Religious Movements
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Transcript of Religious Movements
Religious Movements
Traditional Religions
PolytheismDeities: ex. Olympic pantheon
Beliefs varied from no afterlife to shadowy existence in the underworld to a paradise-like afterlife
Human life is subject to the whim of the gods and to Fate; these can be controlled through sacrifice and divination
Animal sacrifice, harvest offerings, festivals, games, processions, dance, plays, in honor of the gods
Traditional African Religions
Traditional Amerindian ReligionsMany gods
Appease and nourish the gods; determine luckiest dates for various activities
soul journeys through dark and threatening underworld; but sacrificial victims and women who die in childbirth go to heaven.
Eastern Religions
HinduismDeity: Vishnu, Shiva, BrahmaNo founderSacred Texts: Vedas & the Upanishads Beliefs
Soul never dies, continually rebornPersons achieve happiness & enlightenment
after they free themselves of earthy desiresFreedom from earthy desires comes from
lifetime of worship, knowledge, and virtuous acts
JainismDeity: no specific deityFounder: Parshva and Mahavira Sacred Text:Beliefs:
regards every living soul as potentially divinepath of non-violence to progress the soul to
this ultimate goalhuman beings who rediscover the dharma,
become fully liberated
BuddhismNo deity, but many worship BuddhaFounded by Siddhartha Gautama (the
Buddha)Sacred Texts: Tripitaka (Pali Canon);
Mahayana sutras like the Lotus SutraBeliefs
Persons achieve happiness & peace (nirvana) after they free themselves of earthy desires
Nirvana is reached by following Eightfold Path: Right views, resolve, speech, conduct, livelihood,
effort, mindfulness, concentration
ConfucianismNo Deity:Founder: ConfuciusSacred Texts: AnalectsBeliefs
Social order, harmony, & good government based on strong family relationships
Respect for parents & elders is important to well-ordered society
Education is important both to the welfare of the individual and society
Purpose of life is to fulfill one's role in society with propriety, honor, and loyalty
DaoismDeity: the Tao pervades allFounder: Lao-TzuSacred Texts: Tao Te ChingBeliefs
Purpose is inner harmony, peace, and longevity. Achieved by living in accordance with the Tao.
Tao: road, channel, path, way, doctrine, or lineDe: the active living, or cultivation, of that "way“Wu Wei: knowing when to act and when not to actPu: a state of pure potential and perception
without prejudice
LegalismDeity: noneFounder: Shang YangSacred Text: noneBeliefs:
Fa: law code must be clearly written and made public
Shu: Special tactics to be employed by the ruler to make sure others don't take over control of the state
Shi: the position of the ruler, not the ruler himself or herself, that holds the power
Western Religions
JudaismDeity: God (Yahweh)Founder: AbrahamSacred Text: TorahBeliefs:
One God who watches over and cares for his people
God holds his people responsible for their sins & shortcomings
People serve God by studying the Torah and serving God
ChristianityDeity: GodFounder: Jesus Christ / St. PaulSacred Text: The BibleBeliefs:
One God who watches over and cares for his people
Jesus is the son of God He died for the sins of othersHis death and Resurrection made the eternal
life possible for others
IslamDeity: God (Allah)Founder: MuhammadSacred Text: The Koran (Qur’an)Beliefs:
Five Pillars of Islam Believe in one God & Muhammad as his prophet 5 daily prayers Giving charity to the poor Fasting during Ramadan Hajj: once in a life time pilgrimage to Mecca
Live a just life
Universal Religions
What is a Universal Religion ?Began as a local faith
Expand outwards adopting other peoples
Adopt ideas of these peoplesBuddhism – Daoism, Hinduism, Traditional
East & Southeast religionsChristianity – Greek philosophy,
Zoroastrianism, Islam – Zoroastrianism, Christianity
Early BeginningsBuddhism, Christianity, & Islam all found themselves
persecuted early in their livesBuddhists: by HindusChristians: by polytheistic RomansMuslims: by polytheistic Arabs
Often exert strong political control over their nationsBuddhism – Ashoka & the Mauryan Dynasty in IndiaChristianity – Clovis and the Franks across EuropeIslam – the Umayyad Dynasty across Middle East & N.
Africa
Missionariesmember of a religion who works to convert those who
do not share the missionary's faith
Leading Missionary ReligionsChristianityIslamBuddhism
The spread of these faiths changed them as they encountered Adopt some of cultures of people being taken in to make it
more palpable