World History Midterm

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Delaney Caballero
Mr. Smith
AP World History
12 September 2010

World Religion Midterm Assignment

Hinduism

Section 1- Current Information

Hinduism has about nine hundred million adherents worldwide and, in 2001, the

ARIS study found about 1.1 million adherents in the United States. Hindus are found

mostly in

India, the

United States,

and Great

Britain.

Hinduism has greatly impacted modern India in many good and bad ways. Positive

impacts of Hinduism on modern India are the religious tolerance in the country and the

success of democracy for India. Some negative impacts are the occurrence of a caste

system among the population, the disregard and denigration of women, and the cause

of poverty in the country.

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The Beatles are the greatest revolution of music of all time. It is odd that Hinduism

owes so much to these four men, but because George Harrison was a Hindu from his

mid 20s up until his death in 2001, the religion has greatly spread all around the world,

especially the United States, through the lyrics and messages of The Beatles. Harrison

was one of the most spiritual of popular musicians of our times. In the summer of 1969,

The Beatles produced the single "Hare Krishna Mantra", written and performed by

Harrison and the London Radha-Krishna Temple devotees. The song topped the 10 best-

selling record charts throughout America, Europe, and Asia. The same year, he and John

Lennon met Swami Prabhupada, the founder of the global Hare Krishna Movement.

Section 2-Origins of Faith

Hinduism originated in India and the earliest known date of foundation was

around 2000 BC. Hinduism is the oldest known religion and the third largest in the

world. There is no known

founder of Hinduism.

Hinduism spread

slowly through different

tribes adapting it and

migrating to other places

and spreading the culture.

Section 3- Basic Beliefs

and Customs

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Hindus believe many things. Like all religions, the more devoted you are the more

you believe. There are certain general beliefs that Hindus think of as the guidelines of

being a Hindu. These beliefs that are so fundamental to the Hindus are the authority of

the oldest sacred Indian texts, the Vedas, the authority of the Brahmans, priests,

reincarnation, and the law of karma.

Hindus have many celebrations, rituals, and ceremonies. A few major rituals are

Mahashivarati, Holi, and Diwali. Mahashivarati is the festival of Shiva. It is especially

important to devotees of Shiva, but is celebrated by most Hindus. It takes place in mid-

February to early March. The day is spent meditating and fasting. Prayers made by

devotees are constantly being made in temples or at home shrines of Shiva. Offerings

consist of fruits, Bilva leaves, and other specially prepared foods. Holi, the Festival of

Colors, is a yearly festival celebrated on the day after the full moon in early March. Holi

was originally an agricultural festival celebrating the arrival of spring. Holi is the least

religious of Hindu holidays. Diwali is a Hindu festival of light that lasts for five days. For a

lot of Hindus, Diwali is also considered their New Year's Eve. Because the Hindu calendar

is a lunar calendar, the dates of Diwali on the Gregorian calendar differ between

October and November.

There are three major denominations in Hinduism. They are Vaishnavism,

Shaivism, and Shaktism. Vaishnavism is the largest of the four and the god Vishnu is the

worshipped as the Supreme God. Vaishnavism regards the existence of many lower gods

below Vishnu as manifestations or powerful entities that are ruled under him. The

Vaishnavas strongly believe in their god as someone you can know and have a personal

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relationship with. Vaishnavas identify themselves by painting a white U, T, or Y on their

foreheads and bodies. Vaishnavas distinguish the importance of meditation in religious

practice, but their main focus is on the heart instead of the head.

Shaivism followers worship Shiva as the Supreme God. Shaivism is widely liked

across India, but is especially popular in Sri Lanka and Southern India. Saints from

Southern India are mostly responsible for the development of Shaivism in the Middle

Ages.

Shaktism is based on worship of the Divine in the form of the Supreme Mother of

the Universe, most often called Devi. She is worshipped mostly as the consort of Shiva,

but has been moved up to the status of the Supreme God. Although some books equate

Shaktism with all major female deities, Shaktas specifically worship Devi. Because Shiva

embodies the male principle and Devi embodies the female, the two aspects of Shaivism

and Shaktism are alike.

Judaism

Section 1 Current Information

Judaism has 14

million adherents

worldwide and about 6.5

million in the United

States. Judaism is most

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commonly found in Israel, Europe, and the United States. Judaism is the main religion in

Israel.

The Jewish religion impacts the lives of its worshipers in many ways. Strict Jews

follow the kosher

diet code, study the

religion as part of

their education, and

it impacts their lives

socially in ways

such as marriage,

naming your baby,

coming of age,

entertainment, and

politics.

Impacts of Judaism on the United States are all the Jewish movie directors and

writers, comedians, and restaurants in the country. Most movies nowadays are either

written or directed, or both, by a Jew. Jews have made a huge impact on the comedy

industry. Some of the funniest and highest rated comedians are of the Jewish religion.

An example of this is Chelsea Handler and her highly rated show, Chelsea Lately. Out of

everywhere in America, Jews are most commonly found in New York City. They have

helped make New York culturally divine with their delis.

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Section 2 Origins of Faith

Judaism is one of the oldest surviving religions in the world today. It was founded

in 1300 BC in Mesopotamia by Abraham. Abraham originally lived in a northern

Mesopotamian town called Harran. He moved to the region of Canaan, in modern day

Israel and Lebanon, under God’s command. Living in Mesopotamia, the ancient Hebrew

people were semi nomadic herdsman and farmers, organized into tribes.

Judaism spread through the migrations of the Hebrews. The Jews were forced to

migrate to Egypt because of a famine. In Egypt they were enslaved and were only free

from the enslavement when God afflicted the Egyptians with plagues and drowning the

Egyptian army in the Red Sea while the Hebrews escaped. God established the nation of

Israel at Mount Sinai as his own and gave the Hebrews the terms of his covenant with

them. Moses played very important leadership roles throughout these times.

Section 3 Basic Beliefs and Customs

There are no official requirements to be a Jew, unlike in Christianity and Islam.

However, a very important Jewish rabbi made the 13 Articles of Faith and, even though

it is not required to believe or adhere to these rules, and most Jews don’t or don’t agree

with some of them, they are generally accepted as the guidelines of Judaism.

The 13 Articles of Faith are these: God exists, God is one and unique, God is

incorporeal, God is eternal, prayer is to God only, the prophets spoke truth, Moses was

the greatest of the prophets, the Written and Oral Torah were given to Moses, there will

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be no other Torah, God knows the thoughts and deeds of men, God will reward the

good and punish the wicked, the Messiah will come, and the dead will be resurrected.

Jewish life is manned by a number of occasions in which individuals and families

take time out of their everyday lives to focus on God and his commandments. Examples

of this are daily prayer, Sabbath services, and holidays.

As mentioned, Jews have many traditions when it comes to marriage, death, and

birth. After a Jewish child is born, on the first Sabbath, the child’s father is called to the

front at the synagogue to recite the aliyah and make blessings for the health of the

mother and child. If the child is female, she is named at this time. As part of the rite of

circumcision, boys are named on the eighth day after birth. Marriage is highly revered in

Judaism because of its view of the home and family as the center of religious life. you

can only become a rabbi if you are married. Death is seen as a part of life and a part of

God's plan. The long and extensive mourning rituals in Judaism show the great value it

places on life and the life of each individual person. Mourning in Judaism shows respect

for the dead, comforts those left behind, discourages excessive mourning, and helps the

family to return to normal life. Mourning is observed for 30 days after burial, mostly

within the first seven days after.

Holidays are a very important part of Jewish life. They are this important because

they help keep traditions, they give you a sense of community and belonging, and they

remind believers of important historical events. Some of most important holidays to the

Jews are Sabbath, Rosh Hashanah, Passover, Yom Kippur, and Hanukkah. Almost all

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people know Sabbath as they day of the week when Jews are not allowed to work. To

Jews, however, Sabbath is about celebration and rest from the hardships of the week.

The restrictions on work are stricter for the Sabbath than for other holidays that don’t

allow work to be done. The rabbis who wrote the Talmud made 39 categories of work

that cannot be performed on the Sabbath, according to the Hebrew Bible. Some of

these are cooking, washing clothes, constructing, etc. The Sabbath does not restrict

everything that takes effort. Jews are encouraged to play games, take walks, study the

Torah, sing, and so on. It is laboring work that is forbidden on the Sabbath. Fun is very

much encouraged.

Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year and translates to “head of the year”. Rosh

Hashanah is a holy time. It falls in September or October. Rosh Hashanah is also known

as the Day of Judgment, because it is believed that on Rosh Hashanah God judges all of

his people and decides on their fate in the next year.

Passover is a holiday celebrating the liberation of the Hebrews from slavery in

Egypt in the time of Moses. The name “Passover” comes from the last of the Ten

Plagues brought to the Egyptians before the Exodus. All of the firstborn male children

were killed, but the Hebrew houses that slaughtered a lamb and marked their doorposts

with its blood were "passed over." It is also an agricultural holiday celebrating the

beginning of the harvest season, but this part of Passover is not greatly emphasized.

Passover is celebrated in spring.

Yom Kippur is the most is the most important and solemn of the Jewish holidays.

During Yom Kippur, even the most non devoted Jews will attend a synagogue service,

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not work, and fast. The name Yom Kippur translates to "Day of Atonement." It is said to

be the last chance to change God's judgment of your exploits in the previous year and

change his decision of your fate for the coming year.

Hanukkah is probably most well-known Jewish holiday among non- Jews due to its

closeness to Christmas. However, it is not the "Jewish Christmas". Historically, it pre-

dates Christmas and is a very different celebration. It commemorates the rededication

of the Temple in 164 BCE and the post-biblical event of the victory of the Maccabees

over the Syrian-Greek rulers of Jerusalem. It also celebrates a miracle that accompanied

the rededication of the Temple. When the temple was rededicated, God made the one

day's worth of oil burn for eight days. This is one of the reasons Hanukkah is considered

the Festival of Lights. Hanukkah is celebrated for eight days in mid to late December.

The only important ritual of Hanukkah is the lighting of candles. The Hanukkah candles

are held in a chanukkiah, candelabra that holds nine candles. The candle in the middle

of the chanukkiah is used to light the others.

Buddhism


Buddhism is the fourth largest religion in the world with 360 million worshipers

worldwide and

about two million

adherents in the

United States. The

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greatest concentration of Buddhists are found in China, Japan, Korea, and Southeast

Asia.

During World War II, most Buddhist schools, strongly supported Japan's

remilitarization. After World War II, there was a high demand for Buddhist priests who

glorified fallen soldiers, causing a strong revival. However, due to secularization and

materialism, Buddhism and religion in general, have declined.

In China, constant research in meditation has led to discover that within only 11

hours of practice, you can regulate

brain behavior.

Yoga and meditation has also has

an impact on the United States. Non-

Buddhist Americans practice yoga and meditation frequently to calm their nerves, get

away from daily life, and to get into shape. There are many yoga classes at gyms and

fitness studios to help work the muscles in the body and to keep you in healthy state.


Buddhism was founded in Northeast India. Siddhartha Gautama, an Indian prince,

founded Buddhism around 520 BCE. He is the original Buddha. Buddha was a god in the

Tushita heaven who, after looking down upon the Dark Ages, vowed to come to the

earth realm and relieve the people of their suffering. Buddha chose the family he would

be born into and chose parents of the royal status knowing that priests weren’t very

high in the caste system and he could make a bigger impact on the world if he were of

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higher social status. Because Siddhartha was the son of the king, he received the best

education and was a master of all lessons taught to him.

After Emperor Asoka fought in a battle that had such a loss of life he was

overcome with grief and converted to Buddhism. He applied Buddhist principles to the

way he ruled his empire. After his conversion to Buddhism, Emperor Asoka stopped all

military conquest and violence. Instead, he focused his efforts on building schools,

hospitals, and wells for his people. He went on pilgrimages to Buddhist holy sites, and

directed that

monuments be

built in Buddha's

honor. He sent

emissaries to

spread Buddhism

beyond India.

Also, Asoka carved edicts on pillars and rocks throughout the empire promoting

Buddhist values. Buddhism also spread through trade on the Silk Road where it traveled

to Japan and China.


In 1966, leading monks from the two major Buddhists sects met in Sri Lanka with

the hope of ending the differences between the two groups and identifying the essential

points of agreement. They approved the "Basic Points Unifying the Theravada and

Mahayana". The most important of the beliefs and the major beliefs that all Buddhists

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follow are that Buddha is the only master, they should always take refuge in Buddha,

the Dharma and the Sangha, and that they do not believe that this world is created and

ruled by a God.

Buddhism has many holidays, ceremonies, and rituals. The most important

holidays have something to do with the important events in the life of Buddha. Two of

the most important Buddhist holidays are the Buddhist New Year and Vesak. The

Buddhist New Year is celebrated on different days in the Buddhist world. In Theravada

countries, New Year is celebrated from the first full moon day in April for three days. In

Mahayana countries, the New Year usually starts on the first full moon day in January,

and Tibetan Buddhists generally celebrate in March. Vesak is the most important festival

in Buddhism. It is the birthday of the Buddha. It is celebrated on the first full moon day

in May. Buddhists all over the world celebrate the birth, enlightenment, and death of

the Buddha all in one day.

Buddhists mainly practice meditation, mantras, and mudras. Meditation is the

central focus of Zen Buddhism and the only way to achieve liberation in Theravada

Buddhism. Mantras are sacred sounds that are said to possess supernatural powers.

Mantras are especially practiced in Tibetan Buddhism. They are believed to embody the

power and attributes of particular deities. Mudras are symbolic gestures, mostly hand

gestures, used in images of Buddha and in practice to evoke particular ideas or Buddha’s

in the mind during Buddhist meditation or ritual.

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There are many denominations of Buddhism, but most can be classified into the

two major branches of Theravada and Mahayana. The Theravada form of Buddhism is

most common in southern Asia, especially in Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, Cambodia and

Laos. Because of this it is sometimes referred to as Southern Buddhism. In Pali,

Theravada means "The Way of the Elders". This reflects their belief that they most

closely follow the original beliefs and practices of the Buddha and the early monastic

Elders.

Mahayana Buddhism is the main form of Buddhism in North Asia, China, Japan,

Korea, Tibet and Mongolia. For this reason it is sometimes known as Northern

Buddhism. Mahayana Buddhists accept the Pali Canon as sacred scripture with the

Theravadans, but also the Sutras and many other works. Theravada and Mahayana

Buddhists differ in their perspective on the ultimate purpose of life and the way in which

it can be achieved. Theravada Buddhists strive to become arhats; perfected saints who

have attained enlightenment and nirvana. This is considered to only be possible for

monks and nuns, who devote their entire lives to the task. Likewise, Mahayana

Buddhists hope to become boddhisatvas, saints who have become enlightened but who

delay nirvana to help others attain it as well, just like Buddha did.

Islam


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Islam is the second largest religion in the world with about 1.3 billion adherents

worldwide and about 2.5 million in the Untied States. Muslims are mainly found in the

Middle East and North Africa.

Some impacts of Islam on the Middle East are the dress code, education, and

democracy. Islam has become an important reference point in debates about how the

Arab world should be governed. As far as democracy is concerned, some people say that

democracy and Islam are contradictory. Where democracy requires openness,

competition, pluralism, and tolerance of diversity, Islam, encourages intellectual

conformity and acceptance of authority. Islam is said to be undemocratic because it

endows sovereignty in God, who is the sole source of political authority and from whose

divine law must come all regulations governing the religious devotees.

An impact of Islam on the United States is the attack on 9/11 and the War on

Terror that followed the attack. The War on Terror has been a constant scare for many

Americans since 2001 when 9/11 occurred. The War has put President George W. Bush

and President Barak Obama through a mess of confusion, headaches, and difficult

decisions. The War has killed many an American and Muslim.


The Islamic religion is a monotheistic faith founded the prophet Muhammad in 622

BC in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Muhammad was born in Mecca in 570 AD. His father died

before his birth, and his mother died when he was six. After being orphaned,

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Muhammad was raised mostly by his uncle. When Muhammad was 25 he married his

mentor and employer. She was 15 years his senior. When Muhammad was in his late

30s he frequently visited a cave in Mount Hira to relax and have quiet time to think. In

610, Muhammad returned from one particular visit telling his wife he had either gone

around the bend or become a prophet, because he had been visited by the Angel

Gabriel. After this incident, with the support of his wife and more visits from the Angel,

Muhammad began to spread the message command by the Angel and God.

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Within the first three years of his preaching’s Muhammad converted only 40

people. Muhammad and his followers were harshly persecuted with verbal and physical

violence. After the persecutions became worse, Muhammad heard news that in a city

called Yathrib 280 miles north of Mecca, he had followers. Hearing that the town was in

need of a leader, and a

delegation from Yathrib

proposed that Muhammad

take the job, Muhammad

and his followers escaped

Mecca. Yathrib was

renamed Medinat al-Nabi,

"the City of the Prophet,"

and is now known simply

as Medina, meaning, "the City." The year Muhammad and his follower’s evaded being

caught escaping Mecca was 622 BC. This is the date on which the Muslim calendar

begins.

Eight years after escaping from Mecca, settling himself in Medina, and becoming

the leader there, Muhammad returned to Mecca with an army and defeated it easily. By

Muhammad's death the entire Arabian Peninsula was under Muslim control. Within 100

years of Muhammad's death, the Muslim empire had reached the Atlantic Ocean in the

west and the borders of China in the west. This empire was bigger than the Roman

Empire.

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The single most important belief in Islam is that there is only one God. The name

of God is Allah, meaning “the God”. Also, many Muslims believe that one must adhere

to the Six Articles of Faith to be considered a Muslim. The Five Pillars of Islam are five

practices regarded by all sects as extremely important to the Muslim faith.

Islam has relatively few holidays compared to most other religions. Generally,

Muslims celebrate two major festivals, and a month of fasting. The two major festivals

are Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. Eid al-Fitr marks the end of Ramadan and is celebrated

during the first three days of the month of Shawwal. Eid al-Fitr is Arabic for "Festival of

the Breaking of the Fast". Eid al-Adha is celebrated by Muslims throughout the world to

commemorate the faith of Abraham. Eid Al-Adha begins on the 10th day of the last

month of the Islamic calendar and lasts for fours days.

Ramadan is the holy month of fasting. It takes place in the ninth month of the

Islamic calendar. Ramadan is similar to Yom Kippur in the Jewish religion in that both

constitute a period of atoning of sins. However, Ramadan is seen less as atonement and

more as an obedient response to a command from God. During Ramadan, you must not

do anything or thinking anything evil or sinful, eating and drinking, and having sex from

dawn until nightfall. When Ramadan falls in the summer months it is harder to go

through the whole day without water.

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Islamic sects don’t really like each other and have shown outward violence in some

cases. The major Islamic sects are Sunni and Shia (Shiite). The Sunni sect is the largest of

the Muslim sects with 940 million worshipers out of 1.3 billion Muslims. Sunnis historical

roots come from the group who followed Abu Bakr as Muhammad's successor instead

of the Prophet's son-in-law Ali. Shiites are considered the Muslims who are not Sunnis.

The Shiites are the Muslims who followed Ali as Muhammad's successor after his death.

Today there are approximately 120 million Shiite Muslims in the world.

Christianity


Christianity is the

largest religion in

the world and has

about 2 billion

adherents

worldwide and 159

million in the

United States alone.

Christians are mainly found in North America, Europe, and South America. Christianity

has had a major affect on North America and Europe.

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In Europe, Christian Democracy became very popular in the 19th century. Christian

democracy is a political ideology that aims to apply Christian principles to public policy.

It came about in Europe under the influence of conservatism and Catholic social

teachings. It continues to be influential in Europe and Latin America, though in number

of countries have become secular. Christian Democrats are usually socially conservative,

and many Christian Democrats are opposed to abortion and gay marriage, although

some Christian Democratic parties have accepted the legalization of both, within certain

limitations.

A major impact of Christianity on the United States is the controversy over

abortion and gay marriage. The sixth commandment states “You shall not murder.”

With the case of abortion, Christians strongly believe that it is considered murder

because you are killing an innocent child. While the Bible does talk about

homosexuality, it does not outwardly mention gay marriage. However, it is clear that

the Bible condemns homosexuality as an immoral and unnatural sin.

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Christianity was

founded in 33 AD in

Palestine by Jesus Christ.

Jesus was born to devout

Jews named Mary and

Joseph. He was conceived

by a miracle of the Holy

Spirit before the couple

had had any sexual

relationship. Most of Jesus’

childhood is not written in

the Gospels so we have

hardly any knowledge of it.

He reenters the Gospels at the Age of 30. The four gospels agree that Jesus' first act was

to be baptized by John the Baptist. The baptism marks the beginning of Jesus' ministry.

After the baptism, several of John's followers left to follow Jesus. After, Jesus selected

several others until he had established a group of 12 disciples. While Jesus' teachings

were fundamentally Jewish, they retreated from the Jewish law of the time. Perhaps

most astounding of all was that he taught on his own authority. Jesus was betrayed by

one of his disciples, questioned by Jewish chief priests, taken to the Roman governor for

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punishment, and sentenced to death. Jesus was badly beaten, given a crown of thorns

and a fake royal-purple robe to wear, and crucified.

Within 20 years after Jesus' death, his followers had spread the Christian faith as

far as Rome. The Apostle Paul's influence is so great in the spread of Christianity that

some scholars have attributed the founding of "Christianity.” His letters to new churches

are the earliest Christian writings known and they make up over half of the New

Testament. Paul did not know Jesus personally; he was a devoted Jewish teacher who

persecuted Christians up until he received a blinding vision of the risen Christ on the

road to Emmaus. Paul was responsible for spreading Christianity over a major portion of

the Roman Empire.


The biggest belief with all Christians is that there is one God who created the

world and takes an interest in the humans who inhabit it. Christians also believe that

there is just one God, but that three distinct beings constitute the one God: the Father,

the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Holidays have always been a big part of the Christian religion from the

foundation of it. Christmas and Easter are the two biggest holidays. Christmas

celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. Christians have been celebrating Jesus' birth on

December 25 since at least the early fourth century. There are special worship services

help on Christmas all over the Christian world. Christmas carols are sung and a tree with

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lights is put up. Easter is festival held in spring that celebrates the resurrection of Christ

three days after his death by crucifixion. Easter is the oldest Christian holiday and the

most important day of the church year. The Catholic and Protestant churches celebrate

Easter on the first Sunday following the first full moon after the spring equinox.

Sunday is the day of rest and worship in Christianity. Most Christians attend

worship services at a church on Sundays. The service usually includes singing, prayer,

and sermon. Almost all Christians will have been baptized and regularly participate in

communion. Baptism and communion are regarded as sacraments.

For the first thousand years of Christian history, there were no denominations

within the Christian church. Today there are a lot. From the beginning of Christianity

through the Middle Ages, there was only one the universal church, the Catholic Church.

The first split in the Church occurred in 1054 with the Great Schism between the Easter

and Western Churches. After this the two branches of Christianity were the Catholic

Church and the Orthodox Church. The next big split came in the 16th century with the

Protestant Reformation. This started the Protestant denomination. The main

denominations in Christianity are Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Protestant.

There are many sub-divisions within the Protestant denomination.

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