Monday -
Judaism
Curls in their hair are referred to as Payots
The Menorah is a symbol of the nation of Israel
Bar Mitzvah / Bat Mitzvah - celebrating becoming a man or a woman
"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
Jews believe that there is a single God (Yahweh) who not only created the universe, but with whom every Jew can have a personal relationship
They await the Messiah, who will be an earthly king
Must eat Kosher
Cant mix dairy and meat
Jews may eat all animals that have cloven hooves and chew their cud
They cannot eat animals that were just shot, must be ritually killed
Must prepare a certain way to minimize pain
Tuesday -
Diaspora - forcing people out of their homeland - Greek word meaning scatter
Pograms - organized beatings, rapings, and killings of Jews
Israel established as a Jewish state after WWII - Led to wars and a lot of terrorism in the area
Israel VS Palestinians - land for Peace
Christianity
Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, and Protestantism
Beliefs are based on the life, teachings, and death of Jesus Christ, founded in 33 AD
The cross is a symbol used to represent life, death, and resurrection
Jesus Christ's dath 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
Wednesday -
Hinduism
Mostly Indian
Hinduism means "dweller by the Indus River"
No founder of Hinduism
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
No bibles or books of doctrine
The Vedas are the primary literary works, containing sacred verses and hymns composed in 1500 BC
Two other important texts are the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita
Believe in reincarnation
Believe in karma
Purpose in life is to free themselves from the cycle of reincarnation
People reach true enlightenment and happiness - Moksha - when you no longer have 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"
Caste System - like social classes - Brahma / Kshatriya / Vaisya / Sudra / Untouchables
Thursday -
Four stages of life
1. ages 12-14 you get educated and trained
2. ages 24-48 you have married, raise a family, make money, get involved
3. ages 28-72 you come a mentor to a young person and start isolating themselves from the outside world
4. 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 follow as much as it used to be
Many consider Hinduism to be polytheistic but they really only worship Brahman
Brahman is the only god and creator but he shows himself in many forms
Vishnu reflects God's work in keeping the universe in existence
Shiva reflects God's work in destroying
Diwali is their new year - very colorful celebration
Buddhism
Siddhartha Gautama is the founder
Buddha means "the awakened one"
He grew up in a wealthy family but decided to follow a path of self-denial
He did not find truth until he sat down under a tree, now known as the Bo tree which is in China
There he was "enlightened" and obtained the knowledge he had been looking for
He discovered four noble truths and the Eight fold Path to Nirvana, or ultimate bliss
The Four Noble Truths of Buddhism
1. Existing is suffering
2. The cause of suffering is craving and attachment to worldly possessions
3. Suffering ceases at some point and turns to Nirvana
4. There is a path to Nirvana which is made up of 8 steps called the Eight fold Path
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