Judaism, Christianity, Islamic

THE THREE MAJOR RELIGIONS OF THE

MIDDLE EAST:

Judaism-The first recorded monotheistic faith.

It is the foundation of many other religions, including Christianity and Islam.

Yahweh-God

THE DEFINITION OF JUDAISM

The Hebrews from the Old Testament or "Children of Israel"

They were enslaved by the Egyptians.

THE HISTORY OF JUDAISM

Abraham-The father of the Hebrews entered into a covenant with Yahweh that his people would be the chosen ones of God and that one of his descendants would be the Messiah, who would come and rescue the Jewish people from sin.

THE HISTORY OF JUDAISM

During the Roman Empire the Jews became a part of Roman society. There religious practices became protected against persecutions with angered some of the common people of Rome.

HISTORY…

Unlike Roman subjects, the Jews could become citizens of any state without having to give up their beliefs, they were exempt from military service, the Jews were not forced to give up their Sabbath day, because it would have gone against what they believed in, and they used their own coinage instead of the Roman Emperor.

HISTORY…

These privileges contributed to widespread anti-Jewish (anti-Semitism) feelings among non-Jews who resented the freedom allowed the Jewish people by the Roman Empire.

HISTORY

The Jewish Bible- Hebrew Bible consists of the first five books of the Old Testament this is known as the Torah.

The five books are named Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

THE HOLY BOOK

Synagogue-the house of worship and communal center of a Jewish congregation.

The Rabbi- Is the leader of the congregation

Jewish celebrations are held at the Synagogue

HOLY BUILDING

Orthodox- Believes that the Torah (both written and oral) was literally given by God to Moses, word for word

Non-Orthodox- (more liberal) tend to believe that the Torah (Jewish law) may have been Divinely inspired, but were translated by humans influenced by their own time and place.

RELIGIOUS BELIEFS

Judaism honors and celebrates the major stages of life with rituals, Bar (boys) and Bat Mitzvahs(girls), weddings, and funeral rites.

JEWISH CELEBRATIONS

Passover (April 5th )-Passover, or Pesach in Hebrew, is one of the three major pilgrimage festivals of ancient Israel.

Hanukkah-A Jewish Christmas

Rosh Hashanah (September 15-17)-the celebration of the new Jewish calendar year.

JEWISH CELEBRATIONS

The new religionCHRISTIANITY

Christianity is a monotheistic religion that traces its origins to Jesus of Nazareth.

Christians believe that Jesus is the Son of God and the Lord and sole Savior of all humanity.

DEFINITION OF CHRISTIANITY

Jesus (c. 4 BC – c. AD 30) is the central figure in Christianity, known as Jesus of Nazareth. When Jesus began his teachings and to the masses he preached the love of one good to all people. He preached to the poor, weak, and the simple. His message was universal; it accepted all people of all kind.

HISTORY CON…

Jesus spoke of his father in heaven; he referred to himself as the Messiah whom God had sent to redeem humanity from sin.

Most Jews believe that he was a Prophet not the Messiah that was promised by Yahweh.

HISTORY CON…

The Bible is the primary sacred scripture of both the Jewish and Christian religions.

The Jewish community only believes in the Old Testament books while the Christians believe in the Old Testament and the New Testament

HOLY BOOK

Church-a building for public and especially Christian worship.

Religious ceremonies and Celebrations such as Weddings and Funerals are held at the Church.

HOLY BUILDING

Easter-(Between March 21 and April 25) Jesus' resurrection from the dead.

Christmas-(December 25)-Birth of Jesus.

Advent-A time of preparation- 4 weeks before Christmas.

CHRISTIAN CELEBRATIONS

Lent- Forty days of preparation before Easter. A time for penance (sin), fasting, giving, and religious study.

Ash Wednesday-The first day of Lent. Ashes placed on forehead as sign of mourning and penance.

Palm or Passion Sunday- The Sunday before Easter. Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem.

Good Friday- The Friday before Easter A time for fasting and reflecting on the Crucifixion of Jesus.

CHRISTIAN CELEBRATIONS

The last of the Abrahamic Religions

ISLAMIC

Islam It originated in the Middle East around 630 AD.

Allah is traditionally used by Muslims as the Arabic name of God.

Islam is a monotheistic religion.

DEFINITIONS OF ISLAM

Muhammad- Is revered by Muslims as the prophet of Islam. According to his traditional Muslim biographies he was born circa 570 in Mecca and died June 8, 632 in Medina.

Muslims consider Muhammad the last prophet of the Abrahamic religions.

ISLAMIC HISTORY

Muslims believe that God revealed the Qur'an to Muhammad.

Muhammad is considered to be the final prophet, sent to preach the same message as Moses and Jesus.

ISLAMIC HISTORY

The Qur'an- is the Islamic holy book of Allah. Muslims believe that the Qur'an is the literal word of God, revealed to the Prophet Muhammad over a period of 22 years.

They believe parts of the first five books of the Bible but rejects the rest.

HOLY BOOK

A mosque- is a place where Muslims meet to worship God (Allah).

HOLY BUILDING

The Five pillars of Islam are five basic duties of Muslims:

The Testimony that there is none worthy of worship except God and that Mohammed is his messenger.

Establishing of the five daily Prayers

The Giving of charity or Alms

Fasting from dawn to dusk in the month of Ramadhaan

The Pilgrimage to Mecca which is compulsory once in a lifetime for one who has the ability to do it.

RELIGIOUS BELIEFS

Ramadan- The ninth month of the Islamic calendar and is known as the month of fasting. The moral code of Islam is followed very strictly.

ISLAMIC CELEBRATIONS

Judaism- Do not believe that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah promised from the Old Testament.

Christianity- Believes in the Holy Trinity and that Jesus was the Messiah.

Islam- Believes that Allah is one being and that Jesus was a Prophet but was not Crucified.

BASIC DIFFERENCES

They believe word-for-word from the Koran (literal). They do not like the Western Ideals, such as:Women do not voice they opinions in politics. Women do not have a place in society.

Democracy and Capitalism is not a way of life.

Eye for an Eye.

MUSLIM EXTREMISTS

Belong to the Muslim faith, but they broke off into their own groups after Muhammad’s death.

The Shia Muslims believe that the leaders of the Muslim nation should be blood related to Muhammad.

The Sunni believe that Muslim leaders should be elected by the people. MOST Muslims in the world belong to the Sunni group.

SHIA AND SUNNI

Which religious group do MOST terrorist belong to? Why do you think they want to terrorize western nations?

How do you think the two types of Muslim groups have gotten along throughout the years? Can you think of any events that have put one group against another?

What conflicts do you think have arisen from the religious differences in the Middle East? What impact do these conflicts have on the world?

DISCUSSION (WRITE Q&A AND ADD TO YOUR OUTLINE)