The Five Major Religions of the World

Five
Major
World
Religions
Hinduism Buddhism Judaism Christianity Islam
Video

Studying Religion
 Academic versus theological perspective
 The academic perspective does not make value judgments about the
validity of a religion
 The academic perspective does not preach one religion over the other
 The academic perspective focuses on the history and beliefs of the
religion

Animism
Animism is the belief that all living and
nonliving things in nature have a spirit
Animism was the belief system of many
early civilizations
Animism in early civilizations was often
combined with ancestor worship

What is a Religion?
•An organized system of beliefs, ceremonies, practices
and worship that centers on one or more gods
•What is the point of religion?
•Polytheism vs monotheism

Numbers
•Christianity: 1.9 billion people
•Islam: 1.1 billion
•Hinduism: 800 million
•Buddhism: 325 million
•Judaism: 14 million

•Judaism is a monotheistic and the first major monotheistic
religion in history
•Some believe Judaism dates back to Adam and Eve
•Many historians say that is was established around 1800 B.C. as
part of a covenant between God and Abraham
• Abraham would leave Ur(Babylonia) and go to Canaan(Israel)
• He would be blessed with many sons and his family would be given
Israel
• Moses led the Jews out of Egypt(slavery) around 1500 BC

•The Torah is the first five books of the Bible and contain
the laws and teaching of Judaism
•The Ten Commandments are the foundation of Judaism

613 Mitzvot

•The Sabbath is observed as a day of rest, starting at
sundown on Friday evening
•2.6% of U.S. adults identify as Jewish

Judaism Place of Worship
•Jews worship in Synagogues
or temples
•Worship is led by a Rabbi

•The universal symbol of Judaism is the Star of
David, the emblem of King David who ruled the
Kingdom of Israel from 1000 – 962 BC

•A Yarmulke/Kippah is worn
during prayer to show
respect to G_d

Rabbi with Payot

•Menorah-It is a symbol of the
nation of Israel and a mission to
be “a light unto the nations”

Bar Mitzvah—Bat Mitzvah
•What is this celebration? Video-Horah Dance

Ritual, Worship & Celebration
•Many Jews make the pilgrimage to the “Wailing Wall in
Jerusalem
•Built in the 2nd century BC
•Remains of a temple that had stood for close to 500 years
• Destroyed by the Romans
•Thought to be the most sacred of places
•Praying at the Wailing Wall signifies being in the presence of
the Divine

The “Wailing” Wall

Judaism Beliefs
•Jews believe that there is a single God (Yahweh) who not only
created the universe, but with whom every Jew can have a
personal relationship
•They await the Messiah, who will be an earthly king
•They believe in heaven, but the Torah doesn’t say a lot about it
and focuses more on how to live your lives(613 Mitzvat)
•Ten Commandments is the basic code of law

Kosher Foods
•Foods are kosher when they meet all criteria that
Jewish law applies to food
•Characteristics that make a food non-kosher:
•The mixture of meat and milk
•The use of cooking utensils which had previously
been used for non-kosher food
•The type of animal it is

•Leviticus 11:3 says that Jews may eat all animals that
have cloven hooves and chew their cud
•Six mammals are specifically not allowed:
•Camel
•Hyrax
•Hare
•Pig
•Whales
•Dolphins

• Kosher animals are as follows:
• Cows, goats, sheep, antelope, deer, bison, etc
• Most fish(excluding shellfish, sharks, octopus, eels and squid)
• Chicken, duck, and turkey
• Milk and cheese are kosher but cannot be eaten with meat or mixed
with meat
• Preparation
• The slaughter of animals is designed to minimize the pain—usually
done by a slice across the throat
• This eliminates the practice of hunting for food unless it can be
captured alive and ritually slaughtered.
• All blood and veins must be removed from meat(salting and broiling
are common methods)

7 Holy Days
•Rosh Hashanah-Jewish New Year
•Yom Kippur-A day of fasting and praying which occurs 10
days after the first day of Rosh Hashanah
•The holiest day in the year
•Sukkot-8 day festival of thanksgiving
•Hanukkah-The Feast of Lights is an 8 day Feast of
Dedication
•It recalls the war fought by the Maccabees in the cause of
religious freedom

•Purim-The Feast of Lots recalls the successful plan to
save all of the Persian Jews from slaughter by the
Persians, circa 400 BC
•Pesa(Passover)-The 8 day festival recalls the exodus of
the Israelites from slavery in Egypt circa 1300 BCE
•A holiday meal, the Seder, is held at home
•Shavuot-Pentecost recalls God's revelation of the Torah
to the Jewish people

Problems Facing Jews
• Anti-Semitism in History
• Diaspora
• Pograms-Link
• Holocaust-2/3 of European Jews killed
• Israel established as a Jewish state after WWII(1947)-Led to several
wars and a lot of terrorism in the area
• Israel vs Palestinians
• “land for peace”
• Comments from former Iranian President Ahmadinejad and other
Middle East groups
• Why have Jews been despised throughout history?

•Christians are divided into three main branches: Roman
Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, and Protestantism
•Beliefs are based on the life, teachings, and death of
Jesus Christ and founded in 33 AD
•The cross is a symbol used to represent life, death, and
resurrection

Christian Population throughout the World

•Jesus Christ’s death made salvation and forgiveness of
sins possible for everyone
•Three days after his death he was resurrected and later
ascended to Heaven
•The resurrection of Christ is celebrated on Easter, which
is considered Christianity’s most important holiday
•The first Christians were Jews who came to believe Jesus
was the Messiah
•78.4% of U.S. adults identify as Christians

Christian Beliefs
•Christians believe that they can have a personal
relationship with God, and that they are saved by faith,
and good works(according to some)
•They believe in heaven and hell
•They believe that the Bible is the word of God

Christian Way of Life
•Fellowship with God
•Our relationships with others
•Obedience to God's commands
•Discipline
•Good works

Triune God

•Hinduism is derived from a Sanskrit word that means
“dwellers by the Indus River”
•There is no single founder of Hinduism
•It consists of thousands of different religious groups that
have evolved since 1500 B.C. in that area
•The Hindu belief is that gods can take many forms, but all
form one universal spirit called Brahman

•There is no single Hindu book of doctrine, but many
•The Vedas are the primary literary works, containing sacred
verses and hymns composed in 1500 B.C.
•Two other important texts are the Upanishads and the
Bhagavad Gita
•0.4% of American adults practice Hinduism

Hinduism Beliefs
•The Hindu belief involves reincarnation of the soul,
which is rebirth after death
•Hindus believe the conditions of one’s present life are
due to karma, or accumulated good or bad behavior in
past lives
•The purpose of life is to obtain liberation from the cycle
of reincarnation
•People reach true enlightenment and happiness-
Moksha-when they free themselves of earthly desires

Dharma
•Signifies behaviors that are considered to be in
accord with the universe
•Includes duties, rights, laws, conduct, virtues and
‘‘right way of living’’
•People are encouraged to practice good Dharma
and they may come back into a higher class/better
life

Four Stages of Life
1. Ages 12-24 you get educated and trained
2. Ages 24-48 you get married, raise a family, make money, get
involved in many things
3. Ages 48-72 you become a mentor to a young person and
start isolating themselves from the outside world
4. At age 72 you end ties to the outside world and get rid of
your worldly possessions. Prayer and devotion become very
important.
•Mostly aimed at men and is not followed as much as it
used to be

Hindu Gods
•Many consider Hinduism to be polytheistic
•Most Hindus would say they worship one God.
•There is only one ultimate God, Brahman, but shows
itself in many forms
•The gods Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, for example,
are different aspects of Brahman:
•Brahma reflects God's divine work of creating the
universe
•Vishnu reflects God's work in keeping the universe
in existence
•Shiva reflects God's work in destroying it
Om

Hinduism Information
•Celebrations
•Diwali
• Hindu New Year
•Festival of Holi
• Triumph of good over evil
• Arrival of spring
• Festival of Colors
•Pilgrimage to the Ganges River
in India
• Hindus believe the river has
healing powers

• Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha) was the founder of Buddhism in
560 BC
• Buddha means “the awakened one”
•He grew up in a wealthy family but decided to follow a path of
self-denial
• He did not find truth until he sat down under a tree, now
known as the Bo tree
• There he was “enlightened” and obtained the knowledge he
had been looking for
•He discovered four noble truths and the Eightfold Path to
Nirvana, or ultimate bliss

The Four Noble Truths of Buddhism
1. Existence is suffering
2. The cause of suffering is craving and
attachment
3. Suffering ceases at some point and turns to
Nirvana
4. There is a path to Nirvana which is made up of
8 steps called the Eightfold Path

•Buddhists believe in reincarnation
•One must stop the cycle of rebirth as a suffering,
selfish individual, and must attain Nirvana
•About 1% of Americans are Buddhist

Buddhism like
Hinduism:
Reincarnation
Karma
Dharma
But not
Caste system
Hindu gods
Hindu priesthood
Buddhism has much in common with Hinduism with some differences

Buddhism Information
•Worship Practices
•Meditation – deep thought &
reflection
•Importance of the lotus flower
• Believer can blossom while
rooted in the impurity of the
world

Major Buddhist Sects
•Theravada
•As close as possible to
Buddha’s teachings
•Mahayana
•More accepting of the
changing world

The Dalai Lama – The present spiritual leader of Buddhism
• 14th Dalai Lama
• Has been DL since 1950
• Has been in exile in India since 1959

• The Islamic crescent and star is the international symbol for Islam
• Islam means “submission (to Allah)” in Arabic
• “Allah” is an Arabic word which means “the One True God”
• Muslims believe that the Quran is God’s word as revealed to the
prophet Muhammad (570-632 A.D.) through the angel Gabriel
• Muslims do not believe that Jesus was the Messiah, although they do
believe he was a prophet

•Islam is very family-oriented
•The primary means of transmitting the religion are
through the family
•Muslims are people that practice Islam
•.6% of U.S. adults follow Islam

•There are two main sects of Islam: Sunni and Shiite
•One of their main differences is in their beliefs about who were
the leaders following the death of Prophet Muhammad
•Sunni, from the Arabic word for “tradition,” accepted the
succession of Muhammad’s elected successors
• The majority of Muslims in the world today are Sunnis
•Shiite, from the Arabic word for “faction,” believe that leaders
must be descendants of Muhammad through his daughter
Fatima and her husband Ali.
•They rule Iran and also have a sizeable presence in Iraq and
Syria.

History of Islam
•Founded in 622 AD
•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
•Shi’a (or Shiite)

5 Pillars of Islam
1. Shahada(witness) is the Muslim profession of faith
- "I witness that there is no god but Allah, and that
Muhammad is the messenger of Allah"
• Muslims say this when they wake up in the morning
and just before they go to sleep at night

• 2. Salat(daily prayer) is a prayer ritual performed 5
times a day by all Muslims over the age of 10
1. Between first light and sunrise
2. After the sun has passed the middle of the sky
3. Between mid-afternoon and sunset
4. Between sunset and the last light of the day
5. Between darkness and dawn
• Face the Kaaba in Mecca, Saudi Arabia

The Kaaba

3. Sawm(fasting) is abstaining each day during Ramadan
•Ramadan is the holiest day for Islam. It marks when
Muhammad had the Quran revealed to him
•Sawm helps Muslims develop self-control, gain a better
understanding of God's gifts and greater compassion towards
the deprived.
•Not only is food forbidden between dawn and sunset, but also
things like smoking, chewing gum, negative thoughts and
sexual activity

4. Zakat(almsgiving) is giving money to the poor
• This is a compulsory gift of 2.5 % of one's savings each
year
• Giving in this way is intended to free Muslims from the
love of money
• It reminds them that everything they have really
belongs to God

5. Hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca that all physically/financially
able Muslims should make at least once in their life
•Mecca is the most holy place for Muslims
•Takes place during days 8-13 of the 12th month of the Islamic
Lunar calendar
•They circle the Kaaba seven times, say prayers, drink from a
holy spring, walk to Mount Arafat to pray, feast, cast stones at
three pillars(to fight Satan’s temptations), shave hair and run
between some hills

Islamic Law
•Sharia Law outlines laws for Muslims and is based from
the Quran
•Many African and Middle Eastern countries laws are
based on Sharia Law
•5 Major Crimes:
•Theft, highway robbery, intoxication, adultery and
falsely accusing another of adultery

Food Laws
•Very similar laws to the Jewish kosher foods
•No alcohol, pork, blood, no pork fat products, scavenger
animals
•Food must be prepared similarly to the Jews
•Slice to the jugular
•Drain blood

Issues Facing Islam Today
•Radical Islamic Terrorists
•ISIS
•Al-Qaeda
•Racial profiling
•Women’s rights

In Afghanistan

In US

Spread of Religion in History
• Video