Religion

1
Religion

• South Asia, East Asia and South East Asia

2
Hinduism

• Hinduism is one of the worlds oldest religions
  with 900 million
• The religion began in India about 4000 years ago.
• Hinduism is a polytheistic religion with
  thousands of gods and goddesses
• Most important gods are
• Bhrahma-the creator
• Vishnu-the preserver
• Shiva-the destroyer
• Can also be seen as monotheism
• God, Bhrahma and all living creatures are one in
  the world spirit

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Hindu Beliefs

• They believe that rivers (like the Ganges) and
  animals (like cows) are sacred.
• They believe in reincarnation (a persons soul
  never dies)...a person can be reborn many times
  until their soul reaches their final resting
  place
• Dharma, performance and fulfillment of ones
  moral and social duties in life, move the soul
  towards deliverance from sorrow and pain
• Karma, belief that present condition reflects
  what the person did or did not do during a
  previous life

4
Caste System
Brahmins-Priests

• The Caste system is very rigid, you cannot move
  up in social class
• The Indian Constitution has outlawed caste based
  discrimination
• The Caste System is declining in urban areas as
  education improves
• The Caste System is still prominent in many rural
  areas

Kshatriya-nobles
Vaisya-traders, artisans, farmers, herders
Sudra-laborers
Untouchables
5
Buddhism

• The religion started in India more than 2500
  years ago as a result of Prince Siddhartha
  Gautamas quest for Enlightenment.
• After Gautama saw the truth about life he became
  known as Buddha, Enlightened One
• Buddhists do not believe in a personal god.
• A pagoda is the house of worship (Buddhist
  temple).
• Found mainly in China, Tibet, Japan, SE Asia.
• Four Noble Truths
• Pathway to enlightenment
• Buddhists believe one is reborn until one reaches
  enlightenment or nirvana, you must follow the
  middle path

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Major Religions in India

• Hinduism, Islam and Buddhism
• Other regions
• Jainism
• 4.2 million followers
• believe in extreme nonviolence
• everything has a soul
• Strict vegetarians
• Do not believe in gods or spiritual beings, more
  a religion of self-help
• Sikhism
• Founded in the early 1500s,
• a mixture of Islam and Hinduism,
• monotheistic and believe in karma and
  reincarnation

7
Major Religions of Japan

• Buddhism
• Shinto
• Japanese devotion to invisible spiritual beings
  and powers called kami
• Kami are not gods but if treated properly they
  will intervene in our lives to bring benefits
• Not seen as a religion but a way of life
• An ethnic religion, rarely practiced outside
  Japan
• Has no scriptures, no founder, no God
• Teaches ethical practices
• Does not require members to follow Shinto as
  their only religion, coexists with Buddhism

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Daoism/TaoismChina

• Ancient tradition of philosophy and religious
  belief
• The Tao, the Way, is the ultimate creative
  principle of the universe
• All things are unified and connected in the Tao
• The Tao is not God, but Taoists worship many
  deities in temples
• Taoism promotes, harmony, being virtuous, and
  self development
• Taoism practices, meditation, feng shui, fortune
  telling
• Before the Communist revolution, Taoism was the
  strongest religion in China
• After the government began destroying any
  non-communist religions its numbers have
  significantly reduced

9
Confucianism

• A belief system based on the teaching of Kong Fu
  Zi (Confucius) (551-479 BC)
• Violence, poverty, and crime was increasing in
  China
• Confucius thought people should return to the
  customs of the past so that society could be
  stable again
• Confucius suggested a set of rules for behaving
  based on strict moral ideas (li)
• Respect, loyalty, honesty, hard work, politeness
  and generosity
• Emphasized family relationships and devotion to
  or respect for ones elders
• Filial piety
• Today, most families in China still follow the
  teaching of Confucius