PLACARD 1 - CHRISTIANITY

• Followers are called Christians• Monotheistic• Central figures are God & Jesus• Sacred text is called the Bible

(specifically the New Testament)• Holy sites are Jerusalem & Bethlehem• Christianity is found primarily in North

and South America, Europe, Russia, Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, and Sub-Saharan Africa

PLACARD 2 - JUDAISM• Followers are called Jews• Monotheistic• Central figures are God & Moses• Sacred text is called the Torah (the Old

Testament)• Holy site is the city of Jerusalem,

specifically the last piece of Solomon’s Temple: the Wailing Wall

• The Jews have spread many times due to diaspora, eventually ending up in North America, Europe, and the Middle East

PLACARD 3 - ISLAM

• Followers are called Muslims• Monotheistic• Central figures are Allah, Mohammed• The sacred texts are the Qur’an and

Sunnah• Holy sites are the Ka’aba in Mecca &

the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem• Islam is found in Asia, Africa, Europe,

and North America

PLACARD 4 - HINDUISM• Followers are called Hindu• Polytheistic• Central figures are the numerous gods

and the Brahman• The sacred texts are the Vedas & the

Bhagavad Gita• The Ganges River is considered holy, and

is used for bathing to cleanse the soul• Hinduism is almost exclusively practiced

in India and its surrounding countries

PLACARD 5 - SIKHISM• Followers are called Sikhi• Monotheistic• Central figures are God & the first

Guru: Nanak• The sacred text is called Adi Granth, or

First Volume• The Golden Temple in Punjab, India, is

considered to be holy• Sikhism is found in Asia, Europe, and

North America

PLACARD 6 - ANIMISM• Includes practitioners of Shintoism, as well

as Tribal and Pagan beliefs• Polytheistic• Ancestors, animals, various objects are

worshipped• No central sacred text, as Animism

describes many different religious views• No central sacred sites, as Animism

describes many different religious views• Mainly found in developing nations or

remote parts of the world, where tribalism still reigns

PLACARD 7 - BUDDHISM• Followers are called Buddhists• There are no real gods, however the

Buddha is venerated• Important figures include Siddhartha

Gautama (Buddha) & the Dalai Lama• Some central texts include the Pāli

Tipitaka and the Mahayana Sutras• Tibet is considered a holy place• Buddhism is practiced in many

different ways in India, China, Japan, and Tibet

Religions & Philosophies

ChristianityJudaism

IslamHinduismSikhismAnimism

Buddhism

All Images courtesy of Wikimedia and the Department of Veterans Affairs

Christianity

Christianity is based on the teachings of Jesus, who is believed to be the son of God. Jesus taught that all were equal in

the eyes of God, and deserved compassion and love. Later adherents of

Christianity, such as the Apostle Paul and Emperor Constantine, added more

teachings and rules to Jesus’ initial sermons.

Judaism

Judaism is built on the sacred laws collected in the Torah, which emphasize

devotion to Jehovah, adherence to family tradition, and the consumption of kosher foods. Instructions from Moses on how to worship God throughout the year during “feasts” are also described.

Islam

Islam is based on the visions of Mohammed, who is considered to be the last great prophet of Allah to mankind.

Mohammed taught that all good Muslims adhered to the 5 Pillars, which included: faith, prayer, alms (charity), fasting, and

a pilgrimage to the Ka’aba (Mecca) at least once in their lives, called the Hajj.

Hinduism

Hinduism is based on the pursuit of Nirvana, or true peace and

enlightenment. This is accomplished through samsara, a perpetual cycle of reincarnation based on the adherent’s previous actions, or karma. Hinduism also structures everyday interactions

through a rigid caste system.

Sikhism

Sikhism teaches that devotion to God and a denouncement of superstitious rituals

and the 5 Evils (Ego, Anger, Greed, Attachment, Lust) lead to holiness. All

Sikh men are charged with wearing the 5 Kahaar (uncut hair, a small comb, a warrior’s iron bracelet, a warrior’s dagger, and a warrior’s leggings) in

order to achieve this holiness.

Animism

Animism focuses on the aspects of spiritualism, or the belief that animals, objects, plants, and the dead all have

spirits. Though this is mostly relegated to tribal or pagan belief systems, it has influenced the beliefs of other religions, spawning the belief that souls existed in

not only man, but animals and plants.

Buddhism

Buddhism is based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, which he began

after a revelatory pilgrimage in his youth. His main principles revolved around the 4

Noble Truths: the recognition of suffering, the realization of suffering’s

origins, the cessation of suffering, and the Eightfold Path to Enlightenment.