Birthplace of Three Religions

© Copyright 2008Mrs. Kelly Stevens & Mrs. Chantal Lerebours

Origin of Religion

• Humans have always been curious about the world around them and have tried to answer questions about where the world came from and what happens once they die.

• These needs resulted in the development of a variety of religions and philosophies that can be found throughout the world today

Spread of religion

• At first, humans developed belief systems that were localized to the area in which they lived.

• As civilizations developed and people from different areas interacted, religions began to spread out.

Religion defined

• The belief in and legends about a higher being who created the world and influence people’s lives.

• The belief that a person can be transformed by performing certain practices.

Religious Values

As we’re studying about religions, think about the following things….

– A way one sees the world – Ideas about the world– How does God rule over the world? – How does God and handle his/her

followers?– How should one live? – What are your responsibilities to your

faith?

Types of religion

• In some religions, followers believe in more than one god.– POLYTHEISM

• The belief in MANY Gods

• While other religions, the followers believe in a single, all-powerful god. – MONOTHEISM

• The belief in ONE God

• Still some followers of other religions do not focus on worshiping a god or gods. They search for a higher state of being where they are free from suffering.

Birthplace of Three religion

• At the crossroads of Europe, Africa, and Asia, there is an area called the Middle East.

• Three of the world's great religions have their origins in the region:– Judaism, – Christianity,– and Islam.

COMMON TRAITS

Origins of Judaism

The Big Idea

The Hebrews formed a great kingdom in Israel and started a religion called Judaism.

Main Ideas

• The Hebrews’ early history began in Canaan and ended when the Romans forced them out of Israel.

• Jewish beliefs in God, justice, and law anchor their society.

• Jewish sacred texts called the Torah describe the laws and principles of Judaism.

• Traditions and holy days celebrate the history and religion of the Jewish people.

Main Idea 1:The Hebrews’ early history began in Canaan

and ended when the Romans forced them out of Israel.

• Hebrews under Abraham settled in Canaan about 2100 BC.

• Some Hebrews later moved to Egypt, where they were enslaved.

• About 1200 BC Moses led his people in a journey out of Egypt called the Exodus.

• Many years later Israel was divided into two kingdoms, Israel and Judah.

• Both kingdoms fell to invaders by 586 BC, and the Jews were scattered outside of Israel and Judah in the Diaspora.

• Some Jews returned, but were eventually conquered by the Romans who killed, enslaved, or drove away much of the Jewish population.

Main Idea 2: Jewish beliefs in God, justice, and law

anchor their society.

• Kindness and fairness in dealing with all other people

One God• 1st people to believe in One God!

• The Jews believed they were God’s chosen people.

Justice

• Doing what is properRighteousness

• Most important are the Ten Commandments

• Mosaic law, recorded by Moses, guides many areas of Jews’ daily lives.

Law

Main Idea 3: Jewish sacred texts describe the laws and

principles of Judaism.

Torah• Most sacred text

of Judaism

• Five books containing most of the ancient Jewish laws

• Also contains history of the Jewish people until the death of Moses

Hebrew Bible

• Also called the Tanach

• First part: Torah

• Second part: Eight books of messages of the Hebrew prophets

• Third part: Eleven books of poetry, songs, stories, lessons, and history, with Psalms and Proverbs

Commentaries• Explanations of

the Torah and laws by scholars and rabbis, or religious teachers

• Especially the Talmud, produced between AD 200 and 600

Worship held in a Synagogue led by a Rabbi

Origins of Christianity

The Big Idea

Christianity, a religion based on the life and teachings ofJesus of Nazareth, spread throughout the Roman Empire.

Main Ideas

• The life and death of Jesus of Nazareth inspired a new religion called Christianity.

• Christians believe that Jesus’s acts and teachings focused on love and salvation.

• Jesus’s followers taught others about Jesus’s life and teachings.

• Christianity spread throughout the Roman Empire by 400.

Main Idea 1:The life and death of Jesus of Nazareth

inspired a new religion called Christianity.

• Many people believe Jesus was the Messiah– a great leader the ancient Jews predicted would come to restore the greatness of Israel.

• Jesus’s life and teachings form the basis of a religion called Christianity.

• What we know of Jesus’s life is contained in the Bible, the holy book of Christianity.

• Worship is held in a church lead by a priest.

• Highest church is the Vatican led by the Pope.

The Life of Jesus

• Jesus was born in a small town called Bethlehem at the end of the first century BC.

– Jesus’s mother, Mary, was married to Joseph, a carpenter.

– Christians believe God was Jesus’s father.

• Jesus began to travel and teach when he was about 30, challenging the authority of political and religious leaders.

• In or around AD 30 they arrested and tried him. He was executed by crucifixion.

• Christians believe in Jesus’s Resurrection, his rise from the dead three days after he was crucified.

• After the Resurrection, Jesus appeared to some groups of his disciples, or followers, and taught them about how to pass on his teachings.

Vatican City

Main Idea 2: Christians believe that Jesus’s acts and teachings focused on love and salvation.

Acts• According to the

Bible, Jesus performed miracles.

• Miracles are events that cannot normally be performed by a human.

• The New Testament says that people became Jesus’s followers after seeing him perform miracles.

Parables • Parables are

stories that teach lessons.

• Jesus taught using parables.

• Through parables, Jesus linked his beliefs and teachings to people’s everyday lives.

Message• Love God

• Love all people, even your enemies

• Salvation, the rescue of people from sin

• How people can reach God’s kingdom

Main Idea 3: Jesus’s followers taught others about

Jesus’s life and teachings.

• Accounts of Jesus’s life and teachings written attributed to his disciples

• New Testament contains four by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John

• Best source of information about Jesus’s life

The Apostles

• Twelve men whom Jesus chose to receive special teaching

• Sent by Jesus to spread his teachings

• Continued teaching after the Resurrection

• Led by Peter after Jesus died

The Gospels

Paul

• Paul is probably the most important person in the spread of Christianity.

• Paul never met Jesus.

• At first he worked against the spread of Jesus’s message.

• According to the Bible, Paul experienced an event which caused his conversion to Christianity.

• After his conversion he traveled spreading Christian teachings and wrote letters to communities throughout the Roman world.

• After he died he was named a saint, a person known and admired for his or her holiness.

Main Idea 4:Christianity spread throughout

the Roman Empire by 400.

Christians wrote down and distributed the Gospels and other teachings.

Local Roman officials challenged the spread of Christianity.

Christianity was banned by emperors during the 200s and 300s.

Local Christian leaders led each Christian community. Leaders, or bishops, of larger cities had more influence, especially the bishop of Rome, also known as the pope. As the pope’s influence grew, Christianity spread throughout Rome.

Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity and removed bans against its practice.

Eventually, Christianity spread from Rome all around the world.

Origins of Islam

The Big Idea

In the harsh desert climate of Arabia, Muhammad, a merchant from Mecca, introduced

a major world religion called Islam.

Main Ideas

• Arabia is mostly a desert land, where two ways of life, nomadic and sedentary, developed.

• A new religion called Islam, founded by the prophet Muhammad, spread throughout Arabia in the 600s.

Main Idea 1:Arabia is mostly a desert land,

where two ways of life, nomadic and sedentary, developed.

Physical Features and Climate

• Arabia is located in the southwest corner of Asia.

• It’s in a region with hot and dry air, where summer temperatures reach 100°F daily.

• This climate has created a band of deserts where sand dunes, or hills of sand shaped by the wind, can rise to 800 feet high and stretch across hundreds of miles.

• Water exists mainly in scattered oases. An oasis is a wet, fertile area in a desert.

Two Ways of Life

• Lived in oases where they could farm

• Towns became centers of trade.

• Nomads traded animal products and herbs.

• Merchants sold spices, gold, leather, and other goods brought by caravans.

Nomads

• Lived in tents

• Raised herds of sheep, goats, and camels

• Traveled across the desert in search of food and water for their animals

• Water and land belonged to tribes

Townspeople

Main Idea 2:A new religion called Islam, founded by the

prophet Muhammad, spread throughout Arabia in the 600s.

Muhammad was born around 570 in Mecca.

Wealthy people traditionally had helped the poor, but as Muhammad was growing up, many rich people ignored the needy.

Concerned about these changes, Muhammad often prayed. One day, when he was about 40, writings say that an angel spoke to Muhammad.

The messages that Muhammad received form the basis of the religion called Islam. In Arabic, the word Islam means “to submit to God.”

Muslims, or people who follow Islam, believe that God chose Muhammad to be his messenger to the world.

Messages received by Muhammad were collected in the Qur’an, the holy book of Islam.

Muhammad’s Teachings

There was only one God, Allah, which means “the God” in Arabic.

All people who believed in Allah were bound together like members of a family.

People should help those who are less fortunate.

Islam Spreads in Arabia

The number of Muhammad’s followers slowly grew, and Mecca’s rulers grew worried. They threatened Muhammad.

In 622 Muhammad and many of his followers moved to Medina. The name Medina means “the Prophet’s city.”

Muhammad was a spiritual and political leader in Medina. His house became the first mosque, or building for Muslim prayer.

Muhammad’s departure from Mecca is called the hegira, or journey. It is so important that Muslims made 622 the first year of the Islamic calendar.

Eventually, most people in Arabia had accepted Muhammad and become Muslims. Muhammad died in 632.

Islamic Beliefs and Practices

The Big Idea

Sacred texts called the Qur’an and the Sunnah guide Muslims in their religion, daily life, and laws.

Main Ideas

• The Qur’an guides Muslims’ lives.

• The Sunnah tells Muslims of important duties expected of them.

• Islamic law is based on the Qur’an and the Sunnah.

Main Idea 1:The Qur’an guides Muslims’ lives.

Muslims consider the Qur’an to be the exact word of God as it was told to Muhammad.

The central teaching is that there is only one God—Allah—and that Muhammad is his prophet.

Islam teaches that the world had a definite beginning and will end one day. Muhammad taught that on the final day God will judge all people.

People who have obeyed his orders will be granted life in paradise. People who have not obeyed God will suffer.

The Qur’an describes Muslim acts of worship, guidelines for moral behavior, and rules for social life.

Main Idea 2:The Sunnah tells Muslims of

important duties expected of them.

• Muslims study the hadith, the written record of Muhammad’s words and actions. It is the basis for the Sunnah.

• The Sunnah refers to the way Muhammad lived, which provides a model for the duties and the way of life expected of Muslims.

• The Sunnah guides Muslims’ behavior.

A Mix of Cultures

• Muslims did not ban other religions. Christians and Jews in particular kept many of their rights. They did, however, have to pay a special tax, and were forbidden from converting anyone to their religions.

• Muslims generally practiced tolerance, or acceptance, with regard to the people they conquered.

• Many people conquered by the Arabs converted to Islam. They often adopted other parts of Arabic culture, including the Arabic language. The Arabs, in turn, adopted some customs from them.

• This cultural blending changed Islam from a mostly Arab religion into a religion that included many cultures.

Growth of Cities

Baghdad• In what is now Iraq• Became the capital of the

Islamic empire in 762• One of the world’s richest

cities• Center of culture and

learning

Córdoba• In Spain• Showplace of Muslim

civilization• Largest and most

advanced city in western Europe by the early 900s

The growing cities of the Muslim world reflected the blending of cultures.