October 24- October 28

[5 Tara]

October 24 (Monday)- Went over religion PowerPoint. Notes below. 

October 25 (Tuesday)- 2 hour early out. Continued going over the PowerPoint

October 26 (Wednesday)- Absent

October 27 (Thursday)- 2 hour early out. Continued going of religion

October 28 (Friday)- No school 

5 Major Religions of the World: 

Academic vs. Theological perspective 

Studying Religion: 

• Does not make value judgement about the validity of a religion 
• Does not preach one religion over the other 
• Focuses on the history and beliefs of the religion 

Animism

• Is the belief that all living and nonliving things in nature have a spirit
• Belief system of many early civilizations
• Early civilizations was often combined with ancestor worship 

What is a religion? 

• An organized system of beliefs, ceremonies, practices, and worship that centers on one or more gods 
• Higher power

What is the point of religion?

• To explain different beliefs

Numbers

• Christianity 1.9 billion 
• Islam 1.1 billion 
• Hinduism 800 million 
• Buddhism 325 million 
• Judaism 14 million 

Abraham is the base of all 3 religions- Islam, Judaism, and Christianity 

Hagar and Abraham has Ishmael who created the 12 Arabian Tribes. (Islam)

Sarah and Abraham had Isaac who had Jacob/Israel and Esau. Jacob/Israel created the 12 Tribes of Israel. (Judaism) 

Judaism: 

• 13,580,000 world total
• Monotheistic and the first major monotheistic religion in history
• Some believe Judaism dates back to Adam and Eve 
• Many historians say that is was established around 1800 B.C as part of a covenant between God and Abraham 
  • Abraham would leave Ur(Babylonia) and go to Canaan(Isreal) 
  • He would be blessed with many sons and his family would be given Israel
  • Moses led the Jews out of Egypt (slavery) around 1500 BC

• The Torah is the first five books of the Bible and contain the laws and teaching of Judaism 
• The Ten Commandments are are the foundation of Judaism 
• They have 613 other commandments mitzvots
  • Mizvah is a commandment or religious duty. There are several different groupings of mitzvots 
  • 248 positive mitzvots that say what must be followed 
  • 365 negative mitzvots that say what is forbidden
• The Sabbath is observed as a day of rest, starting at sun down on Friday evening
• 2.6% of U.S adults identify as Jewish

Judaism Place of Worship

• Jews worship in Synagogues or temples 
• Worship is led by a Rabbi 

Symbols:

• The universal symbol of Judaism is the Star of David, the emblem of King David who rules the Kingdom of Israel from 1000- 962 BC 
• A Yarmulke/Kippan is worn during prayer to show respect to G_d
• Menorah is a symbol of the nation of Israel and a mission to be "a light unto the nations 

Ritual, Worship, and Celebration 

• Many Jews make the pilgrimage to the "Wailing Wall in Jerusalem
  • Built in the 2nd century BC 
  • Remains of a temple that had stood for close to 500 years
    • Destroyed by the Romans  
  • Thought to be the most sacred of places
• Praying at the Wailing Wall signifies being in the presence of the Divine 

Judaism Beliefs 

• Jews believe that there is a single God who not only created the universe, but with whom every Jew can have a personal relationship with
• They await the Messiah who will be an earthly king 
• They believe in heaven, but the Torah doesn't say a lot about it and focuses more on how to live your lives 
• Ten Commandments is the basic code of law 

Kosher Foods 

• Foods are kosher when they meet all criteria that Jewish laws applies to food 
• Characteristics that make a food non-kosher 
  • The mixture of meat and milk
  • The use of cooking utensils which had previously been used for non-kosher food 
  • The type of animal it is 
• Many Jews had 2 different stoves, refrigerator, etc. so kosher and non-kosher food wouldn't cross 
• Jews may eat all animals that have cloven hooves and chew their cud 
• Six mammals are specifically not allowed:
  • Camel 
  • Hyrax 
  • Hare
  • Pig 
  • Whales 
  • Dolphins 
• Kosher animals are as follows 
  • Cows, goats, sheep antelope, deer, bison, etc. 
  • Most fish except shellfish, shark, octopus, eel, and squid
  • Chicken, duck, and turkey
  • Milk and cheese but cannot be eaten with meat or mixed with meat
• Preparation 
  • The slaughter of animals is designed to minimize pain- usually a slice across the throat 
  • This eliminates the practice of hunting for food unless it can be captured alive and ritually slaughtered 
  • All blood and veins must be removed from meat (usually done by salting or broiling) 

7 Holy Days 

• Rosh Hashanah- Jewish New Year 
• Yom Kippur- A day of fasting and praying which occurs 10 days after the first day of Rosh Hashanah 
  • The holiest day in the year
• Sukkot- 8 day festival of Thanksgiving 
• Hanukkah- The Feast of Lights is an 8 day Feast of Dedication 
  • It recalls the war fought by the Maccabees in the cause of religious freedom 
• Purim- The Feast of Lots recalls the successful plan to save all of the Persian Jews from slaughter by the Persians, circa 400 BC 
• Pesa (Passover)- The 8 day festival recalls the exodus of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt circa 1300 BCE 
  • A holiday meal, the Seder, is held at home
• Shavuot- Pentecost recalls God's revelation of the Torah to the Jewish people 

Problems Facing Jews 

• Anti-Semitism in history 
  • Diaspora 
  • Pograms 
  • Holocaust (2/3 of European Jews killed) 
  • Israel established as a Jewish state after WWII (led to several wars and a lot of terrorism in the area) 
    • Israel vs Palestinians 
    • "Land for peace" 
  • Comments from former Iranian President Ahmadinejad and other Middle East groups

Christianity:

•  Christians are divided into 3 main branches: Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, and Protestantism 
• Beliefs are based on the life, teachings, and death of Jesus Christ and founded in 33 AD 
• The cross is a symbol used to represent life, death, and resurrection 
• Jesus Christ's death made salvation and forgiveness of sins possible for everyone 
• Three days after his death he was resurrected and later ascended to Heaven 
• The resurrection of Christ is celebrated on Easter, which is considered Christianity's most important holiday 
• The first Christians were Jews who came to believe Jesus was the Messiah 
• 78.4% of US adults identify as Christians 

Christian Beliefs 

• Believe that they can have a personal relationship with God, and that they are saved by faith and good works 
• They believe in heaven and hell 
• They believe that the Bible is the word of God 

Christian Way of Life 

• Fellowship with God 
• Our relationships with others 
• Obedience to God's commands 
• Discipline 
• Good works 

They follow the 10 commandments 

Triune God 

• Father, Son, and Spirit 
• Father is not Son. Son is not Spirit. Spirit is not Father. 
• Father is God. Son is God. Spirit is God. 

Christian Holidays: 

• Merry Christmas 
• Easter 

Hinduism:

• Hinduism means "dwellers by the Indus River" 
• There is no single founder of Hinduism 
• It consists of thousands of different religious groups that have evolved since 1500 BC in that area 
• The Hindu belief is that gods can take many forms, but all form one universal spirit called Brahman 
• There is no single Hindu book of doctrine, but many
  • The Vedas are primary literary works, containing sacred verses and hymns composed in 1500 BC 
  • Two other important texts are the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita 
• 0.4% of American adults practice Hinduism 

Hinduism Beliefs 

• Beliefe involves reincarnation of the soul, which is rebirth after death 
• Hindus believe the conditions of one's present life are due to karma, or accumulated good or bad behavior in past lives 
• The purpose of life is to obtain liberation from the cycle of reincarnation 
• People reach true enlightenment and happiness- Moksha (When they free themselves of earthly desires)

Dharma 

• Signifies behaviors that are considered to be in accord with the universe 
• Includes duties, rights, laws, conduct, virtues, and "right way of living" 
• People are encouraged to practice good Dharma and they may come back into a higher class/better life

Caste System

• The caste system was an important part of Hinduism 
• Castes are social classes into which a person is born and lives their entire life 
• If a person has good karma they may be reincarnated into a higher caste 
• The caste system separated Indian society into distinct social classes
• Everyone knew their place and believed that if they followed the dharma of their caste, they would be reincarnated into a better caste

The Law of Samsara- Reincarnation 

Four Stages of Life 

• Age 12-24 you get educated and trained 
• Age 24-48 you get married, raise a family, make money, get involved in many things 
• Age 48-72 you become a mentor to a young person and start isolating themselves from the outside world 
• At age 72 you end ties to the outside world and get rid of your worldly possessions. Prayer and devotion become very important 
• Mostly aimed at men and is not followed as much as it used to be   

Hindu Gods 

• Many consider Hinduism to be polytheistics 
  • Most Hindus would say they worship one God 
• There is only one ultimate God, Brahman, but shows itself in many forms 
• The gods Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva for example are different aspects of Brahman 
  • Brahma reflects God's divine work of creating the universe (Creator) 
  • Vishnu reflects God's work in keeping the universe in existence (Preserver)
  • Shiva reflects God's work in destroying it (Destroyer) 

Hinduism Information 

Celebrations

• Diwali 
  • Hindu New Year 
• Festival of Holi 
  • Triumph of good over evil 
  • Arrival of spring 
  • Festival of colors 
• Pilgrimage to the Ganges River in India
  • Hindus believe the river has healing powers