World Religions: Monotheistic Religions

Discuss with your partner: What does the term ‘religion’ mean? What does the term ‘religious toleration’ mean?

Question: How and why did religions develop??

Question: How and why did religions develop?? It’s sort of a trick question – we don’t really know the answer! Our awareness of religion and the spirit world probably began about 50,000 years ago. Religion is considered to be one of the cultural universals, a trait common to all human cultures worldwide right throughout the history of humanity. It would have developed alongside other cultural universals such as art, music and of course language. Maybe religion was an explanation for dreams? Maybe religion was used to make sense of things people didn’t understand?

Today we are talking about MONOTHEISTIC religions. What do you think came first…monotheistic or polytheistic religions??

Today we are talking about MONOTHEISTIC religions. What do you think came first…monotheistic or polytheistic religions?? Polytheistic – until Judaism developed people worshipped more then one god

Today’s Goals: Understand basic facts about Christianity, Islam and Judaism (make sure to review and correct your comparison chart after the lesson is needed) Understand how religion influences culture and give examples of how Christianity, Islam and Judaism influence culture. Use charts to display data.

Judaism Judaism is the one of the oldest religions in the world. It’s history goes back over 5,000 years. Judaism began in the country today known as Israel. Abraham is considered the father of Judaism. Today 42% of Jews live in Israel, 40% in Canada and the USA and the rest around the world. The sacred text of Judaism is the Torah. It outlines the basis for Jewish law and tradition. The major symbols are the 6 pointed Star of David and the Menorah.

Judaism continued… Important holidays include Shabbat (weekly religious observance on Saturday), Yom Kippur (day of atonement, asking forgiveness for sins) and Passover (celebrates escape from slavery in Egypt) Jews believe in one God. Judaism focuses on relationships: the relationship between God and mankind, between God and the Jewish people, between the Jewish people and the land of Israel and between human beings. Based on these relationships Jews have various religious duties to perform. In Judaism life is valued above all else, so euthanasia and suicide are forbidden. Jews believe in a spiritual afterlife where those who have lived a worthy life will be rewarded. “All people are descended from a single person, thus taking a single life is like destroying an entire world, and saving a single life is like saving an entire world.”

Christianity Christianity originates with the teachings of Jesus Christ, and took hold in the mid 1 st century near Israel. Christianity spread through missionaries and prophets who spread ideas about the religion throughout the Middle East, Europe and into Africa. Today Christians are found worldwide. It is the most followed religion in Europe, the Americas and southern Africa. The sacred text of Christianity is the Bible. The major symbols are the cross and the fish.

Christianity continued… Important holidays include Easter which commemorates the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and Christmas which celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. Christians believe in one God and that Jesus Christ was his son. They believe that through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ that humans can be forgiven for their sins. There are many different branches of Christianity with differing beliefs such as Catholicism, Protestantism, and Eastern Orthodox. Christians believe that if they have lived a good life they will go to heaven to be with God and angels after death, and if not they will go to hell.

Islam The founder of Islam is the prophet Muhammad, who was born in Mecca in approximately 570 A.C.E. Islam spread as Muslim conquers fought in Asia and Africa and through trade. The majority of Muslims live in Asia and Africa. The sacred text of Islam is the Qu’ran (or Koran) and Muslims believe it to be the word of God revealed to Muhammed. Important symbols of Islam include the crescent moon and star. Green is an important color.

Islam continued… Important holidays include Eid Al-Fitr, celebrated at the end of Ramadan and Eid Al-Adha that commemorates the sacrifice by Abraham of his son. Muslims believe in one God and that the purpose of existence is to worship God. The 5 pillars of Islam form the basis of a Muslim’s life and include: the declaration of belief in one God, daily prayers, charity, fasting during Ramadan and the pilgrimage to Mecca. Muslims believe that at death Muslims who have lived a good life according to Islamic beliefs will go to Paradise.

Activity: Now that you know a little bit about the 3 monotheistic religions, you will research how they influence the culture of various countries. 1.Title your paper ‘How Religion Influences Culture.’ Write your name on your sheet. 2.Fold your paper into 3 sections. Label each section: Christianity, Islam, Judaism 3.Choose a country that has a large number of followers of each religion living in it (Judaism = Israel for example.) What is one way to identify an Islamic country?? 4.Write the name of the country in the correct section and draw the flag of the country 5.In each section give 5 examples (with pictures!) of ways that country is influenced by the religion. For example, you could think about… 1.National holidays and days people don’t work 2.Food that is eaten 3.Days of prayer (do people go to school on Sunday?) 4.Laws in the country 5.Ways people dress / jewelry worn 6.Flag / national anthem Hand in your work today / finish for homework Finished? Continue working on activity 2.