Monday-
Judaism Place of Worship-
- Worshiped in a synagogue
Rituals, 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(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
- 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
- Leviticus 11:3
- Says that Jews may eat all animals that have cloven hooves and chew their cud
- Six Mammals are not allowed-
- Camel
- Hyrax
- Hare
- Pig
- Whales
- Dolphins
- Kosher animals are as follows:
- Cows, goats, sheep, antelope, deer, bison, etc..
- Most fish(excluding shellfish, sharks, octopus, eels, and quid)
- Chicken, duck and turkey
- Milk and cheese are kosher but cannot be eaten with mean or mixed with meat
- Preparation-
- The slaughter of animals is designed to minimize the pain- usually done by 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(Salting and broiling are common methods)
Tuesday-
Continuing Judaism
Problems Facing Jews-
- Anti-Semitism in History
- Diaspora
- Take a group of people in a small area that are forced out
- Pogram
- Russian term for going after the Jews
- 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
- Why have Jews been despised throughout history?
- Jesus claimed he was the son of God
- They didn't believe him
Tuesday-
Christianity-
- Divided into three main branches
- Roman Catholicism
- Eastern Orthodoxy
- Protestantism
- Beliefs are based on the life, teachings and the death of Jesus Christ
- The cross is a symbol used to represent life, dead, and the resurrection
- Jesus' 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-
- Christians believe that they can have a person relationship with God, and that they are saved by faith, and good works
- They believe in heaven and hell
- They believe the bible is the word of God
Wednesday-
Continuing Christianity
Christian way of Life-
- Fellowship with God
- Good relationships with others
- Obedience to God's commandments- 10 commandments
- Discipline yourself
- Good works
Holidays-
- Christmas
- Easter- Holiest day- Jesus rose from the dead
Hinduism-
- Hinduism is derived from the Sanskrit word that means "dwellers by the Indus River"
- There is no founder of Hinduism
- It consists of thousands of different religious groups that have evolved since 1500 BC in that area
- 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
- 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
Hinduism Beliefs-
- The Hindu belief 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"
Caste System-
- Best of the best was the Brahman
- Lowest is untouchables
Thursday-
Continue Hinduism
4 Stages of Life
- Ages 12-24, you get educated and trained
- Ages 24-48, you get married, raise a family, make money, get more involved
- Ages 48-72, become a mentor to a young person and start isolating themselves from the outside world
- 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 polutheistic
- Most Hindus would say they worship one God
- There is only one ultimate God, Brahman, but shows itself in many forms
- The Gods Brahman, Vishnu, and Shiva, for examples are different aspects of Brahman
- Brahma reflects God's divine work of creating the universe
- Vishnu reflects God's work in keeping the universe in existence
- Shiva reflects God's work in destroying it
Buddhism-
- Siddhartha Gautama was the founder of Buddhism
- 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, not known as the Bo tree
- There he was "enlightened" and obtained the knowledge he had been looking for
- He discovered four noble truths and the Eightfold path to Nirvana, or ultimate bliss
Four Noble Truths of Buddhism
- Existence is suffering
- The cause of suffering is craving and attachment
- Suffering ceases at some point and turns to Nirvana
- There is a path to Nirvana which is made up of 8 steps called the Eightfold Path
Wednesday-
Absent- Notes from Maggie
Islam
The word “Muslim” means one who submits to the will of God, regardless of his/her race, nationality, or ethnic background
Anyone can become Muslim
5 pillars of Islam
Shahada(witness) is the Muslim profession of Faith
Said in the morning and before bed
Salat(daily prayer) is a prayer ritual performed 5 times a day by all Muslims over the age of 10
Face Kaaba in Mecca, Saudi Arabia
Sawm(fasting) is abstaining each day during Ramadan
Ramadan is a the holiest day for Islam. It marks when Muhammad had the Quran revealed to him
Sawm helps Muslims develop self-control, gain a better understanding of God’s gifts and greater compassion towards the deprived
Not only is food forbidden between dawn and sunset, but also things like smoking, chewing gum, negative thoughts, and sexual activities
Zakat(almsgiving) is giving money to the poor
This a gift of 2.5% of one’s savings each year
Giving in this way is intended to free Muslims from the love of money
It reminds them that everything they have really belongs to God
Hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca that all physically/financially able Muslims should make at least once in their life.
Mecca is the most holy places for Muslims
Circle the Kaaba seven times. Say prayers, drink from a holy spring, walk to Mount Arafat to pray, fest, cast stones at three pillars , shave hair and run between some hills
Islamic Law
Sharia Law outlines laws for Muslims and is based from the Quran
Many African and Middle Eastern countries laws are based on Sharia Law
5 major crimes
Theift
Highway robbery
Intoxication
Adultery
Falsely accusing another of adultery
Food Laws
Very similar to the Jewish kosher foods
Issues Facing Islam Today
Radical Islamic Terrorists
ISIS
Al-Qaeda
Racial profiling in US
Women’s rights
Have none
Why do Muslim Women wear Burkas
The Koran calls for both men and women to cover and be modest
- The Koran does not explicitly say you have to cover yourself completely
- Dress is open to interpretation and has been shaped by centuries of cultures in different nations
- Some scholars argue that it is a religious obligation, particularly the more conservative factions within the Muslim world
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