Five World Religions

Judaism, Christianity, Islam,

Hinduism & Buddhism

Ignorance:
Lack of knowledge or
information

Monotheism vs. Polytheism

belief in one god (Judaism
Christianity, and Islam)
Polytheism belief in many gods
(Hinduism)
Monotheism

Judaism
The

founder of the Jewish

Faith is Abraham
He made a Covenant, or
agreement with God
(Yahweh)
If Abraham and his people
followed God, they would
be his chosen people.
Jewish holy book Torah

Ten Commandments

Believe God revealed

the Ten
Commandments to
Moses, a prophet
(messenger of God)
Ten Commandments
are rules that govern
life based on worship
of one God

The 10 Commandments
1. Do not worship any other god than the one true God. All other gods are false gods.
2. Do not make idols or images in the form of God. An idol can be anything (or anyone)
you worship by giving it more importance than God. If something (or someone) has your
time, attention and affections, it has your worship. It could be an idol in your life.
3. Do not treat God's name lightly or with disrespect. Because of God's importance, his
name is always to be spoken of with honor.
4. Dedicate or set aside a regular day each week for sabbath rest and worship of the
Lord.
5. Give honor to your father and mother by treating them with respect and obedience.

6. Do not deliberately kill a fellow human being.

7. Do not have sexual relations with anyone other than your spouse. God forbids sex
outside of the bounds of marriage.
8. Do not steal or take anything that doesn't belong to you, unless you have been given
permission to do so.
9. Do not tell a lie about someone or bring a false accusation against another person.
10. Do not desire anything or anyone that does not belong to you. Comparing yourself to
others and longing to have what they have leads to jealousy, envy and other sins. Be
content by focusing on the blessings God has given you and not what he has not given
you.

Christianity
Started

in SW Asia among
Jewish people 2000 years
ago
Based on the teachings of
Jesus, a Jewish man who
preached that God loved all
people
Messiah savior
Disciples followers

Death of Jesus
Jesus

was
convicted of
treason and was
crucified
His followers
preached that
Jesus was the son
of God and rose
from the dead

Islam
Islam

means
surrender to God
in Arabic
Followers of Islam
are Muslims
Believe
Muhammad is the
last and greatest
prophet

Muhammad
Muhammad was

born in Makkah
(sometimes spelled Mecca,) the most holy
site in Islam
Muhammad heard the voice of an angel,
Gabriel, telling him to teach about God
Saw life as preparation for the Day of
Judgment
When Muhammad died most of Arabia
accepted Islam

Islam Today

Islam is split into 2 major branches Sunnis and Shia;

most Muslims in the world are Sunni

Five Pillars of Faith

Islam's holy book is the Quran and it contains

five main beliefs
1. Statement of faith There is no god but
Allah, and Muhammad is His messenger
2. Prayer 5 times per day facing Mecca
3. Give charity to those in need
4. Fast during the holy month of Ramadan
5. Hajj holy pilgrimage to Mecca

Connections and Differences:

Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
All three believe in the same God, though they
call it by different names.
Judaism is the root of all three, Christians broke
away from Judaism, Muslims adapted and built
upon Judaism and Christianity.
All three are people of the book, follow the
same creation story, and believe that a savior
will come/come again (Christianity).
Within each of the religions, followers disagree
about how their religion should be practiced.

Hinduism
Hinduism

is the major religion of India.

There is no single founder it is a
complex religion based on gods from many
different cultures.
Hindus worship many gods but all are part
of one supreme divinity Brahman.
Everything in the world is part of
Brahman.

Main gods
While all of the gods
are part of Brahman
the Creator, the main
gods are:
Vishnu the Preserver
Shiva the Destroyer
Ganesh the Lord of
Success

Reincarnation

All living things have a soul and when we die,

the soul is reborn in other bodily forms
Karma every action of a person in one life
influences how they will be born in the next
life.
good karma = higher form closer to Brahman
bad karma = suffering in lower form

The Caste System

Caste system a system of
unchangeable social ranks given at birth
(now illegal).
The Hindu faith is used to justify the caste
system.
Your caste determines:

who you marry

who you talk to
how you dress
what you eat

Buddhism

Buddhism began in India during the 6th

Century B.C.E.
Founded by a Hindu prince, Siddhartha
Guatama the Buddha, or Enlightened One
Siddhartha created this religion because he felt
that Hinduism did not effectively answer the
question of why we suffer.
Reincarnation everyone dies and is reborn
until one reaches enlightenment, or
nirvana
Buddhism is not monotheistic or polytheistic

Main Beliefs

The Four Noble Truths

1. All life is suffering, pain,
and sorrow
2. The cause of suffering is
desire
3. The only way to cure
suffering is to overcome
desire
4. The only way to overcome
desire is to follow the
Eightfold Path
The Eightfold Path focuses on
honesty, charity, and kindness
to all