World Religions A Brief History

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World Religions A Brief History
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Judaism

• About 14 million adherents
• Ethnic / Monotheistic
• Founder Abraham
• Hearth Middle East
• 1st Monotheistic religion

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Judaism

• ABRAHAM
• SARAH HAGAR
• Isaac Ishmael
• Judeo-Christian Islamic

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Judaism Basic Beliefs

• One God
• Gods Chosen people
• Do not recognize Jesus as the messiah
• VERY tied to the land - Israel

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Judaism - Divisions

• Hasidic Jews
• - Ultra Orthodox

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Christianity

• 2 billion adherents largest
• Universalizing/Monotheistic
• Founder Jesus
• Hearth Palestine
• - Jesus was born in Palestine during the height
  of the Roman Empire.

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Christianity - Basics

• One God
• Jesus is the messiah son of God.
• Jesus died for the sins of all people.

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Christianity - Divisions

• During the Middle Ages - THE GREAT SCHISM
• Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox split
• Disagreed over using icons (images of
  God-Jesus-Saints)

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Christianity - Divisions

• During the Renaissance THE REFORMATION
• Some felt the Church was corrupt and abusing its
  power.
• Martin Luther German monk
• Protestant Broke away from Rome.
• Hundreds of Protestant divisions
• (Baptist, Lutheran, Methodist)

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Christianity - Divisions

• The Church of England
• Same time as Reformation

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Church of England
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Islam

• 1.3 billion adherents second
• Universalizing/Monotheistic
• Founder Muhammad
• Hearth Mecca (Modern day Saudi Arabia)

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Islam - Basics

• One God (Same God as Christians and Jews)
• 5 pillars
• - Only one God (Allah) and Muhammad is his
  prophet.
• - pray 5 times daily facing Mecca
• - Giving to the poor
• - Fasting during Ramadan
• - Pilgrimage to Mecca

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Islam - Divisions

• When Muhammad died there was disagreement over
  who should succeed him.
• Muslims split into two groups
• SUNNI SHIITE (Shia)
• Caliph Muh. Descendant

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Hinduism

• 900 million adherents - third
• Ethnic/Monotheistic
• Founder No specific
• Hearth Northwestern India one of the
  most ancient religions.

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Hinduism - Basics

• One God Brahman
• Brahman is manifest as hundreds of different
  gods.
• Goal To be united with Brahman at death.
• Takes many lifetimes reincarnation.

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Hinduism - Divisions

• Not really divisions
• Most Hindus ally themselves with a specific god.
  
• Vaishnavism Vishnu
• Sivaism - Shiva

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Buddhism

• 400 million adherents
• Universalizing / non-theistic
• Founder Siddartha Guatama (the Buddha)
• Hearth Present day Nepal. North of India.

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Buddhism - Basics

• Goal Achieve enlightenment
• 4 Noble Truths
• - to live is to endure suffering
• - suffering is caused by desire
• - Cure for suffering end desire (Nirvana)
• - Achieve Nirvana by following the eightfold
  path

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Buddhism - Basics

• If you reach Nirvana you are freed from the cycle
  of rebirth.

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Buddhism - Divisions

• Followers disagreed on how to interpret the
  teachings of the Buddha (Siddartha Guatama)
• Mahayana
• Theravada
• Tantrayana
• Tibetan