Judaism, Christianity, Islam,
Hinduism, Buddhism
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Torah: first five books of Hebrew bible
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Abraham: father of Hebrew people
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Christians consider them part of Old Testament
Shepherd from Ur, Mesopotamia, led families &
their herds to Canaan (Palestine), the land God
promised to Hebrew people
Yahweh: only Hebrew God, monotheism
Covenant: Abraham promised to obey Yahweh
& he agrees to protect Abraham & his
descendants
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Migrated to Egypt, honored at first but
eventually enslaved as Pharoah felt threatened
Exodus: fled in 1300-1200 B.C. led by Moses
Ten Commandments: brought by Moses, written
by Yahweh
Important to study scriptures & live accordingly
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Israel: united & formed under Saul, David &
Solomon
Kingdom divides: Israel (No) & Judah (So.) in
922 B.C.
Attacked by Assyrians & Babylonians
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Jerusalem falls in 586 B.C.
Exiled to Babylon but Ezekiel urges Jews to keep
religion in foreign land
Cyrus the Great returns Jews to Israel in 539 B.C.
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Come under Roman rule but rebel in A.D. 66
Romans destroy Jerusalem and Jews driven
from their land in exile
Dispersal of Jews throughout Europe known as
Diaspora
No political state or homeland existed until
Israel is created in 1948 after World War II
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Day of Remembrance
God judges each person individually according
to his/her deeds, and makes a decree for the
following year
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Holiest day of the year
Day of Atonement
Through prayer and complete fasting –abstinence
from all food and drink (including water)
Bathing, wearing perfume or cologne, wearing
leather shoes, sexual relations prohibited on Yom
Kippur
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all designed to ensure attention is completely and
absolutely focused on the quest for atonement with God.
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8 day festival of lights
commemorating the rededication of the Holy
Temple in Jerusalem
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acted as the figurative "footstool" of God’s presence
Symbolized by Menorah
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Jesus: born in Bethlehem in Judea~ 4-6 B.C.,
raised in Nazareth (northern Palestine).
Carpenter, began public ministry at 30
Teachings similar to Judaism: Monotheistic, 10
commandments
Preached good, forgiveness & personal
relationship with God
Apostles: 12 disciples & followers of Jesus
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Becomes very popular, viewed as Messiah
Judea controlled by Romans & Roman
Governor Pontius Pilate arrests Jesus
Defying Roman authority
 Sentenced to death, body placed in tomb
 Appears three days later to his followers then
ascends to heaven
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His teachings spread after death
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Paul: Jew that sees vision of Jesus & spends rest
of his life spreading his teachings
Romans persecute Christians
They refuse to honor Roman gods
 Are blamed for economic & political troubles
 Many killed, crucified, killed by wild animals,
became known as martyrs
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Christianity grows because:
Embraced all people
 Gave hope to the powerless
 Appealed to those who deterred imperial Rome
 Offered personal relationship with a loving God
 Promised eternal life after death
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Constantinople, Roman emperor accepts
Christianity & credits it in military victory
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Approves it as a religion
Made official religion of Rome in 380 A.D. by
Theodosius
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Debates occur about beliefs, New Testament
created to end conflicts
Contains: four Gospels, Epistles of Paul
Added to the Hebrew Bible (Christians refer to
as Old Testament)
Christian Leadership
Priest: leader of the Church
 Bishop: Priest who supervises several churches
 Pope: head of Christian Church
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Monotheistic religion that develops in Arabia in 7th
Century
Mecca: location of Ka’aba, a religious shrine
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Religious pilgrims came from all over to worship
Many Christians & Jews live in Arabia & Mecca
and they believe in one God
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In Arabic, the belief in one God is called “Allah”
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Muhammad
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born in Mecca
At age 40 spoken to by an angel, Gabriel
taught others Allah was only God, abandon
other gods
Believed by Muslims to be God’s last & greatest
prophet
Leads Hijrah: move from Mecca to Medina in
622
Returns to Mecca in 630, destroys idols in Ka’aba
Meccans pledge loyalty to Muhammad &
convert to Islam
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In Arabic, Islam means “submission to the will
of Allah”
Muslim means “one who has submitted”
Qur’an: holy book of the Muslims.
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Revelations Muhammad received from angel Gabriel
Sunna: Muhammad’s example for proper
living
Imam: the worship leader of a mosque and the
Muslim community.
Faith: “There is no God but Allah, and
Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.”
2. Prayer: 5 X a day, face towards Mecca, at mosque,
Islamic house of worship or wherever
3. Alms: responsibility to support less fortunate.
Give alms (money for poor) through religious tax
4. Fasting: during Ramadan, from dawn to sunset
*spiritual needs greater physical needs
5. Pilgrimage: hajj to Mecca all Muslims must take
1.
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Allah is same God (just different name) that is
worshiped
Muslims view Jesus as a prophet not son of God
All three believe in heaven and hell, and a day of
judgment
All three trace ancestry to Abraham
No eating, drinking, smoking or sexual
relations during sunset to sundown
 9th month of Muslim calendar, when Quran
was sent down from heaven
 Fast ends with meal & prayer at sunset
 The good that is acquired through the fast can
be destroyed by a bad deed (greed, theft,
slander, etc.)
 2012: Began on July 20, lasted for 30 days
 Photos:
http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2012/07/ra
madan_2012_begins.html
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Cannot be traced to one founder
Religion liberates the soul from everyday
difficulties
Recite daily verses from the Vedas
Upanishads: teacher’s comments on the Vedic
hymns
 Dialogue between teacher & student about
liberation
 Goal is Moksha: release from cycle of birth,
death and birth again (reincarnation)
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Deity: Brahman, personality of three gods
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Caste system controls of a person’s life
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Brahma (creator), Vishnu (protector), Shiva (destroyer)
Who to eat or talk with, dress, what to eat, cleanliness
Birthplace was a result of karma earned from
previous life
Hindus today can choose any deity or none
Religious leader is Guru
Place of worship is home
Diwali: religious holiday, “festival of lights”
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Originated in India but never a significant
religion
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More prominent in SE Asia
Founded by Siddhartha
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Special at birth, kept inside palace until 29
Spends adult life searching for religious truth &
end suffering
Six years in Indian forests seeking enlightenment
Became known as Buddha
 After he concludes to the cause of human suffering
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Life is filled with suffering and sorrow
The cause of all suffering is people’s selfish
desire for the temporary pleasures of this
world
The way to end all suffering is to end all
desires
The way to overcome such desires and attain
enlightenment is to follow the Eightfold Path,
which is called the Middle Way between
desires and self-denial.
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Right Views
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Right Livelihood
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Right Resolve
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Right Effort
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Right Speech
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Right Mindfulness
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Right conduct
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Right Concentration
Buddhists seeking enlightenment must master
one step at a time.
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This would occur over many lifetimes
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By following eightfold path, you could reach
Nirvana
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Buddhists also believe in reincarnation
The release from selfishness and pain
Pray daily and follow texts from the Tripitaka
Monks & Nuns
 Took vows to live a life of poverty, nonviolent
and not marry
 Spread Buddha’s teaching in the streets of
India, carried begging bowl for daily charity
offerings
 Retreated to caves in rainy season
 These caves developed into Monasteries
Trade
 helped spread Buddhism to Sri Lanka, Burma,
Thailand, China, Korea, Japan
Religion
Deity
Followers
Text
Place of worship
Prophet
Religious Leader
Sabbath
Location Started
Holiday
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Location(s)/countries
where it exists
Additional/extra
information
Judaism
Christianity
Islam
Hinduism
Buddhism