European Religions  Three major religions in Europe  Christianity, Judaism, and Islam  All 3 are monotheistic

Judaism… Major Beliefs  In one true god, God that is all- knowing, all-powerful, and present everywhere  They are God’s “chosen people”  God will send a Messiah, or savior to save them  Sometimes called the “children of Israel” in the Bible 

Judaism… Holy books  Torah or Pentateuch the Five Books of Moses (what Christians call the Old Testament)  Within the Torah, God gave the Jewish people through Moses the Ten Commandments (The laws of God)

Judaism… Houses of Worship  Jewish people worship in a synagogue (means meeting place)  Prayer is lead by a rabbi, or teacher  The Sabbath for Jews begins at sundown on Friday night

Jewish people living in Europe in 2005 Top countries in 2002: France UK Russia Ukraine Germany Belarus Belgium Hungary Spain

Judaism… Founder  Founder of Judaism is Abraham  Lived in what is now known as Iraq  According to Jewish belief, God told Abraham to leave his homeland and mover where God told him. He would also make Abraham the father of a great nation  Abraham then traveled to what is now known as Israel

Islam… Major Beliefs  One god, Allah  Muhammad is the Islamic prophet  A person who practices Islam is a Muslim  Five Pillars of Islam  Profession of faith (there is only one god, Allah)  Prayers (5 times at certain times towards Mecca)  Giving of alms (charitable giving)  Fasting (during Ramadan)  Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca)

Islam… Holy Books  Koran or Quaran  However, view Torah and New Testament as holy books too

Islam… Houses of Worship  Mosque  Friday is the Sabbath day  Religious leaders- imams

Islam… Founder  Muhammad- the last and greatest prophet  Also view Abraham, Moses, and Jesus as great teachers BUT Muhammad is the greatest (closest to perfection)!  Received revelations from Allah through an angel, Gabriel the arch-angel  Put the revelations in the Koran

Islam… Location(s) in Europe  Russia  The Balkans (close to the “Middle East”)  Albania  Bosnia and Herzegovina  Bulgaria  Greece  Kosovo (disputed independence)  Macedonia  Montenegro  Croatia  Serbia  Slovenia  Romania  Turkey

Christianity…Major Beliefs  Second oldest religion  Only one god, God sent his son, Jesus who Christians call Messiah or Christ  Only way to get to heaven is through Jesus  Christians and Jews share many of the same beliefs  Early Christians were Jews, as was Jesus

Christianity…Holy Days  Easter- celebrates the resurrection of Jesus (celebrated about the same time as the Jewish Passover)  Christmas- celebrates the birth of Jesus  Sabbath day is Sunday

Christianity… Holy books  The Bible- both the Old and New Testament  New Testament- are the teachings of Jesus and his followers, the Disciples

Christianity… Houses of worship  Place of worship is called a church  Person who leads the congregation is called a pastor, priest, or minister

Christianity… Founder  Jesus is the true founder  Paul of Tarsus– transformed the faith from a branch of Judaism into a full-fledged religion  Helped spread Christianity throughout the Roman Empire

Christianity… primary locations in Europe  Largest religion in Europe  Mainly divided into 3 different sects:  Roman Catholic or Catholic  Eastern Orthodox  Protestant

Catholicism  Largest branch of Christianity  The Pope is Christ’s representative on Earth  Center of the Catholic church is in Rome and it is called the Vatican

Eastern Orthodox  Officially split from Roman Catholicism in the 11 th century  Found mostly in Greece, Eastern Europe, and Russia  Do not follow the Pope or his “rules” but have their own leaders called Patriarchs

Protestant  Began in the 16 th century with Martin Luther nailing his 99 theses on the door of the Catholic church (he was a Catholic monk)  Many churches are included in this group: Baptist, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Methodists, Pentecostals, Quakers, Calvinists, and others  Do not follow the Pope’s leadership or a patriarch