Religion and Symbols / God, Language & Holy Book / Basic Beliefs / Place of Worship & Leader / Other
Judaism / Adonai
Hebrew
Torah / TeNaKh / Live a good life according to Torah.
Keep Sabbath day “Shabbat” holy.
Kosher diet. / Synagogue
Rabbi / God of Abraham
Holy Day (Sabbath): sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday
Jerusalem is holy city.
Major Groups: Orthodox, Conservative, Reformed
Islam / Allah
Arabic
Koran / Q’uran / Five Pillars of Faith;
Living according to God’s guidance by way of Koran. / Mosque
Imam / God of Abraham
Holy Day: Friday
3 holiest cities in order of importance: Mecca, Medina, Jerusalem
Major Groups: Sunni and Shi’ite
Christianity / Yahweh
No sacred language
Bible / Trinity, Jesus’ divinity, Salvation through Jesus
Baptism
Sacraments / Church
Minister, Pastor, Preacher, Priest / Holy day is Sunday
Major Groups: Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant
Sikhism / Worship one God
No one sacred language
Guru Granth Sahib / All are created equal
be honest, share with others, remember God everyday5 K’s = Kara (bracelet to remind one of the need for good deeds), Kirpan (sword shows that Sikhs protect the weak), Kachhera (long underpants represent need for self discipline), Kesh (uncut hair symbol of faith), Kanga (comb represents importance of cleanliness), Turbans are worn to keep long hair tidy and to let others know the wearer is Sikh / Gurdwara
Any Sikh can lead the worship service, but there are very devout Sikhs who can guide you called Gurus / No particular holy day.
No major groups.
Sikhism started in Punjab, India, 5th largest world religion.
There is a free community kitchen called a langar in every Gurdwara. Anyone can get food there.
Hinduism / The many gods of Hinduism are aspects of Brahman, the genderless, sexless, formless divine. Some famous Hindu gods: Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva
No specific holy language
Holy books: Vedas, Upanishads, Bhagavad-Gita / For many Hindus, religion is a matter of practice rather than of beliefs. It's more what you do, than what you believe. Hindus believe in a universal soul or God called Brahman. Brahman takes on many forms that some Hindus worship as gods or goddesses in their own right. Hindus believe that there is a part of Brahman in everyone and this is called the Atman. Hindus believe in reincarnation - a belief that the soul is eternal and lives many lifetimes, in one body after another. The soul is sometimes born in a human body, sometimes in an animal body and sometimes in a plant body etc.. Hindus believe that all forms of life contain a soul, and all souls have the chance to experience life in different forms. Samsara means going through the cycle of repeated births and deaths (reincarnation). Hindus believe that existence of this cycle is governed by your Karma (whether you did more good than bad deeds in your past lives). / Hindus worship at altars called MANDIRS. You can have one at home or they are also in temples.
There are no specific worship leaders, but gurus can guide you in your study of the scripture. / Hindus can worship at any time, alone or in a group, so there is no specific holy day.
The spiritual goal of a Hindu is to become one with Brahman. This freedom is referred to as moksha. Until moksha is achieved, a Hindu believes that he/she will be repeatedly reincarnated in order that he/she may work towards it.
Buddhism / Most Buddhists do not believe that the Buddha was a god. He was a human being just like them. They believe that he was important because he gained Enlightenment, and he chose to teach other people how to reach it too.
No sacred language.
Holy book: Tripitaka / Buddhist believe that the Buddha saw the truth about what the world is like. They believe that nothing in the world is perfect, and that the Buddha found the answer to why it is like this.
One important belief involves reincarnation: the concept that one must go through many cycles of birth, living, and death. After many such cycles, if a person releases their attachment to desire and the self, they can attain Nirvana- a state of liberation and freedom from suffering.
At the heart of the Buddha's teaching lie The Four Noble Truths and The Eightfold Path which lead the Buddhist towards the path of Enlightenment. / Buddhist temples come in many shapes. Perhaps the best known are the pagodas of China and Japan. Another typical Buddhist building is the Stupa (upside down bowl shape). All Buddhist temples contain an image or a statue of Buddha.
Buddhists do not need a priest to lead them in worship. But there are certain Buddhists who devote their lives to Buddhism called monks and nuns. The monks sometimes guide other Buddhists. / No specific holy day.
Major Groups: Theravada, Mahayana and Zen Buddhists