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Major World

ReligionsBuddhism,

Christianity, Hinduism, Islam,

Judaism

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Dominate World Religion by Location

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Judaism - 1st monotheistic (one god) faith- Abraham is the earthly founder- Sacred text is the Torah

- Old Testament - 5 books of Moses

- Believes that the messiah is still to come

- Believes Jesus was a great prophet, but not of a miracle birth

- Beginning: dawn of time- 10 Commandments: core laws

of behavior

Hinduism

- Oldest organized polytheistic faith- No 1 founder, Aryan people as a

whole- Sacred text are the Vedas

- Hymns, prayers, and moral stories

- Born into the faith system- Believes in reincarnation & karma- Trinity

- Brahma: Creator- Vishnu: Preserver- Shiva: Destroyer

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Buddhism - Nontheistic: no god- Founded by Siddhartha

Gautama in Nepal around 2,500 years ago

- Sacred text Tripitaka “Three Baskets”

- Believe in reincarnation, goal is to achieve “enlightenment” to get to Nirvana (heaven)

- 8-Fold Path is their laws/rules- Peaceful - Theravada: Very traditional- Mahayana: Modern, less strict

Buddhism

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Christianity - Monotheistic- Founded by Jesus of Nazareth

in 33 A.D.- Believe Jesus was the son of

God sent as the savior to the people

- Sacred text: Bible (Old Testament, and New Testament)

- Symbol: Cross to represent the death of Christ- 10 Commandments core laws

as are the teachings of the New Testament

Christianity

- Jesus was raised as Jewish- Christianity is considered to be

the next stage of the Jewish faith

- Open to anyone, no class requirements, or financial requirements

- Part of the reason it spread so rapidly

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Islam - Monotheistic- Founded by Muhammad 632

A.D- Muhammad is believed to be a

great prophet who God revealed that he has 4 functions: creation, sustenance, guidance, and judgment

- Sacred text: Quran- Core laws: 5 Pillars of Islam

- Can trace origins back to Abraham, controversy is the role of Ishmael and Isaac

Islam

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Islam - Two branches of Islam

- Sunni: Caliph (leaders) devout followers of Muhammad

- Shia: Caliph (leaders) must be a direct descendent of Muhammad

- Shiite: enact “jihad” to an extreme

Islam

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Timeline of Major Events in Judaism

• 1812 BC: Abraham’s teaching begins• 1428 BC: Israelites enslaved in Egypt• 1392 BC: Moses born (raised by Egyptian princess)• 1312 BC: Exodus from Egypt• 877 BC: King David establishes kingdom of Israel• 836 BC: King Solomon takes over• 796 BC: Israel splits into 2 kingdoms

• King Rehoboam leads Kingdom of Judea• 10 Northern tribes establish Kingdom of Israel

• 555 BC: Assyrians conquer Israel• 547 BC: Sennacherib (Babylonian) attacks Jerusalem• 442 BC: Babylonians take over, Jews kicked out of Israel• 370 BC: Jewish return • 347 – 245 BC: Greek overrun and persecute Jewish• 139 BC: Revolt of Maccabee

• 1st religious war

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Timeline of Major Events in Judaism

• 37 BC: King Herod takes over Israel • Mentally unstable, has children and wife killed• But good with the political end of things, has strong ties to

Rome with Octavian so as Rome prospers, Israel does as well

• 638 AD: Islam conquers Jerusalem • 1096: Crusades begin

• Primarily between Muslims and Christians, but Jewish are a secondary target for both groups