Scribd
Upload
57 views

Please Take Out Your Journal and Prepare To Write Answers To The Following Questions. If You Do Not Feel Comfortable Writing or Sharing Your Answers, Please Listen Respectfully To Those Who Do

The document provides an overview of the world's major religions including Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and others. It discusses the origins, sacred texts, core beliefs, and geographical distributions of each religion. The purpose is to teach students about the diversity of religious faiths and how they have influenced history and culture.

Uploaded by

api-26001404
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
57 views

Please Take Out Your Journal and Prepare To Write Answers To The Following Questions. If You Do Not Feel Comfortable Writing or Sharing Your Answers, Please Listen Respectfully To Those Who Do

The document provides an overview of the world's major religions including Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and others. It discusses the origins, sacred texts, core beliefs, and geographical distributions of each religion. The purpose is to teach students about the diversity of religious faiths and how they have influenced history and culture.

Uploaded by

api-26001404
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 28

Please take out your journal and

prepare to write answers to the


following questions.

If you do not
feel comfortable writing or sharing
your answers, please listen
respectfully to those who do.
Food for Thought:

• Should children always follow the


same religious faith as their parents?
Whether its right or wrong, in the United
States, religious faith is an individual choice
that every adult must make.

However, religion itself does not exist in a


vacuum – the choices people make as to
which faith to follow and how to interpret that
faith are influenced by:

-- where they live


-- tradition
-- family/community values
Topic for Today:
What Are the World’s
Great Religions?
(Disclaimer: What follows is intended to teach you about the
beliefs and faiths of your fellow Earthlings. It is not intended to
convince you of the rightness or wrongness of following any
particular faith.)
Definition of Religion:
• A set of beliefs about the cause, nature,
and meaning of the universe. Typically,
this includes beliefs about life, death, and
how to lead a moral life.
Religions often attempt to
answer the BIG questions of
life, such as:

Which God(s) are real?


How can I live a good, moral life?
What happens to me when I die?
Scientific evidence suggests that
humans have been a species for
between 500,000 to 1 million years.

“Sorcerer of
Le Gabillou”,
half-man, half-
god

Some of the oldest fossil records demonstrate


that people have believed in gods and spirits
long before they even knew how to write or
make sophisticated tools.
What are some ways that religion
influences our daily life in America?
(List 3)
Religion is, literally, all around us.

The Gregoran Calendar (what we have


used since 1582)

The year 2009 = 2009 years after


Christians believe Christ was born
Religion is in days of the week.
Days of the Week
Sunday = day to worship Sun, a powerful
spiritual force
Monday = day to worship Moon
Tuesday =Tiw, Norse god of Justice
Wednesdasy = Odin’s Day, Major Norse god
Thursday = Thor’s Day, Norse God of War
Friday = Frigg’s Day, a Major Norse god
Saturday = Saturn’s Day, Saturn was major
Roman god
Religion is on our money.
Coins
Major school holidays coincide with
Christian holy days.
Holidays

“Winter Break” falls on Christmas


which itself falls on an ancient
Roman feast holiday honoring Saturn
(Saturnalia)

“Spring Break” falls over the


Christian holiday of Easter
Despite their differences, religions
share similarities, too.

Here is a partial list.


Religions vary widely, but often contain similar general
structures of belief, such as...

1. Belief in
an afterlife.
Religions vary widely, but often contain similar general
structures of belief, such as...

2.Belief in
God(s) or spirits.
Religions vary widely, but often contain similar general
structures of belief, such as...

3. Sacred writings
and
oral traditions.
Religions vary widely, but often contain similar general
structures of belief, such as...

4. Sacred buildings
or spaces.
5. Rituals, customs
and
ceremonies
6. Art &
Culture
The specific ways that each religion
answers these questions creates
great differences among people.

This presentation will try to


summarize the main beliefs and
differences between the 7 major
religions or belief groups.
Where is it mainly found?
-- in tribal societies all over the world

Many sacred texts including:


-- Greek and Norse mythology
Animism/
Native Religions
hundreds of millions

Founded in
pre-historic times.
Core Beliefs
-- many gods
-- spirit worship
-- wide variation in belief
Where is it mainly found?
-- India

Many sacred texts including:


-- the Vedas
-- the Ramayana
Hinduism
900 million “Hindus”

Founded in 1700 B.C.


Core Beliefs
-- many gods
-- Karma
-- reincarnation
-- vegetarianism
Where is it mainly found?
-- Israel
-- U.S.

Sacred Texts:
Torah (Old Testament)
Talmud (book of law)
Judaism
14 million “Jews”

Core Beliefs Founded by Abraham (800 BCE)


10 commandments
Where is it mainly found?
India, China, Southeast Asia, Japan

Important Texts
Vinaya Buddhism
various Sutras 376 million “Buddhists”

Founding Person
Core Beliefs Siddhartha Guatama Buddha
-- life is illusion (died c. 500 B.C.E.)
-- extinguish desire
-- end suffering
-- achieve Nirvana
Where is it mainly found?
• Strongest in North America, Europe,
South America, Sub-Saharan Africa

Important Texts
New Testament Christianity
Old Testament
2.1 Billion “Christians”

Founded by Jesus
Core Beliefs of Nazareth
-- follow 10 Commandments • tradition places Jesus’
-- follow teachings of Jesus birth at 1 A.D./C.E.
-- deserving people get to heaven
Where is it mainly found?
Middle East, North Africa, Founded by Muhammad
South Asia c.600 A.D.

Important Text
Qu’ran (or Koran)
Islam
1.5 billion “Muslims”

Core Beliefs
-- 5 Pillars of Islam
Where is it mainly found?
throughout world

Athiest/Agnostic
(hundreds of millions)
Founding Date &
Persons
Core Beliefs -- various from
• God is unknowable (or) Ancient Greece
•There is no God (or) forward
• Not sure what they believe

You might also like