2. Judaism
 Founder: Abraham
 Location: Middle East – The Holy Land (Israel)
 Holy City – Jerusalem
 Sacred Texts: Torah and Talmud
 Deity: Monotheistic
 Symbol: Star of David
 Tenets: One God (Yahweh) and Jews are his chosen people.
 You Should Know:
 Abraham is the patriarch to 3 religions – Judaism, Christianity
and Islam.
 Impact of Moses and 10 Commandments on U.S. Law

3. Christianity
 Founder: Jesus
 Location: Middle East – The Holy Land – Israel
 Holy City – Jerusalem
 Sacred Text: The Bible -- Old Testament Same texts as seen
in Judaism AND New Testament – Gospels and Epistles
(Letters)
 Deity: Monotheistic – God of Abraham / Holy Trinity –
God is Father, Son, Holy Spirit
 Symbol: Cross
 Beliefs: Jesus was the Son of God, born to Virgin Mary,
Crucified for the people’s sins. Resurrected (raised from the
dead) after 3 days on Easter Sunday.
 3 Monotheistic Religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

4.  Founder: Muhammad
 Location: The Middle East – Saudi Arabia
 Holy Cities: Mecca, Medina, Jerusalem
 Sacred Texts: Qur’an or Koran
 Deity: Monotheistic (Allah)
 Symbol: Crescent and Star
 Beliefs: 5 Pillars.
 Prayer – 5 times daily
 Charity – Mandatory
 Fasting – Sunrise to sunset during Ramadan (holy month)
 Pilgrimage – to Mecca at least once in lifetime.
 Proclamation of Faith –“There is one God and Mohammad is
his prophet”
Islam

5.  Founder: None (Universal ruler)
 Origin: India
 Sacred Text: The Vedas, Upanishads, Ramayana,
Bhagavad-Gita
 Universal cosmos-teachings
 Belief in reincarnation
 Salvation is achieved through a spiritual oneness of the soul, atman, with
the ultimate reality of the universe, Brahman
 Soul must obtain moksha, or liberation from the samsara, the endless cycle
of birth, death, and rebirth.
 Karma and Dharma
 Karma - material actions resulting from the consequences of previous
actions)
 Dharma - fulfilling one's duty in life
 Symbol – Om
 Both Hindus and Buddhists believe in reincarnation. Buddhists reject
Caste System.
Hinduism

6. Buddhism
 Founder: Siddhartha Gautama or Buddha (Enlightened
One)
 Original Location: India
 Deity: None, Universal way of living - philosophy
 Beliefs:
 4 Noble Truths
 1. Life means suffering. 2. The origin of suffering is
attachment. 3. The cessation of suffering is attainable.
4. The path to the cessation of suffering.
 8 Fold Path to Enlightenment
 1. Right View; 2. Right Intention; 3. Right Speech;
4. Right Action; 5. Right Livelihood; 6. Right Effort;
7. Right Mindfulness; 8. Right Concentration
 Symbols: Lotus Bud and Wheel
 Nirvana - when a person is released from all suffering,
pain and desire. His soul is released and he no longer
experiences the cycle of reincarnation
 Buddhism originates in India but is replaced by
Hinduism. Spreads to Southeast Asia and China.

7. Confuciunism
 Founder: Confucius
 Location: China
 Sacred Text: Analects
 Teachings – Self Discipline, resect for authority, filial piety
(ancestor worship and respect for elders)
 Five family relationships:
(1) Father-son (2) Ruler-minister (3) Husband-wife (4) Old-young, and
(5) Friend-friend
 Confucian Virtues:
 Jen (wren): human heartedness; goodness; benevolenceLi (lee): principle of gain, benefit,
order, propriety; concrete guide to human action.
 Yi (yee); righteousness; the moral disposition to do good
 Hsiao (showe): filial piety; reverence
 Chih (chee): moral wisdom; the source of this virtue is knowledge of right and wrong.
 Chun-tzu (choon dzuh): the ideal man; the superior man; gentle person in the most
significant sense.
 Te (day): power by which men are ruled; the power of moral example (the whole art of
government consists in the art of being honest).

8. Taoism (Daoism)
 Founder-The Chinese philosopher Lao Tze.
 Geographic Origin-Developed in China around 500 BCE.
 Currently Practiced-Elements of this philosophy are still
practiced in Southeast Asia.
 Sacred Texts-Tao-te-Ching
 Symbol: Yin and Yang (Male/Female | Darkness/Light)
 Teachings:
 Tao – “The Way” – Oneness and balance with nature
 Objective is perfect balance with nature

9. Sikhism
 Founder: Guru Nanak
 Location: India
 Sacred Text: Gurmukhi
 Teachings or philosophy:
 Naam japna, remembering God through meditation
 Kirat karo, earning an honest living:
 Vand chakko, selflessly serving others, sharing income and
resources:
 Sikhism is influenced by Hinduism and Islam but is
independent from both. It is a separate and distinct religion.
 3 Semitic Religions originated in the Holy Land – Judaism,
Christianity and Islam.

10. Zoroastrianism
 Founder: Zoroaster (Prophet)
 Origin: Persia-Modern Iran
 Sacred Text: Gathas
 Deity: Zahura Mazda (2 beings – God of Goodness and
Light (Heaven); God of Darkness (Hell)
 Beliefs:
 Dualism – One God - Ahura Mazda and two realities –
God of Light and God of Darkness. Same God two
realms.
 People who live good lives go to paradise (heaven)
people who live bad lives go to hell . Belief in angels and
demons. Influenced Judaism and Christianity.