WORLD RELIGIONSWorld Religions
Baha’i FaithBuddhism
Christianity
Confucianism
Islam
Judaism
Shinto
HinduismWicca
Taoism
Christianity31%
Islam22%
Non-Religious16%
Hinduism13%
Chinese Traditional6%
Buddhism5%
Indigenous4%
Other3%
Catholicism
Protestantism
Eastern Orthodoxy
Oriental Orthodoxy
Anglicanism
Nontrinitarianism
Nestorianism
Christianity2,100,000,000 members
Catholocism53%
Protestantism30%
Eastern Or-thodoxy
9%
Oriental Or-thodoxy
3%
Anglicanism4%
Nontrinitarianism1%
Nestorianism0%
Christianity
Christianity
Represents the crucifixion of Jesus Christ
Symbol - Cross
ChristianityGeneral Beliefs
• Christians believe that there is only one God
• Triune God – Father, Son, Holy Spirit
• Jesus, son of God, was crucified for the sins of man.
• Jesus will return again one day to judge all people
• Life after death in Heaven or Hell
• Holy text is the Bible
ChristianityGod
Jesus
Holy Bible
• The Catholic religion has been around since the time of Christ.
• Leader of the church is called the Pope.
• More emphasis on Mary, mother of Jesus, than Protestants
ChristianityCatholicism
St. Peter’s BasilicaVatican City
ChristianityCatholicism
St. Peter, disciple of Jesus, is considered the first Pope. He was crucified upside-down.
Pope Benedict XVI is the current Pope.
ChristianityProtestantism vs. Catholicism
Catholic ProtestantIncludes
apocryphaExcludes
apocryphaPurgatory No Purgatory
Prayer to saints No prayer to saints
Mary – key role Mary – mother of Jesus
Mary, mother of Jesus
• Protestant religions formed when people protested the actions of the Catholic Church.
• Began in 1517 with Martin Luther
• Angry with Catholic church selling indulgences (forgiveness of sins)
ChristianityProtestantism
Martin Luther
• Baptist• Lutheran• Methodist• Reformed (Calvinism, Presbyterian, Congregational)• Anabatism (Amish & Mennonites)• Pentacostal• Non-Denominational• African initiated• Seventh-day Adventist
ChristianityDenominations
Baptist17%
Lutheran14%
Methodist12%
Reformed12%
Anabatism1%
Pentacostal21%
Non-denominational13%
African initiated7%
Seventh-day Adventist3%
Orthodox
Reform
Unaffiliated andSecular
Conservative
Reconstructionist
Judaism14,000,000 members
Conservative30%
Unaffiliated and Secular30%
Reform25%
Orthodox13%
Reconstructionist1%
Judaism
JudaismSymbols
Star of David Menorah
JudaismGeneral Beliefs
• Oldest faith among the major religions
• Same God as Christians
•Believe God’s will for humans was revealed to Moses when he was given the 10 commandments
• Do not believe Jesus was the Son of God
• Holy text is the Torah
• Followers called Jews
Judaism
Moses and the Ten Commandments
Torah
JudaismOther Facts
• A Jewish church is called a Synagogue
• Jewish ceremonies are often performed in Yiddish, or Hebrew.
•A Jewish leader is called a Rabbi
• Do not believe Jesus was the Messiah
• Holy text is the Torah, comprised mainly of Old Testament
• Followers are called Jews
Sunni
ShiiteAhmadiyya
Druze
Islam1,500,000,000 members
Sunni88%
Shiite11%
Ahmadiyya1%
Druze0%
Islam
ISLAMIslamSymbol
Star and Crescent
ISLAMIslamGeneral Beliefs
• Founded in the 7th century by Muhammad
• Believe in one God
• God is not triune, Jesus is not God’s son
• Call their God Allah Allah, written in simple
Arabic calligraphy
ISLAMIslamGeneral Beliefs
• Holy text is the Quran
• Believe in angles, including Gabriel, who brought the Quran to Mohammad
• Believe Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus were prophets, but Muhammad was the final prophet Prophet Mohammad
ISLAMIslamGeneral Beliefs
• Followers of Islam are called Muslims
• Muslims worship in temples called mosques
• Muslim priests are called imams
ISLAMIslamShiites & Sunnis
• When Mohammad died, his preference to follow him was Ali, the husband of his daughter. While the family was busy burying the Mohammad, the leaders of Medina elected the aging Abu Bakr, the father of the Prophet's favorite wife, as the successor.
• The Sunni follow Abu
• The Shiites follow Ali
Islam
Sunni Shiite
ISLAMIslam• While some Muslims have
engaged in acts of terror in the name of their God, the majority of Muslims are NOT terrorists.
Vaishnavites
Shaivites
Neo-Hindus &Reform Hindus
Veerashaivas
Hinduism900,000,000 members
Vaishnavites70%
Shaivites26%
neo-Hindus & reform Hindus3%
Veerashaivas (Lingayats)1%
Hinduism
HinduismSymbol
Om or Aum
It represent several important triads:
1. The three worlds - earth, atmosphere, and heaven
2. The three major Hindu gods - Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva
HinduismGeneral Beliefs
• Three-in-one God known as Brahman
• Brahma (the creator)
• Vishnu (the preserver)
• Shiva (the destroyer)
HinduismGeneral Beliefs
• Caste System
HinduismGeneral Beliefs
• Karma. The law that good begets good, and bad begets bad. Every action, thought, or decision one makes has consequences – good or bad – that will return to each person in the present life, or in one yet to come.
• Reincarnation. This is a journey on the “circle of life,” where each person experiences a series of physical births, deaths, and rebirths. With good karma, a person can be reborn into a higher caste, or even to godhood. Bad karma can relegate one to a lower caste, or even to life as an animal in their next life.
HinduismGeneral Beliefs
• Nirvana. This is the goal of the Hindu. Nirvana is the release of the soul from the seemingly endless cycle of rebirths.
• Part of Brahman within you, called the atman. Similar to the idea of a soul in Christianity
• Many sacred texts including the Vedas and the Bhagavad Gita
Theravada
Mahayana
Lamaism
Buddhism376,000,000 members
Mahayana56%
Theravada38%
Lamaism6%
Buddhism
BUDDHISM
The most different of the five major religions is Buddhism. It is more a lifestyle that focuses on ending desire, thus ending suffering.
376 million
BUDDHISM• Buddhists don’t really worship
a god - they 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.
BUDDHISM
• Buddhist priests are called lamas or monks. The Buddhist scriptures are called the Tripatakas, or three baskets.
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
• Most Buddhists live in Asian countries such as China.
HINDUISM
• Brahma is the senior God, and creator of the universe.
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 Abraham• Catholicism Jesus’ teachings• Hinduism unsure• Protestant Protesting Catholicism• Buddhist Buddha• Islam Mohammed
How does each religion view the afterlife?
Which religions believe in reincarnation?