The Six Major World Religions



The Six Major World Religions

Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Confucianism, and Judaism

Key Terms:

Monotheism: Belief in only one god

Polytheism: Belief in more than one god

Deity: a god

Aryans: Indo-European nomadic peoples who moved from central Asia to Northern India

Reincarnation: the belief that the individual soul is reborn in a different form after death

Nomad: a person who moves from place to place, usually for food and water

HINDUISM:

The origins of Hinduism comes from the religious beliefs of the ________ peoples who settled in India after 1500 B.C.

Evidence about the religious beliefs of the Aryan peoples comes from the ________, collections of hymns and religious ceremonies that were passed down orally through the centuries by Aryan priests and then eventually written down.

There are hundreds of deities in the Hindu religion. Three chief deities include: _________the creator, ________the Preserver, and _______the Destroyer.

By the 6th century B.C., the idea of ______________ had appeared in Hinduism. After a number of existences in the earthly world, the soul reaches its final goal in a union with Brahman. According to Hinduism, all living beings seek to achieve this goal. Important to this process is the ides of ________, the force generated by a person's actions that determine how the person will be reborn in the next life. According to this idea, what people do in their current lives determines what they will be in their next lives. In the same way, a person's current status is not simply an accident, but a result of the person's actions in a past existence.

The concept of Karma is ruled by the _________, or the divine law. However people's duties vary, depending on their status in society (caste system).

Hindus developed the practice of ______, a method of training designed to lead to such union. The final goal of yoga was to leave behind the cycle of earthly life and achieve union with Brahman, seen as a kind of dreamless sleep.

BUDDHISM:

In the 6th century B.C., a new doctrine, called ___________, appeared in Northern India and soon became a rival of Hinduism.

Siddhartha believed the pain, poverty, and sorrow that afflict human beings are caused by their attachment to things of this world. Once people let go of their worldly cares, pain and sorrow can be forgotten. Then comes ________, or wisdom. Achieving wisdom is a key step to achieving __________, or ultimate reality—the end of the soul and a reunion with the Great World Soul.

Siddhartha preached this message to his followers; it's a simple message based on the ________ _________ __________:

1) Ordinary life is full of suffering

2) This suffering is caused by our desire to satisfy ourselves

3) The way to end suffering is to end desire for selfish goals and to see others as extensions of ourselves

4) The way to end desire is to follow the Middle Path

This Middle Path is also known as the ___________ ________, because it consists of eight steps:

1) Right view, 2) Right intention, 3) Right speech, 4) Right action. 5) Right livelihood, 6) Right effort, 7) Right mindfulness, 8) Right concentration.

Siddhartha accepted the idea of _____________, but he rejected the Hindu division of human beings into rigidly defined ________ based on previous reincarnations. He taught instead that all human beings could reach __________ as a result of their behavior in this life.

In the following Venn Diagram, list the commonalities and differences between Hinduism and Buddhism.

ISLAM:

Islam had roots in the Arabian Peninsula with the nomadic Arabs. The founder of Islam, _______________, who was the religion's first preacher, came from __________. In 610 A.D., Muhammad heard the voice of the angel _________ call out to him to “Recite, in the name of thy Lord the Creator, who created mankind from a clot of blood, recite!” Over the next 23 years, Muhammad received and memorized everything the angel revealed.

Out of these revelations, which were eventually written down, came the ________, the holy book of the religion of Islam. The Quran contains the ethical guidelines and laws by which the followers of Allah are to live. Those who practice the religion are called __________. Islam has only one God, Allah, and Muhammad is God's prophet.

After only 30 people converted to Islam in Muhammad's first three years of preaching in Makkah, he moved north to the city of _________. This journey is known as the __________. The year the journey occurred, ______, became year 1 in the official calendar of Islam.

______________ to the will of Allah meant submission to his prophet Muhammad. For this reason, Muhammad became a religious, political, and military leader. His military victories against the ___________ began to attract large numbers of supporters and in 630 Muhammad returned to Makkah with a force of ten thousand men and the city quickly surrendered with most of the townspeople converting to Islam.

Islam is a direct and simple faith, stressing the need to obey the will of Allah. This means practicing acts of worship known as the _______ ___________ ____ _________. The faithful who follow the law are guaranteed a place in an eternal paradise.

The Five Pillars of Islam as stated in the Quran are:

1) Belief—Believing there is no deity but the One God, and _______________is his messenger.

2) Prayer—Performing the prescribed prayers _____ times a day.

3) Charity—Giving part of one's wealth to the ______.

4) Fasting—Refraining from food and drink from dawn to sunset through the month of ________.

5) Pilgrimage—Making a pilgrimage to _________ once in a lifetime.

CHRISTIANITY:

A Jewish prophet named ________ traveled and preached throughout Judaea and Galilee. He believed his mission was to complete the salvation that God had promised to _______ throughout its history. Jesus voiced the ethical concepts—humility, charity, and love towards others—that would later shape the value system of Western Civilization.

After the death of Jesus, ordered by _________ _________, his followers proclaimed that he had risen from death and had appeared to them. They believed Jesus to be the _________, anointed one, the long expected deliverer who would save Israel from its foes.

Christians believe in one God, meaning they are _____________, and that Jesus Christ is the savior, the Son of God, who was sent to Earth and died on the cross to save humanity.

Christians believe that faith in Jesus saves believers from God's penalty for sin and bestows ________ life. The _______ remains a very potent symbol of the religion. For Christians, the _______ is the inspired word of God.

JUDAISM:

The people of the Kingdom of ________, who were under Persian rule until the conquests of Alexander the Great in the _____ century B.C., became Jews after the Persians were defeated.

According to Jewish beliefs, there is but one God, called ___________, the Creator of the world and everything in it. In fact, their faith, Judaism, was the first ___________ religion.

The main laws and practices of Judaism are contained in the _______, the first five books of the Hebrew Bible. Every _____________, place of worship, has a Torah, handwritten on a parchment scroll. During services, the Torah is read to the congregation, and the entire text is read in the course of a year.

The six-pointed star, known as the _______ ___ ________, was rarely used as a Jewish symbol until the 19th century. Today it is widely accepted and appears on the Israeli flag.

Complete the following diagram with commonalities and differences of the listed religions.

CONFUCIANISM:

Although many people consider Confucianism a religion, it is actually a philosophy based on the teachings of ___________, a Chinese scholar who lived about _____B.C. He believed that moral character and social responsibility were the way to lead a fulfilling life.

Confucianism has been an important influence on Chinese life since its founding, and Confucius is often honored as a spiritual leader.

Confucianism does not have a ______ and does not concern itself with what could be considered religious issues. It is more of a guide to ethical behavior and good government.

Confucius' teachings were recorded by his students in a book called the _________, which have influenced Chinese people for generations.

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BUDDHISM

HINDUISM

Christianity

Judaism

Islam

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