG difference

between Christians and
Jews and Muslims?

HINT: J.C.

How was each religion created?

Judaism
Catholicism
Hinduism
Protestant
Buddhist
Islam

Abraham
Jesus teachings
unsure
Protesting Catholicism
Buddha
Mohammed

How does each religion

view the afterlife?
Which religions believe
in reincarnation?