Belief Systems

Why do you think that people and civilizations across the world have created religions or belief systems?
Why do you think that the earliest people and civilizations practiced animism or a form of nature worship?
How can Hinduism be considered polytheistic if they believe there is one Supreme Being?
How does karma and dharma affect a person’s reincarnation?
How does the Caste System link religion to social and political order?
Why do you think Hindus still practice the Caste System even though it was outlawed in 1947?
Why did Buddha connected human suffering to worldly desires?
What similarities do Hinduism and Buddhism share?
What differences do Hinduism and Buddhism share?
Why did Confucius believe that obtaining order in your family unit can lead to an orderly society?
Do the five relationships apply to our society today? If so, which one?
Which relationships do not apply to today?
What do you think is the most important characteristic for a good politician?
Daoists believe that nature is a marriage of opposites. They believe that the world cannot exist without this balance. Name 3 sets of opposing forces in nature?
Example: Night and day
1.
2.
3.
Jews believe that they are God’s chosen people, why does their survival of slavery, exile, persecution and the Holocaust reinforce this idea?
What similarities do Judaism and Christianity share?
What differences do Judaism and Christianity share?
Christianity considers itself to be monotheistic. How does the belief in the Holy Trinity reinforce this idea?
Why do some people consider the Holy trinity polytheistic?
Why do you think that Christianity has so many denominations or sects?
What similarities do Judaism, Christianity and Islam share?
Many Muslim nations apply the Sharia (Islamic law) to governmental law. What are the possible advantages of creating a theocracy?
What are the possible disadvantages of a theocracy? /
  1. Belief Systems (World religions)
  1. Purposes - Religion is a concept man uses to provide:
1.Explanation to how the world was created
2.Guidelines on how to live your life
3.Explanation to what happens after you die
  1. Types of Belief Systems
  1. Polytheistic – Belief in MORE than one god.
a. Examples: Animism, Shinto, Hinduism, Daoism
  1. Monotheistic – Belief in ONE god.
a. Examples: Judaism, Christianity, Islam
  1. Characteristics of Belief Systems
  1. Founder – A person who is considered the founder of the religion and usually is honored as a deity or scared (Sacred) person.
a. Examples:
i.Siddhartha Gautama - Buddhism
ii.Lao Tzu – Daoism
iii.Abraham and Moses - Judaism
iv.Jesus - Christianity
v.Muhammad - Islam
  1. Sacred Writings – Holy books or texts that provides an explanation to the origins of the religion, guidelines for behavior, holy days of observance, as well as rituals and practices.
  1. Examples:
  1. Vedas and Upanishads – Hinduism
  2. Tripitka – Buddhism
  3. Analects – Confucianism
  4. Torah and Talmud – Judaism
  5. Holy Bible – Christianity
  6. Qur’an - Islam (Koran)
  1. Rules of Behavior – Provides guidelines for behavior in order to achieve enlightenment, harmony or salvation.
  1. Examples:
  1. Dharma – Hinduism
  2. Noble Eight Fold-Path – Buddhism
  3. Ten Commandments – Judaism and Christianity
  4. Five Pillars of Islam – Islam
  1. Animism
  1. Founder - There is no one person who is considered the founder of Animism
  1. Geographic Origin - Developed simultaneously in different parts of the world. (Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Australia)
  1. Currently Practiced - World-wide, but most common intraditional societies of Africa, the Americas, Australia
  1. Significant Writings - Most traditional cultures that practice Animism have an oral tradition of story-telling, rather than a developed writing system. (oral history)
  1. Significant Religious People –
  1. Shaman - A person who communicates with the spiritual realms on behalf of the living and conducts rituals
  2. Medicine Man or Medicine Woman - A healer or a person who can treat illnesses/sicknesses.
  3. Griot - A professional storyteller in a traditional African Animist society.
  1. Beliefs:
  1. Religion that believes that each object has its own spirit and that ancestors in the spirit world watch over the living.
  1. Polytheistic - Spirits are found in animate and inanimate (living and nonliving objects)(natural objects)
  1. There is belief in a Supreme Being and in lesser gods.
  1. Obey the gods and follow tradition and you will be rewarded with good harvests and many healthy children. Failure to do so would result in hardships, crop failure, illness and death.
  1. Practices:
  1. Prayers and ceremonies keep gods on your side
  1. Use of ceremonial masks as a way to receive what the people want or need.
  1. Need to be good to ancestors while they are alive so good things will happen
  1. Prayers and ceremonies to worship and honor them (use of masks
  1. Hinduism
  1. Founder - There is no one person who is considered the founder of Hinduism. It evolved over a great period of time as an answer to questions concerning the origins and meaning of life and proper conduct toward others.
  1. Geographic Origin - Developed in India approximately around 3000 BCE
  1. Currently Practiced - Most commonly practiced in India. (80% of India is Hindu)
  1. Significant Writings –
  1. Vedas - collections of prayers and verses about creation and reverence for nature
  1. Upanishads - discussions about the soul and proper ways of behavior.
  1. Significant Religious People – Hindu priests (Brahmins) carry out traditional religious practices in temples.
  1. Beliefs:
  1. Polytheistic – Brahma is the Supreme Beingin the Hindu religion. Hindus believe in millions of different gods and are considered manifestations of the one god Brahma. There are three main gods that control the cycle of life:
  1. Brahma- the creator
  2. Vishnu- the preserver of life
  3. Shiva- the destroyer
  1. Moksha - In Hinduism, salvation is achieved through a spiritual oneness of the soul with the Brahma, the creator or the “ultimate reality of the universe.” To achieve this goal, the soul must obtain Moksha, or liberation from the endless cycle of birth, death, and rebirth.
  1. Reincarnation–The belief that your soul is reborn into another body
  1. Karma - material actions resulting from the consequences of previous actions
  1. Dharma -fulfilling one's duty in life
  1. Hindu cycle of life - The Hindu cycle of life can best be represented by the infinity symbol. When one is born, they are given life by Brahma, as the pass through life, they are preserved by Vishnu, until finally Shiva claims you in death. Then the cycle is repeated over and over again until one finally achieves Moksha. The belief in reincarnation, karma (deeds that affect one’s future), and dharma (duties of one’s caste) also provides the religious justification for the existence of the rigid social structure known as the Caste System.
  1. Caste System -A rigid class structure (hierarchy) of India that is based on Hindu beliefsa person is born into a caste (station in life) based on deeds committed in a previous life (karma) and if you follow the dharma (duties of your caste) you will be rewarded in the next life. If you do not, you will be punished. If one is has “Bad Karma” during their life, they will be demoted, and possibly even removed from the Caste System altogether. Outcasts, or Untouchables, are members of Hindu society thought to have been removed from the Caste System, with no hope of returning to it, due to their misdeeds in previous lives. Work that is deemed unclean for all other Hindus is reserved for these Outcasts.

7. Practices:
  1. Prayer - Prayer and offerings at temples
  2. Dharma - daily life is regulated by caste rules
  3. Social stratification and discrimination – Limited caste interaction creates discriminatory practices and does not allow social mobility. The Caste System was outlawed in 1947, but it is still widely practiced.
  4. Art - expression of faith through the arts
  1. Buddhism
  1. Founder - Siddhartha Gautama, or Buddha, which means "enlightened one."
  1. Geographic Origin - Developed in India approximately around 500 BCE
  1. Currently Practiced - Most common in Southeast Asia and East Asia.
  1. Significant Writings –Tripitka, or the Three Baskets of Wisdom.
  1. Places of Worship - Buddhism may be practice individually, but temples and Monasteries known as Stupas can be used for worship.
  1. Significant Religious People - The Dalai Lama is the spiritual leader of the Tibetan sect of Buddhism, and is considered to be the reincarnation of the bodhisattva, or "Buddha-to-be." Buddhist monks can be identified by their traditional orange robes.
  1. Beliefs:
  1. Buddha - Siddhartha Gautama was a prince born into the Brahmin caste, and led a luxurious lifestyle. However, he was troubled by the human misery that he saw around him everyday (death, illness and poverty). After meditating under a Bodhi tree, he concluded that desire was the root caused of all suffering.
  1. Four Nobel Truths - Siddhartha'sphilosophy of the nature of human suffering and its relation to desire is articulated by these four statements:
  1. Life is full of pain and suffering.
  2. Human desire causes this suffering.
  3. By putting an end to desire, humans can end suffering.
  4. Humans can end desire by following the Eight-fold Path.
c. The Eight-Fold Path – Gautama’s eight teachings on how to achieve Nirvana
  1. Right views 5. Right livelihood
  2. Right Aspirations 6. Right Effort
  3. Right Speech 7. Right Mindfulness
  4. Right Conduct 8. Right Contemplation
d. Reincarnation - Buddhists believe in an endless cycle of reincarnation, or samsara, which is similar to beliefs of Hinduism. However, Buddhists do not believe that deities are responsible for the phenomenon.
e. Rejects the Caste System -Instead Buddhists who believe that a person is reincarnated until they can achieve Nirvana, spiritual enlightenment.
f. Nirvana – Spiritual enlightenment
The concept of reincarnation can best be illustrated using an infinity symbol:

g. Two sects of Buddhism:
1. Theravada Buddhists – South East Asia
i. Buddha’s Teachings - Closely followed Buddha’s original teachings
ii. Devotion - Life devoted to hard spiritual work
iii. Selective - Only monks and nuns could hope to attain nirvana
2. Mahayana Buddhists – East Asia
i. Polytheistic - Combined with other East Asian polytheistic religions such as Daoism and Shinto and saw Buddha and other holy beings as compassionate gods.
iii. Prayer - people turned to these gods for help in solving daily problems as well as achieving salvation
  1. Confucianism
  1. Founder - Confucius, a scholar, philosopher and politician
  1. Geographic Origin - Developed in China approximately around 500 BCE
  1. Currently Practiced - Most commonly in China, as well as elements Southeast Asia and East Asia culture.
  1. Significant Writings –The Analects
  1. Beliefs:
  1. Philosophy vs. Religion - Confucius believed that social order and mutual respect would provide order and stability in society if there were rulesto guide behavior in the family unit, society and the government.
  1. Filial Piety - respect for parents, above all duties, even loyalty to the state. Also, the needs and success of the group were more important than those of the individual.
  1. Five Relationships - Confucianism teaches that there is a natural social order to society which can best be explained through the Five Relationships:
  1. Ruler to subject.
  2. Father to son.
  3. Older brother to younger brother.
  4. Husband to wife.
  5. Friend to friend.
  6. Superior and Inferior Relationships - In these relationships, the first role is considered superior to the second role and the second role is considered subordinate to the first. It was taught that if everyone knew their place in society, then order would prevail.
e. Role of the Superiors - For example, the ruler must provide leadership, guidance and discipline to the subjects. This would be the same for fathers, husbands and elders.
f. Role of Inferiors - For example, the subjects must show loyalty, love and compliance to the leader. This would be the same sons, wives (women), younger generations.
g. Friend to Friend – friends are considered equal
h. Jen - showing kindness towards others in society
i. Li - usingproper etiquette/ritual to achieve perfect virtuewould result in inner harmony and perfect character and stressed correct behavior.
6. Practices –
  1. Mandate of Heaven – Chinese dynasties claimed divine right or that the mandate to rule came from Heaven.
  1. Dynastic Cycle - As long as the rulers were good and did well for their people, they held the Mandate of Heaven. If, after several generations, the dynasty becomes corrupt or does not protect their people, they will lose the Mandate of Heaven and a new dynasty will take over.
  1. Patriarchal Society - Women are subservient to men. In Confucius’ five relationships, women are mentioned only as the inferior of men. However, women were to be respected if they were the mother of sons.
  1. Ancestor Worship - Respect for and worship of ancestors. Because filial piety was stressed in life, there was no reason to stop honoring your ancestors after death.
  1. Scholar gentry - Confucius knew that to have a well run system of government, it must be headed by educated, knowledgeable people and stressed the importance of education for the upper class (scholar gentry).
  1. Civil Service Exams –Exams based on Confucian principles that Chinese officials must pass in order to work for the government.
  1. Daoism/Taoism
  1. Founder - Laozi, a Chinese philosopher
  1. Geographic Origin - Developed in China approximately around 500 BCE
  1. Currently Practiced - Most commonly in China, as well as elements Southeast Asia and East Asia culture.
  1. Significant Writings –Tao-te-Ching or The Way of Virtue
  1. Beliefs:
  1. Daoism - It represents a naturalistic ideal of how one should live their life.
  1. Dao - can be translated into English, meaning "the way." It is a philosophy which teaches that nature has a “way” in which it moves, and that people should accept the “way” of nature.
  1. Wu-Wei - concept of "not doing." This means that people should not act unnaturally by doing things, but rather should openly accept the natural way.
  1. Harmony in nature - An emphasis is placed on the link between people and nature. Taoism teaches that this link lessened the need for rules and order, and leads one to a better understanding of the world.
  1. Government is unnatural - Daoists viewed governments as “unnatural” and believed that the best governments are the ones that govern the least.
  1. Yin and Yang - symbol that has also been used to illustrate the natural harmony that exists in the world. Everything must have an opposing force that allows the harmonious universe to exist.

Yin / Yang
Light / Dark
Male / Female
Heavenly / Earthly
Active/Aggressive / Passive
Strong / Weak
Hot / Cold
  1. Judaism
  1. Founder –
  2. Abraham is recognized as the founder of Judaism due to his covenant with God.
  1. Moses is also considered a founder due to his role in the liberation of the Hebrews from Egypt, and his delivery of the Ten Commandments from Mount Sinai sometime around 2000 BCE.
  1. Geographic Origin - Developed in the Middle East in and around the area that is currently Israel sometime around 3000 BCE.
  1. Currently Practiced – Worldwide, but the greatest majority ofJews reside in Israel, the United States, Eastern Europe and Russia.
  1. Significant Writings –
  1. Torah - The holy book of Judaism. It describes the creation of the world, the history of ancient Israel, the Ten Commandments, and contains the Psalms and the prophetic books.
  1. Talmud - The collection of Jewish writings that is the basis of Jewish religious law; Book of ethical writings
  1. Places of Worship - Jews worship in temples called synagogues.
  1. Significant Religious People - Rabbis charged with conducting religious services, ensuring that Jewish laws are observed, and serving as a spiritual guide for the community.
  1. Beliefs:
  1. Three essential elements – God, Torah and Israel
  1. God - Monotheism – Judaism teaches that there is one God, Yahweh, who is the creator of all things.
  1. Covenant with God –Abraham, the first prophet made a covenant (agreement) with Yahweh (God). God promised Abraham a protection and a home in Canaan (Israel) in return for Abraham’s faith in one all-powerful God by following to God’s divine teachings, the torah.
  1. Moses – Led the Israelites from slavery in Egypt and entered into a covenant with God through the Ten Commandments.
  2. Israel – The holy land God provided to the Jews. It also describes a political entity, a people, a nation, a belief system, a social group and a culture.
  1. Torah - The holy book of Judaism. It contains the ethical and ritual commandments through which one may partake in God’s ethical and moral holiness.
  1. Ten Commandments –
  1. You shall have no other gods before Me.
  2. You shall not make yourself any graven image or any likeness of anything that is in the heavens above…
  3. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.
  4. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God
  5. Honor your father and motherand that your days may be long in the land the Lord your God gives you.
  6. You shall not commit murder.
  7. You shall not commit adultery.
  8. You shall not steal.
  9. You shall not witness falsely against your neighbor.
  10. You shall not covet your neighbor's house, your neighbor's wife, or his manservant, or his maidservant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's.
  11. Jewish Persecution – throughout their existence, Jews have faced persecution, a program or campaign to exterminate, drive away, or subjugate a people because of their religion, race, or beliefs.
  1. Slavery in Egypt – Became slaves in Egypt until God and Moses freed them
  1. Diaspora - forced exile throughout the world due to persecution.
  1. The Holocaust - The Nazis systematic annihilation of the Jews during WWII.