6 MAJOR WORLD RELIGIONS
Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, Christianity,
Islam, Judaism
INDIAN RELIGIONS
Buddhism (not much in India any more, but has its
origins on the Indian Subcontinent)
Hinduism
EAST ASIAN RELIGION
Taoism (a major component of what is called
“Chinese Traditional religions). Confucianism is also
in this category, but smaller)
ABRAHAMIC RELIGIONS
Christianity
Islam
Judaism
FOUNDERS
Founding person of Buddhism is Siddhartha Gautama
(about 550 BCE)
Founding person of Hindu is . . . There is no founder. This
is possibly the world’s oldest religion. We don’t know when
it started, or who started it (2,000 BCE?)
Founding person of Taoism (Daoism) is Lao Tse (Laozi).
It’s not known whether he is the actual founder, but it is
attributed to him (about 580 BCE))
FOUNDERS C O N T I N U E D
Founding person of Christianity is Jesus Christ (1st
century CE)
Founding person of Islam is Muhammad (580 CE)
Founding person of Judaism is Abraham (about
1500 BCE)
SUPREME BEING
The Supreme Being of Buddhism is . . . There is no
supreme being. This is all about bettering yourself.
The Supreme Being of Hinduism is Brahma, who has two
avatars: Vishnu and Shiva (together a trinity)
The Supreme Being of Taoism is . . . There isn’t one.
There are deities, but one isn’t over another. The
important thing here is nature’s energy rather than a
supreme being.
SUPREME BEING C O N T I N U E D
The Supreme Being in Christianity is God
The Supreme Being in Islam is God (Allah)
The Supreme Being in Judaism is God (Elohim)
HOLY SITES
The holiest place in Buddhism is wherever you worship.
However important Buddha history places are also
important cities (Buddha's birthplace, burial place, where
he received enlightenment, etc.)
The holiest site in Hinduism is . . . There are 7 holy
cities, 4 holy sites, 3 holy rivers
The holiest sites in Taoism are mountains where
important temples are
HOLY SITES
Holy sites in Christianity include Jerusalem, Bethlehem,
Golgotha, and the Sea of Galilee (places associated with Jesus
Christ)
Holy sites in Islam include Mecca, Medina, and The Dome of
the Rock (on Temple Mount in Jerusalem)—all places
associated with Mohammed the Prophet
Holy sites in Judaism include Temple Mount, the Wailing
Wall (on Temple Mount), Mount Sinai, Tomb of the Patriarchs
SACRED WRITINGS
Sacred writings of Buddhists are the Tripitaka.
This means “3 Baskets” because it was originally
written on long leaves and stored in baskets.
Sacred writings of Hinduism are the Vedas. There
are 4 of them: Rig Veda, Sama Veda, Yajur Veda and
Atharva Veda
Sacred writings of Taoism is the Tao te Ching
SACRED WRITINGS C O N T I N U E D
Sacred writings of Christianity is the Bible, which
includes the Old Testament and the New Testament
Sacred writings of Islam is the Quran, also spelled
Koran
Sacred writings of Judaism is the Torah, which
includes the first 5 books of the Old Testament; also
important is the Talmud, which is writings about the
Torah
WHERE ORIGINATED?
Buddhism—Nepal
WHERE ORIGINATED?
Hinduism--India
WHERE ORIGINATED?
Taoism--China
WHERE ORIGINATED?
Christianity--Israel
WHERE ORIGINATED?
Islam--Mecca
WHERE ORIGINATED?
Judaism--Israel
DIFFUSED WHERE?
NUMBERS
Buddhists—375 million to 1.2 billion
Hindus—1 billion
Taoists—(Chinese Traditional) 394 million
Christians—2.1 billion
Muslims—1.5 billion
Jews—14 million
MAJOR BELIEFS - -BUDDHISM
4 Noble Truths:• Life has a lot of suffering• The cause of suffering is greed and selfishness• There is an end to suffering• The way to end suffering is following the middle way
through the 8-fold path (right viewpoint, right attitude, right speech, right action, right work, right effort, right mindfulness, right meditation)
MAJOR BELIEFS--HINDUISM
Karma—the law of cause and effect
Reincarnation until Moshka (liberation from cycle
of rebirth) is attained
All life is sacred
No religion teaches the only way to salvation—all
religions are paths to God’s light and love, and all
religions ought to be tolerated and understood
MAJOR BELIEFS--TAOISM
Live in harmony with the Tao—or the way
If you do this, you will free your soul and become one of
the immortals
Don’t lie, steal, murder, commit adultery, or drink alcohol
Obey your elders, love your parents, be tolerant, love
others, be in good physical and mental shape, practice
control of your mind and body, act selflessly
MAJOR BELIEFS - -CHRISTIANITY
Jesus Christ is the Son of God
Love God
Love your neighbor as yourself
Follow the 10 commandments
Faith and Grace
Baptism
MAJOR BELIEFS--ISLAM
There is no god but One God (Allah) and Muhammad is his
prophet
Pray 5 times a day (facing the direction of Mecca)
Pay an alms tax—2.5% of one’s wealth to the poor and
needy
Fast during daylight hours during the 9th month of the
Islamic lunar calendar (Ramadan)
Go on a pilgrimage to Mecca once in your lifetime
MAJOR BELIEFS--JUDAISM
The 10 commandments—worship no other God, no
graven images, don’t misuse the name of God,
observe the Sabbath day (Saturday), respect your
parents, don’t murder, commit adultery, or steal,
don’t accuse anyone falsely or tell lies, don’t envy
others’ possessions.
SYMBOL OF FAITH--BUDDHISM
SYMBOL OF FAITH--HINDUISM
SYMBOL OF FAITH--TAOISM
SYMB OL OF FAITH- -CHRISTIANITY
SYMBOL OF FAITH--ISLAM
SYMBOL OF FAITH-- JUDAISM
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