CHAPTER 5: THE RELIGIONS OF THE WORLD

SHTRAKHMANISM

You can use religion in almost any essay in AP.- SOCIAL, POLITICAL, AND CULTURAL- Even ENVIRONMENTAL cuz it includes migration and demographics. And REC AND ETHNICITY

Religion has caused political, cultural, and economic problems and divisions, or stratification, for thousands of years (AP word: to stratify: to divide). In fact, Religion has started more wars than land, gold, and power combined.

At the same time, many of these religions and belief systems provided a bond among the people and an ethical code to live by. Some of the best sense of community comes from Churches, Temples, Mosques, Hindu temples or Buddhist meditation Centers. As new belief systems and cultural traditions started to emerge, and they all said that they are in possession of ‘universal truths’. Well, they can’t ALL be right, can they?!

In many cases, these religions just supported the old social systems, like PATRIARCHY, but in some cases, like Christianity and Buddhism, women were allowed to become nuns. Also, many people chose the monastic life and in the case of Buddhists and Catholics, celibacy as well. (Catholic priests can’t marry but some Christian ones can)

And in many cases, these religions CHANGED a bit when they got to a new place. Japanese Buddhism is different from Chinese Buddhism which is different from Indian Buddhism, Russian Christianity isn’t the same as Catholicism, and Islam in Asia or Indonesia is not the same as in Saudi Arabia.

We have a few old beliefs and a few new beliefs. In fact, some new beliefs were just extensions of or ran parallel to, the old codified, or written, core religions/beliefs. (AP word: codified: means ‘written down’)

And of course, many leaders said they were divine:1. The Pharaohs2. Mandate of Heaven in China3. The Brahmins in India4. Me

MISCELLANEOUS RELIGIONS1. ANIMISM: Believing that animals, plants, mountains and rivers are all

sacred and full of spirits. In Japan, this is called Shintoism! In SHINTOISM, one of the most sacred landmarks is Mount Fuji in Tokyo.

2. ZOROASTRIANISM: - The world’s first state-run monotheistic religion was started by the

Persians.- Remember, their god was Ahura Mazda (I drive a Honda)

3. DAOISM OR TAOISM (CHINA) IN ADDITION TO CONFUCIANISM Started by Lao Tzu in China ‘Dao’ means energy. Also spelled ‘Tao’ Based on the core belief of a balance between humans and nature. They seem separate but eventually Taoism and Confucianism will work

together in Chinese cities and towns. Daoism may have changed Chinese culture a little bit but it will NEVER

change the Chinese political system. Chinese bureaucracy will ALWAYS be based on Confucianism and will ALWAYS remain centralized and highly bureaucratic, kind of like my classroom.

Based on the Yin and Yang

GREEK PHILOSOPHYDon’t forget that Greek philosophy is based on reason, logic and

empirical observation, not religion

PART 1: JUDAISM

READ THIS (AP NOTES FOR THE SAQ’S AND LONG ESSAYS)The association of monotheism with Judaism was further developed with the codification of the Hebrew Scriptures, which also reflected the influence of Mesopotamian cultural and legal traditions. The Assyrian, Babylonian, and Roman empires conquered various Jewish states at different points in time. These conquests contributed to the growth of Jewish diasporic communities around the Mediterranean and Middle East.

DID U UNDERSTAND IT? NOW READ MY TRANSLATION: Judaism is the first MAJOR monotheistic religion (one God) The language of the Jews is Hebrew. It is written from right to left just like the Arabic

language of the Middle East. In fact, Jews and Arabs are all cousins, basically. Actually, the Jews got their legal principle, “an eye for an eye” from the Mesopotamian Code of Hammurabi of the Middle East region as well.

**And of course, Israel, the Jews’ original homeland, is in the Middle East as well. Anyway, the most ancient Hebrew Scriptures, or books, are known as the Old

Testament. The Bible is the New Testament cuz Jesus was Jewish. First comes the codification (translation) of the ancient Hebrew scriptures, called the

Torah, and then comes the Bible. Gotta translate it first!

**Did you know that an authentic Torah costs about $30,000 and is not allowed to touch the floor! Also, Saturday is the holy day, not Sunday, and in a Kosher Jewish diet you can’t eat pork or shellfish like lobster or shrimp (Yum!)

Unfortunately for Jewish women, girls are NOT allowed to touch or read the Torah!!!!!

Judaism’s treatment of women:1. Just like in Hinduism many Jewish marriages are arranged. The parents pick the girl

and make sure that both the boy and the girl are Jewish. My friend’s mom made his girlfriend convert before she gave him ‘permission’ to marry her. I couldn’t believe it! He totally capitulated.

2. Women ARE NOT allowed to read the Torah or be a Rabbi. In Catholicism women cannot be Priests or the Pope but in Christianity they can.

3. Boys have a Bar Mitzvah and become a man at age 13. Girls have a Bat Mitzvah and become a woman at age 12. ** Have any of YOU ever been to a Bar Mitzvah? (My Bar Mitzvah video you will NEVER see!)

***IMPORTANT AP STUFF*****UNFORTUNATELY, THE JEWS WERE CONSTANTLY BEING THROWN TO

THE WIND First, in the Middle East, they were conquered by the Assyrians, and then by the

Babylonians Then, when they came back to Israel, the Roman Empire took over all of North

Africa and the Middle East.

**Remember, the Roman Empire would let you practice whatever religion you wanted as long as you celebrated the Roman Gods on Roman holidays as well

***Eventually, however, the Jews got tired of praying to false Gods (Polytheism). When that happened, the Romans came in and crushed all of the Jewish temples. The Jews were then kicked out of Israel and they have been trying to get back ever since.

This is known as the Jewish DIASPORA! !!!!!!!!!!! Diaspora means “spread around the world”, and “kicked out of your homeland” That’s why my mom comes from Russia, my dad from Poland, my grandmother

from Israel, and now we live in America!

RELIGION #2: CHRISTIANITY

- Based on the teachings and divinity of Jesus of Nazareth and his disciples- Also based on Judaism (Jesus was a Jew!) and the Old Testament- Also, the word ‘AMEN’ means ‘so be it’ in Hebrew.

- Christians rejected Greco-Roman influences cuz BOTH Greece and Rome were polytheistic .

- After Constantine, Christianity eventually spread throughout the whole Roman Empire

- First spread by missionaries like monks and nuns

A missionary is someone who walks around ‘spreading the word’ of Jesus. My friend was a missionary in Tijuana, and we have many students in Plantation High School who are missionaries during the summer.

A monk and a nun are obviously people who devote themselves completely to their religions.

- Christianity was then THEN SPREAD BY MERCHANTS AND BUSINESSMEN THROUGH ALL OF AFRO-EURASIA (AFRICA, EUROPE-AND ASIA) cuz, hey, you gotta make a living! (DON’T 4GET that these religions CHANGE a bit when they get somewhere new (like Latin America for example)

THINKING QUESTION: What do you think about the following quote from Jesus? “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man to get into heaven.”___________________________________

JESUS’S DISCIPLES (FOLLOWERS)- PAUL : THE FIRST CHRISTIAN MISSIONARY, SPREADING CHRIST’S TEACHING

THROUGHOUT THE ROMAN EMPIRE- PETER : THE 1ST POPE- POPE JOHN PAUL II : THE POPE FROM POLAND in the 90’s, HE WAS JUST MADE A

SAINT IN 2012. - POPE FRANCIS : THE CURRENT POPE. HE IS FROM ARGENTINA AND IS A REALLY COOL

DUDE- THE VATICAN : HOME OF THE POPE, IT IS IN ROME BUT IS CONSIDERED THE

SMALLEST INDEPENDENT COUNTRY IN THE WORLD.

RELIGION #3: HINDUISM

STARTED AS ANCIENT VEDIC RELIGIONS Vedic was the first Indian religion. It is what the Brahmin priests at the top of the Indian caste system practiced. Vedic then turned into Hinduism after the year ‘0’.

WRITTEN IN SANSKRIT SCRIPTURES Sanskrit is one of the oldest languages on Earth. All of Buddhism is written in Sanskrit as well. The word ‘YOGA’ is Sanskrit for…..I’m not telling you!

CASTE SYSTEM : SOCIAL AND POLITICAL ROLES which we have already studied. - Hinduism was part of this because in Hinduism they say it’s your ‘KARMA’ to be

born where you’re born- Again, its rulers persist using religion to justify their money and power. That is,

Hindu Priests would say that you deserve to be born an ‘untouchable’ so don’t get upset or revolt.

HERE ARE THE MAIN GODS (BUT REALLY, THEY’RE ALL ONE, OR BRAHMA, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS……ENERGY1!!!!!!!!)1. BRAHMA -THE CREATOR2. SHIVA -THE DESTROYER3. VISHNU -THE PRESERVER4. KALI -THE GOD OF DEATH5. SHTRAKHMAN- GOD OF HOMEWORK AND COURAGE

These GODS kind of contributed to the Indian caste System in social and political terms by making believe it was your Karma to be born the way u were.

BY the way, every summer, from June to September, southern Indian towns get pummeled with torrential rains and winds known as THE MONSOONS. These rains sometimes bring 2-3 to 4 feet of water in just a month or so. Some people thought these rains were caused by the Gods, but now we know they are caused by Giants. (P.S. Don’t visit southern India in the summer)

RELIGION #4: BUDDHISM

New belief systems and cultural traditions emerged and spread, often asserting universal truths, like Buddhism. Buddha means ‘awake’ in Sanskrit!

A. Enlightenment: When your mind and the universe become ONE. This is when you can get rid of both desire and suffering.B. The Buddha’s teachings are in books called THE SUTRAS.C. Again, comes out of India and Southwest Asia, and comes after the Vedic religions and HinduismD. In fact, the Hindu priests were so rich and crooked that many people wanted to become Buddhist as a result. (This is kind of like what happened with Jesus and the Jews. )

Here’s the story of the Buddha. You don’t need to know it for the AP test but I’ll explain it to you anyway.

The Buddha was actually a prince from India named Siddartha Gautama. The area where he was born is now the country of Nepal, not India. Even though he was a prince, Siddartha was very unhappy and left the palace, his wife and child, to meditate by himself in the forest for 6 years. When he came out his mind had reached Enlightenment, which means that he realized the true nature of the universe, which is that his mind and the universe were one. After that point, he is said to have reached nirvana, and started teaching to whoever decided to come by. His teachings are named the Sutras. BUDDHA MEANS ‘AWAKE’ IN SANSKRIT

Just like Christianity, Buddhism was first spread by monks, nuns and other missionaries. Then, it was spread by merchants (businessmen) as well Don’t 4get that Buddhism goes from India-China, China-Japan, Japan-Korea, Korea-Vietnam. Eventually, in the 20th century, it will even come to America.

**Remember, it will be King Asoka of India who spreads Buddhism into China. King Asoka would build little houses all over India and Asia for monks and nuns to sleep in

RELIGION #5: ISLAM

AP DEFINITION OF ISLAM: Islam is based on the revelations of the prophet Muhammad, and developed in the Arabian Peninsula. (Saudi Arabia and Yemen) The beliefs and practices of Islam reflected interactions among Jews, Christians, and Zoroastrians with the local Arabian peoples. (Muslims accept Jesus and Abraham as Prophets so Christians and Jews were part of the fun). **Remember, any time you’re talking about the Middle East, you’re talking about Jews, Christians and Muslims.Muslim rule expanded to many parts of Afro-Eurasia due to military expansion (WAR!!!!!) and then Islam subsequently expanded through the activities of merchants and missionaries (juts like Christianity and Buddhism). So first comes war, then comes money, and then come the missionaries.

When we studied India we found that women are treated really badly in some parts of the country. Well, with Muslim countries we have the same thing.

WOMEN IN ISLAM:1. In the beginning, Islam liberated many women.

- It allowed women to own property and get divorces. - It also banned female infanticide (which is: the killing of babies if they’re

born as a girl. This still happens today. Can you think of why)2. Eventually, however, Islam became a very patriarchal religion

- In many places men were allowed to have 4 wives. I have only 3.

- Women started to have to wear veils covering their faces and bodies. This is a Middle Eastern tradition that Islam incorporated. The Koran, Old Testament and New Testament all basically say the same thing about clothes: You should dress modestly! What this means you have to determine for urself.

WOMEN IN ISLAM (SIMILAR TO INDIA AND CHINA IN BAD TREATMENT)1. Girls are sometimes sold at a very young age just like in India.2. In Afghanistan girls couldn’t go to school or learn how to read and write when the Taliban and Osama bin Laden were in charge.3. In Saudi Arabia, women can’t drive.- They also can’t leave the house without a male relative- They also can’t vote!4. In Yemen, just south of Saudi Arabia, a woman is only considered ½ a person in court or as a witness2. In some places in India and Pakistan, you need 4 witnesses to prove a rape! And in many of those places, the rape victim is shunned by her parents for bringing ‘dishonor’ down on the family. That means the victim is blamed!

ISLAMIC VOCABULARY TERMS1. MUHAMMAD: GOD’S #1 PROPHET. BORN IN 570 AND DIED IN 6322. ALLAH MEANS GOD FUN FACT: MUHAMMAD IS THE MOST POPULAR NAME IN THE WORLD (150,000,000 boys…and one girl)

3. MOSQUE: MUSLIM TEMPLE4. QUR’AN (KORAN): ISLAM’S HOLY BOOK5. MECCA : BIRTHPLACE OF MUHAMMAD IN THE ARABIAN PENINSULA: MODERN DAY SAUDI ARABIA. SAUDI ARABIA IS MOSTLY DESERT AND WAS ALWAYS FILLED WITH CAMELS USING NOMADS

** One of the BIGGEST problems that Muslims face is the fight between Sunni and Shia Muslims.

SHIA MUSLIMS: “THE PARTY OF ALI”a. BELIEVE RULERS HAVE TO BE BLOOD RELATIVES OF MUHAMMAD OR HIS COUSIN

ALI.SUNNI MUSLIMS: BELIEVE THAT REGULAR PEOPLE CAN BE RULERS (CALIPHS).

6. ALI: MUHAMMAD’S COUSIN.7. KHADIJA: MUHAMMAD’S WIFE

8. AISHA : MUHAMMAD’S 2ND WIFE (either 9 or 11 years old depending upon the translation) Don’t 4get that in India in 2016, 50% of ALL marriages have Child Brides.

9. ABU BAKR: AISHA’S DAD AND THE FIRST CALIPH (THE FIRST RULER AFTER MUHAMMAD DIED)

When Muhammad died, in the 7th century, he made his cousin Ali the next dude in charge. 4 years later, however, someone assassinated him, and Abu Bakr (the father-in-law) took over.

Shia’s believe that ONLY blood relatives of Mohammad, like Ali, can be kings. Shia is known as “the party of Ali”.

Sunnis believe that anyone can be ruler as long as they are chosen. They don’t have to be related.

MIDDLE EASTERN COUNTRIES THAT ARE EITHER SUNNI OR SHIA SHIA SUNNI IRAN SAUDI ARABIA IRAQ PAKISTAN

AFGHANISTANTURKEY

ISLAM PART 2: ISLAMIC EMPIRES (700-1200) LOOK AT HOW BIG THE ISLAMIC EMPIRES WERE:

TURKEYTHE MIDDLE EAST

CENTRAL ASIA EAST AFRICA (ETHIOPIA)NORTHERN INDIA NORTH AFRICAEGYPT THE SAHARA DESERT

EVEN ½ OF SPAIN!!!!!!!!!!

ISLAMIC EMPIRE #1: UMAYYAD CALIPHATE (BAGHDAD, IRAQ) 660-750ISLAMIC EMPIRE #2: ABBASSID CALIPHATE (DAMSCAS, SYRIA) 750-1250 [DESTROYED BY THE NOMAD MONGOLS]

THE ISLAMIC EMPIRES WERE CALLED THE CALIPHATES. ‘CALIPH’ MEANS ‘RULER’ IN ARABIC. SHTRAKHMAN MEANS ‘THE STUPENDOUS ONE’ IN HEBREW.

SLAVERY Slavery was ok, but not people of the book (Muslims, Jews, Christians or Zoroastrians) Prisoners of war were could become slaves too but if they became Muslim they were

usually freed. Guess what? They became Muslim!!!!!!!!! Duh! Wouldn’t you

ISLAMIC ART It is illegal to show either Muhammad or Allah in Islamic art. Therefore, all of the art in

Muslim countries is colorful and geometric. Look a few pieces up before class.

Also, Islamic architecture is very distinct. So are Islamic mosques. Very beautiful and ornate. Look them up as well. This way, if u see a picture of one on the ap test, you’ll be able to recognize it immediately.

RELIGIOUS FREEDOM. Ok, one of the keys to running an empire is giving everyone RELIGIOUS FREEDOM. If you don’t do this, you die. The Roman Empire didn’t give religious freedom to Jews or Christians and looked at what happened to them.

Well, the Islamic Caliphates kind of gave everyone religious freedom, and kind of didn’t. Let’s look at how

1. If you were Jewish or Christian (monotheistic), they left you alone. If not, you could be made into a slave.

2. Also, if you weren’t Muslim they gave your job to someone else and you could never get rich.

3. They also taxed you pretty heavily if you weren’t Islamic.4. Guess what! A lot of people CONVERTED to Islam

All you had to say was “La ilaha illa Allah, Muhammad rasoolu Allah.”Which means: “There is no true god (deity) but God (Allah), and Muhammad is the Messenger (Prophet) of God.”

THIS MEANS THAT AREAS BECAME MUSLIM NOT ONLY THROUGH WAR BUT THROUGH SWITCHING FAITHS AS WELL. IF YOU DIDN’T

BECOME MUSLIM, YOU LOST $$$$$

ISLAMIC INVENTIONS (THESE ARE REALLY IMPORTANT)

Do you know what the Muslim world was MOST famous for? Trade! Inventing stuff and then spreading it around. When u have such a large empire you’re always gonna spread stuff around. Obviously the Muslim world will spread Islam, and that means they will spread their ideas about God, women and monotheism. But look at what else they’re responsible for:

1. COFFEE (YES! SOON WE WILL HAVE STARBUCKS!)

2. THE TOOTHBRUSH (HOW MANY OF YOU BRUSH 3 TIMES A DAY AND FLOSS?)

3. USING CAT GUTS AND INTESTINES FOR STRING IN MEDICAL SURGERY

4. THEY LOVED ASTRONOMY - THEY BUILT THE LARGEST AND BEST REALLY STRONG OBSERVATORIES

** OUR BEST OBSERVATORY IS ON A MOUNTAIN IN HAWAII. IT IS CALLED MAUNA KEA. Our strongest telescope is up in space and it is called THE HUBBLE TELESCOPE and its how we know the universe is over 13 billion years old.. None of this would’ve been possible without the Muslim Empires, however.

- THEY ALSO INVENTED THE ASTROLAB WHICH TELLS YOU WHERE THE STARS ARE AT NIGHT. THE BIG DIPPER, THE LITTLE DIPPER, THE SHTRAKHMAN DIPPER ETC.

5. TRIGONOMETRY AND CUBIC EQUATIONS (YA KNOW, SIN, COSINE, TANGENT, ETC.) You might know Trigonometry as………Pre-Calculus!

(Remember, it was India that invented algebra. Both cultures will SPREAD it all around)

6. AND FINALLY THEY TRANLSATED A LOT OF ANCIENT GREEK BOOKS INTO LATIN AND ARABIC. IN FACT, WITHOUT THE ISLAMIC EMPIRES COMING

INTO EGYPT AND SPAIN, EUROPE WOULD NOT HAVE HAD A LOT OF THE OLDER GREEK BOOKS THAT WERE LOST!

And WHERE did they do all this trading? Well, just look at the map. The SILK ROAD lies right in the HEART o f the Islamic world. Look, the SILK ROAD was used by ROME, CHINA, THE MIDDLE EAST, INDIA, THE NOMADS…….EVERYBODY. The SILK ROAD cut right through the heart of the whole world.

But the Muslim traders used two other trading routes. The Indian Ocean and Sahara Desert were HUGE.

LET’S LOOK AT ISLAM IN AFRICA

NORTH AFRICA AND THE SAHARA DESERTWell, we all know that the Islamic Empires were able to take over Egypt. After all, today

Egypt is about 90% Muslim. They even speak an Egyptian form of Arabic.Arabic: 'aetaqid 'ann tullab alssanat alththaniat hi 'aswa

alttllabTranslation: I’ll never tell

Actually, most of North Africa became Muslim as well. Of course, were talking about the brutal and huge Sahara Desert which takes up over 1/3 of the entire continent. What a lot of people don’t know, though, is that the Sahara Desert has a lot of SALT. And SALT is absolutely essential for your body’s survival.

Fun Fact: The Human cell only needs 4 things to function: water, oxygen, salt and potassium. That’s why a lot of sicknesses can be helped by changing your salt to potassium ratio.

Anyway, places like Europe and the Middle East didn’t have a lot of salt so they came into the Sahara looking for it. Places like Egypt, Morocco, Libya, Tunisia and Algeria started to do a lot of business with the Middle East. This is why Egypt and North Africa became Muslim.

IN FACT, THAT’S WHERE THE SAYING “WORTH YOUR WEIGHT IN SALT COMES FROM”

The Camel was introduced into the Sahara in the late first millenniu

Caravans with up to 10,000 camels carried gold and slaves north, returning with manufactured goods and salt

(Looks like……………….definitely someone in 2nd hour)

WEST AFRICAA lot of people also didn’t know that West Africa has a lot of GOLD.

There are massive gold mines in places like Ghana and Mali. That’s why Europe will come and colonize these places and then sell Africans as slaves later on. First they get the gold, the they take the animals, and finally….the humans.

Anyway, there were 2 huge Muslim countries in West Africa.1. GHANA (The Arabic word for “salt for gold”)2. MALI (Still around today)The most famous city in Mali is TIMBUKTU. It has some of the oldest and most beautiful

mosques in the world and they’re all made of sand and mud. Just like Freshmen.

But they didn’t become Islamic because of war, no, they became Islamic because of money and trade. It came through trade for salt, for gold, and for everything else that grows in Africa (Bananas, ivory, gold and diamonds, fruits and vegetables, sugar, coal, emeralds, rubies etc.)

South Africa is the #1 gold producer in the world

In 2015 South Africa mined 300,000 pounds of GOLD!!!! Gold costs $1000 per ounce That’s $84,000,000,000 at retail value. Of course the peasants see NONE of that money and the miners are

basically treated like slaves!!!! But the commercials are so nice! Every KISS begins with…………….

The average wages for a gold or diamond miner in Africa is $1.50 per day, and if you are in war zone, then you are essentially a slave!

South Africa has 12% of the world’s DIAMONDS South Africa found $1.2 billion worth of diamonds in 2015 Almost ALL of that money goes to private companies (South Africa

only got to keep about $10 million!) The biggest company is De Beers in London and u can see their

diamonds in those Jared commercials. The movie ‘Blood Diamond’ is a 4 Star movie and should be requisite viewing for every human on the planet.

The largest diamond ever found was 3000 carats and weighed 621 grams or 1.5 POUNDS!!! It was big enough to make 115 diamonds and make 115 brides SO HAPPY!!!!!

It was found in 1905 by accident, 18 feet underground The most expensive diamond in the world is the “HOPE DIAMOND”.

It is kept in the Smithsonian. It is a blue diamond and costs $350 million! It can send 20,000 students to college for free but it’s shiny so we won’t let it!

*Don’t you find it funny that humans fight over shiny rocks I do!

**The Tower of London has the Koh-i-Noor diamond which they “borrowed” from India and is considered priceless.

***Kobe Bryant gave his wife a rare pink diamond worth $3 million after he got caught cheating on her with a girl from Colorado. Ah love! It can’t be bought!

SPAIN- A lot of people also don’t know that the Muslim Caliphates took most of Spain after

the fall of the Roman Empire. Rome became German in 476 CE and Spain became Islamic in the year 700. Actually 7-11, just like the store…….The Spanish throne will not kick them out until just before Christopher Columbus came, in 1450, but Muslim influence still exists.

- The most famous Muslim city in all of Spain is Grenada, located in the South near both the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. And in the city of Cordoba is one of the most beautiful mosques in the whole world. It is called the Alhambra (Al-haam-bra)

- Because drawing pictures of God or Muhammad is not allowed in Islam, the entire palace is a gorgeous collection of geometric art and architecture. Loot at some pictures of it online.

- The Muslims in Spain were called MOORS, and thus all of architecture they built was known as Moorish architecture. Remember, the Moors were NOT kicked out of Spain until just B4 Christopher Columbus.

**And also don’t 4get that the Muslims in Spain brought the same things that all Islamic groups did:1. Coffee 3. Astronomical knowledge2. Islamic Art 4. Translated books from Greek into Latin

and Arabic……………………………5) Trigonometry and Cubic Equations (Yay)

THE ALHAMBRA (AL-HAAM-BRA)

In 1492, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella kicked the occupants out and then sent Christopher Columbus to Spain The Palace was strategically located on the hill to give view of the whole expanse of the city of Granada as well as the meadow. It was originally constructed as a small fortress in 889. After years of neglect, the Moorish king of Grenada renovated it in the 11th century. The fortress was to later be converted into a royal palace in the 1333 by Yusuf I, Sultan of Granada. Costs $14.00 to go visit

HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS

THINKING QUESTIONS FOR YOUR (SMALL) BRAINZ:

1. The 1st Amendment gives us the Freedom of Religion. Should it be legal for a Christmas Tree to be placed in front of the White House or is that a violation of other people’s religious rights?

2. Should the words ‘Under God’ be taken out of the Pledge of Allegiance?

3. Polygamy (having more than one wife) is legal in many Middle Eastern countries. Should it be legal in the United States? Why or why not?

4. We get A LOT of oil from Saudi Arabia. Yet, they don’t let their women drive, vote, or leave the house without a man. Should we stop doing business with them even if our gasoline prices will go WAY UP?

JUDAISMDefine the following terms. A. What is ‘shamanism’:B. animism:C. TaoismD. How is philosophy different from religion?

E. What is meant by the ‘Jewish diaspora’?F. What is meant by ‘monotheism’?G. What is #1 Hebrew Scripture?H. How did Jews take on ancient Mesopotamian ‘legal traditions’?I. ‘Codification’ is another word for:

CHRISTCAN U EXPLAIN WHAT EACH OF THESE 3 QUOTES FROM JESUS MEAN? 1. How you treat the poorest among you is how you treat me.

2. If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.

3. A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.

4. But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you

5. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

Hinduism:A. How do you think Hinduism and the Indian Caste System are related?B. Hindus believe in MANY GODS + Shtrakhman. This is known as_____________.C. Hinduism comes from the ________ tradition (starts with a ‘V’)D. What are the Monsoon Winds?E. Why were so many Hindus and Buddhists upset with the Brahmins, the priests?Review Question: Which king brought Buddhims from India to China (States with a ‘A’: King _____)

BuddhismA. What is meant by ‘ENLIGHTENMENT’?

B. Which 4 groups spread most religions?1) 2) 3) 4)

C. Taoism is based on the relationship between _____ and nature.

D. Buddhists were upset with Hindu priests known as Brahmins. How so?

Islam1. Muhammad was born in the city of ________ on the _________ peninsula2. Islam is kind of based on the religions of ______ and ________.

A. GIVE ME 2 PIECES OF EVIDENCE REGARDING ISLAM’S TREATMENT OF WOMEN1) 2)

B. NAME 3 PLACES ISLAM CONQUERED:1) 2) 3)

C. WHAT IS THE ONLY EUROPEAN COUNTRY THEY TOOK OVER?

D. GIVE ME 2 EXAMPLES REGARDING HOW MUSLIMS TREATED NON-MUSLIMS:1) 2)

F. What are Islamic inventions in order of your importance:a. b. c. d. e.

E. WHAT’S THE BEEF BETWEEN SUNNI AND SHIA MUSLIMS

F. What does it mean that many Middle Eastern countries are a ‘theocracy’?G. What was the largest country that become Muslim in all of North Africa?

H. Why did Muslim traders come to West Africa?

I. Define the word GHANA in Arabic:

J. List 3 major characteristics of Mali:a. b. c.

K. What is so unique about the mosques of Timbuktu?

6. What are the 4 things a cell needs to survive? a) b) c)

EXTRA CREDIT ASSIGNMENT: THERE IS A GREAT ‘RELIGION CHART’ IN THE PURPLE TEXTBOOKS (PAGE 296). YOU CAN SEE A PICTURE HERE BELOW. IF YOU RECREATE IT ON CONSTRUCTION PAPER I’LL GIVE YOU EXTRA POINTS

ESSAY QUESTION: THERE IS NONE. UR WELCOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

PLEASE MOVE ON TO HISTORICAL UNIT 3: 600 CE -1450 CE (CHAPTER 6)Part 1: BYZANTINE EMPIRE (476-1492. Eastern Roman Empire)

Part 2: TANG AND SONG DNASTIES (700-1200)Part 3: THE MONGOLS (1200-1400)