1. Reviewing their basic beliefs, practices, and how they came to be.
5 Major World Religions
Reviewing their basic beliefs, practices, and how they came to be.

2. What are the 5 major world religions?
Hinduism
Judaism
Buddhism
Christianity
Islam
2,000ish? BC/BCE
2,000ish BC/BCE
480 BC/BCE
32 AD/CE
570 AD/CE
And they came to exist in that order*.
*sources differ in dates of origin.

3. Hinduism Origin story is not emphasized.
Historically, seems to be from very distant past (2,000 or 3,000 BC/BCE).
Arose from combining of different peoples’ religious beliefs as they mixed due to migration, conquest, etc. A key group = Aryans.
Vedas = Aryans’ sacred texts.
Vedas date to 1,700 BC/BCE.
Upanishads = interpretations of Vedas.

4. Judaism
Founding figure: Abraham, in city of Ur, in Mesopotamia. Made FIRST covenant: obey God, only God.
Led Hebrews to Canaan around 1,800 BC/BCE.
Hebrews went to Egypt c. 1,600 BC/BCE.
Moses led Hebrews from Egypt, made SECOND covenant (10 Commandments)
Sacred text = Torah (and others)

5. Buddhism Siddhartha Gautama = founding figure.
Saw suffering and sought
‘Enlightenment’ (full understanding).
For him it was a way to end suffering: the Middle Way (a.k.a. 8 Fold Path) based on 4 noble truths.
Buddhism spread via missionaries & trade routes

6. Christianity
Jesus, a Jew born just before 0 AD/CE, taught ideas of Judaism but also of love and a heaven after death.
4 Gospels (1st four books of Christian Bible’s New Testament) tell of Jesus’ life.
His early followers = 12 apostles.
Christians believe he rose from the dead after being crucified (nailed to a cross).
Jewish belief said a ‘messiah’ would come to save Jews. Those who followed Jesus said he was the messiah and used the Greek word ‘christos’ for messiah, so that he became known as Jesus Christ.

7. Islam
Name of religion = Islam, one who follows/believes in Islam = Muslim
Founded by: Muhammad, for Muslims he is ‘The Prophet’, born c. 570 AD/CE in Mecca.
Muhammad taught: only 1 god, Allah.
Hijrah = Muhammad & followers left Mecca, went to Yathrib (later: Medina), later he returned to Mecca, defeated opponents.
His teachings also include following the ‘5 Pillars of Islam’ and the ‘Qur’an’ (also spelled ‘Koran’) is the holy book of Islam.

8. HOMEWORK: do the review guide.
Tomorrow-similarities/differences between these religions, and your questions from/about the review guide.