This document provides symbols representing various world religions including Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, Shinto, Sikhism, Bahá'í Faith, and Jainism. It describes each symbol and its meaning and significance within each religion. Key symbols discussed include the Christian cross, Islamic star and crescent, Jewish Star of David, Hindu Om symbol, Buddhist dharma wheel, and Sikh Khanda symbol.

1. SYMBOLS REPRESENTING SOME WORLD RELIGIONS
from left to right:
row 1: Christianity,
Judaism,
Hinduism
row 2: Islam,
Buddhism, Shinto
row 3: Sikhism,
Bahá'í Faith,
Jainism

2. The Christian Cross
The cross is the most common
symbol of Christianity. You see
them all over the place. The cross
symbolizes Christianity as a
religion, as well as the crucifixion
of Jesus Christ. Another form of
the cross you might see is the
crucifix, which will include a
figure of Jesus, nailed to the cross
through both hands and feet,
usually with a crown of thorns on
his head and a placard with the
letters INRI, which is a Latin
acronym for the phrase, "Jesus the
Nazarene, King of the Jews."

3. This is another common symbol of
Christianity. Many Christains display this
on the back bumper of their vehicles.
The ichthys is actually the ancient Greek
word for "fish." The ichthys commonly
contains the Greek letters, ΙΧΘΥΣ , which
mean, "Jesus Christ, God's Son, Savior."
The fish is a symbol of Christianity for
several reasons. Many of the Apostles
were fisherman, Jesus performed many
miracles involving fish, and the most
popular reason, in Matthew 4:19, Jesus
says, "Come, follow me, and I will make
you fishers of men." The ichthys
symbolizes the Christian's mission to
spread the "good news".

4. The Star and Crescent
The Star and Crescent is recognized as
a symbol if the Islamic faith. This
symbol, however, is older and was
originally used by the people of
Central Asia and Siberia as a symbol
of their sky gods. The Star and
Crescent were adopted as a symbol of
Islam during the Ottoman Empire,
when the Turks conquered
Constantinople in 1453. The city of
Constantinople had been using this
symbol as, in honor of the Goddess
Diana. When the Turks took over, they
had stolen their flag and symbol as
well, claiming it for the Islam.

5. "Allah" in Arabic
This one is pretty
straight forward.
This is the Arabic
word for "Allah,"
(Peace Be Upon
Him). Allah (Peace
Be Upon Him) is
the 'God' of the
Islamic faith.

6. The Star of David
The Star of David is a
common symbol of the
Jewish faith. The two
interlocking triangles
represent to tribes of
Judah and Benjamin. It is
believed that this was the
symbol of the line of
David, and the star was
represented on David's
shield, though this has not
been proven.

7. The Ahimsa Hand
The Ahimsa Hand is a common
symbol of Jainism, a religion born
in India, known for non-violence.
The Jains believe that all life is
sacred, some go to extreme
measures to avoid even stepping
on a bug!This symbol represents
the Jains vow of ahimsa (non-
violence). The wheel in the palm
represents dharma (see The
Dharma Wheel), and in the
center of the wheel rests the
word, ahimsa.

8. The Menorah
The Menorah is another common
symbol of Judaism. A menorah is a nine-
branched candelabrum, used in the
celebration of Hanukkah. The menorah
made its first appearance in the book of
Exodus, when God revealed its design to
Moses. The original menorah was made
from a single piece of gold and had only
seven branches. It was used as a light for
the temple. Today's menorah has nine
branches, comemorating a miraculous
event during the rebuilding of the
temple in Jerusalem. The Jews only had
enough oil to light the temple for one
day, but somehow, it lasted eight days,
allowing them enough light to finish
their work.

9. The Torii Gate
The Torii Gate is a symbol of the
Shito religion. The symbol of the
Torii Gate represents the
transition between our world
and the world of the gods. A
physical Torii Gate usually marks
the entrance to a sacred Shinto
shrine. By passing through the
Torii Gate, you pass from the
profane, to the sacred place.

10. The Yin and Yang
The Yin an Yang is a
commonly used symbol
of Asian philosophy. It
symbolizes perfect
harmonic balance.
Neither side can exist
without the other, as in
nature, there would not
be light without dark,
good without evil, male
without female, etc.

11. The Swastika
People usually think of the
Swastika as the symbol of
the Nazi regime during
World War II, but the
Swastika is actually a
Hindu religious symbol,
and for various other
purposes, dating as far
back as the Paleolithic Era.
The Swastika was most
commonly used to
symbolize good luck.

12. The Baha'i Nine Pointed
Star
The Nine Pointed Star is
the symbol of the Baha'i
Faith. The number nine is
very significant to the
Baha'is for numerous
reasons, ranging from
numerology to patterns in
their theology, and the
architecture of their
temples.

13. The Wheel of Dharma
The Wheel of Dharma, also called
the Dharmachakra, is a common
symbol of the Buddhist philosophy.
The Wheel can have eight, twelve,
twenty-four, or thirty-one spokes.
The circle represents the perfection
of the teachings of dharma. The
spokes represent different
teachings, rules or laws of
Buddhism, depending on the
number of spokes. The hub
symbolizes discipline, and the rim
mindfulness, or samadhi, which
holds everything together.

14. The Khanda
The Khanda is the symbol of
Sikhism. The Khanda is made up of
three important symbols; the
double edged sword, a circle (the
Chakkar), and two crossed kirpans
(curved swords). The double edged
sword represents the belief on a
single God. The Chakkar represents
that God has no beginning or end.
The two kirpans represent God's
spiritual authority and his political
power. The entire symbol is meant
to represent God as a whole.

15. Om or Aum
The Om, or Aum, is a very
important symbol of the Hindu
religion. It is a mantra, uttered
by many Hindus at the start of
every day, and commonly
written in the head of letters.
Om, or Aum is made up of
three Sanskrit letters, a, u and
m. The syllables come together
to make the sound, Om,
meaning Brahman, the
supreme God of Hinduism.

16. Presented by:
Ms. Rose Fe Wamar