Judaism #5
Call of Abraham (both Jews and Arabs) 2000 B.C.
Statement of Faith 12th Century
Moses Maimonides (Spanish Jew)
Creed 1-13
1 Creator 7 Moses chief prophet
2 He alone is God 8 Torah is in our posession
3 God is spirit 9 no other law than Torah
4 first and last 10 God omniscience
5 pray only to God 11 God rewards keeper of commandments
6 words of the prophets are true 12 comingof Messiah
13 revival of dead
Holy Days
Sabbath, Passover, Shabuot(feast of weeks leading up to passover)
Rosh Hashanah (New Year), Yom Kippur (day of atonment)
Sukkoth (booth, tabernacles), Hanukkah
Three branches, Orthodox, Conservative(1918), Reform
Torah - first 5 books of Bible
A.D. 200 Mishnah - 1,000 pages of instructions
A.D. 500 Talmud 36 volumns based on the Mishnah
Haggadah ( Torah, Mishnah, Talmud)
Islam #2
Islam - to submit
Muslim - the one who submits
(Muslim, Moslem) - Middle East, Asia, North Africa, fastest growing religion
Muhammad born around 570 A.D. in Mecca in Arabia, around 40 had first vision, these revelations are recorded in the Qur’an (Koran), received visions for 22 years
Moved from Mecca to Medina “City of the Prophet” because of ostracism, returned and conquered Mecca.
Three sects: Sunnis, Shi’a, Sufis (“whirling Dervish”)
Faith and Duty
Five Articles of Faith
1 God- There is not God but Allah
2. Angels - Gabriel appeared to Muhammad
3. Scripture (1) Torah (2) Psalms (3) Gospel of Jesus (4) Qur’an (Arabic for recite)- first three books have been corrupted by Jews and Christians
4. Prophets - Muhammad is the last and greatest
5 Last Days
Five Pillars of Faith
1. The Creed - There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is the Prophet of Allah
2. Prayer (Salat) 5 times a day facing Mecca
3. Almsgiving
4. Fasting (Ramadan)
5. The Pilgrimage
Sixth religious duty - Jihad - Holy War
Hinduism #3
One of the oldest religions, India, one of most complex, diverse beliefs
World is not important
Elaborate system for salvationl
Brahman, the eternal Trimutri -
Brahma - Creator, Vishnu - Preserver, Shiva-Destroyer
Submission to fate
The Caste System
The Law of Karma
Reincarnation
Nirvana
Yogas
Dharma, the law of Moral Order
Scriptures 1400B.C.-500A.D. veda=knowledge
Ramayana - epic tale of India 24,000 couplets based on life of Rama
Mahabharate - epic tale, 100,000 verses (contains Ghagavad Gita)
Three ways of salvation (1) way of knowledge (2) devotion (3) works
Mohandas Gandhi: “If God could have sons, all of us were his sons, If Jesus was like God ... then all men were like God and could be God himself!”
Buddhism #4
Began 500 B.C. in India
Number of outcasts was continuing to grow. Endless cycle of births, deaths and rebirths was viewed with dread.
Buddha’s theory of the “Middle Way” - spiritual path to salvation
Four Noble Truths
1. Suffering is universal 2. The cause of suffering is craving (selfish desire) 3. The cure for suffering is to eliminate craving 4.Eliminate craving by following the Middle Way 8-fold path
Eight Fold Path for Right Living
1 viewpoint 2 aspiration 3 speech 4 behavior 5 occupation 6 effort 7 mindfulness 8 meditation
Siddhartha Gautama 560B.C. (family name Gautama, given name Siddhartha)
Son of a ruler - wanted to see the outside world, father ordered the streets cleared but Siddhartha still saw “the four passing sights”, decrepit old man, sick man, dead man, tranquil monk begging for food
Great Renunciation - became beggar
meditating beneath fig tree - reached nirvana, enlightened one-Buddha
Theravada Buddhism - India, Mahayana Buddhism (China, Japan)
5 precepts:
1 kill no living thing (including insects)
2 do not steal
3 do not commit adultery
4 tell no lies
5 do not drink intoxicants or take drugs
others for monks nad nuns
6 eat moderately and only at appointed time
7 avoid that which excites the senses
8 do not wear adornments (including perfume)
9 do not sleep in luxurious beds
10 accept no silver or gold
Scriptures (3 baskets)
Vinaya Pitaka (discipiline - rules for the higher class)
Sutta Pitaka (teaching - of the Buddha)
Abidhamma (metaphysical - theology)
Nichiren Soshu Buddhism (Japan)
Zen Buddhism (Chinese Zen=meditation)
Confucianism
Optimistic humanism
Confucius born Chiu King 550 B.C. contemporary with Buddha immediately before Socrates and Plato.
Eventually deified by his followers
Sources (1) The Book of Changes (I Ching) (2) The Book of Annals (Shu K’ing) history of five preceding dynasties (3) The Book of Poetry (Shih Ching) (4) The Book of Ceremonies (Li Chi) (5) The Annals of Spring and Autumn (Ch’un Ch’iu) commentary on evens of the state of Lu at Confucius’s time
Doctrines
1 Jen - golden rule (Do not impose on others what you yourself do not desire) backwards from Christianity
2 Chun-tzu - true manhood
3 Cheng-ming- rectification of names, everyone act his part king=king
4 Te- power
5 Li - propriety , reverence, courtesy, ritual
6 Wen - arts of peace, music, poetry and art
Not really a religion - ethical system
Shintoism
National religion of Japan - Nippon name of their country
Japan is the country of the Gods and her inhabitants are the descendants of Gods, between the Japenese people and the other nations there is a differnece of kind rather than degree.
The Mikado is the true Son of Heaven
Immeasurable superiority to the other natives of the world
Shinto (shen-tao) “the way of the gods”
Kami - sacred power in animate and inanimate objects
Worship at the numerous shrines covering the country of Japan