Religious Institutions
Religious institutions are important to all societies around our world. We have researched and learned about the five major world religions: Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Judaism.
Christianity
Christianity is the world's largest religion,with about 2.2 billion followers worldwide. The first place where Christianity was found was in Israel. Christians believe that the founder is Jesus of Nazareth. The sacred text is the Bible-Old and New Testament. The sacred buildings are Church,Chapel,and Canterbury. The major festivals are Easter and Christmas. The main branches are Anglican,Roman Catholic, free churches,Orthodox,and Reformed. Christians are people who believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and who follow his teachings and those of the Christian Churches that grew up after his death. Christians get their name from Jesus Christ. Christians believe that God made the world. The dove is the symbol of the holy spirt and peace.
http://www.uri.org/kids/world_chri.htm
http://resources.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/homework/religion/christian.htm
http://www.uri.org/kids/world_chri.htm
http://resources.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/homework/religion/christian.htm
Hinduism
"Hindu" came from the name of the river Indus, Hinduism has no founder. It comes from Brahmanism. Hinduism is probably the oldest religion; it may even have been practiced during prehistoric times. Harappa people, who lived near the river, carved pictures of many gods on their clay seals. If you can't read Harappa writing, then you wouldn’t recognize the gods, but some of the carvings look like Shiva and Vishnu. This could have been the earliest part of Hinduism. Vishnu is the second member of the Trimurti and also the preserver. Shiva is the third member of the Trimurti and also the destroyer
Hinduism's main symbol is aum. It means the sound heart in deepest thought (meditation) and this is said to be the name that most represents god.
In Hinduism it's more of what you practice than what you believe. Hindus believe in a universal soul or god that is called Brahman. Brahman has many forms that some Hindus worship. Hindus believe that every one has a part of Brahman in them and this is called atman.
Hindus believe in reincarnation, which means they believe that a soul upon a dead body, can be reborn as an animal, a plant, or as a human. They also believe that all forms in life have a soul and every soul has a chance to discover every life in different forms. Karma depends on what the soul is born as. Karma depends on everything that people do in life. Karma determines what might happen to them in the future. If someone follows the dharma, they can expect to be rebirthed into higher form in the next life they live, or have good luck in the future. Dharma is a life path of truth, duty, religion and good behavior.
Most Hindus worship (puja) every day at their home and have shrine, which can be anything from a room, a small alter, or a picture or statues. A family often worships together. Hindus makes offerings to a murti at the shrine. A mur is a statue that is of a sacred god, or a god or goddess.
The Hindu holy men give up their family and possessions in order to live a free life and to seek union with Brahman. Hindu people practice yoga because it is an important part of their culture. Yoga also promotes self-discipline of the mind and body.
In Hindu cows are used for milk, butter, and dung for fuel. They are not butchered for eating and some Hindus are vegetarians.
If a woman is married they wear a red dot (bindi) on their forehead. Orthodox men have a religious marking (tilak). Women that are married wear a mangalsutra around their neck; it is a necklace that gets tied around the bride by the groom on their wedding day. Today Hindu girls and women wear bangles that are also used as a symbol of marriage. Men can sport a sikha, a tuft of hair that looks like a ponytail on the back of their head. Hindu men wear a dhoti kurta, a chadder that can be wrapped around their shoulders and turso during cold weather. The men also wear a churidars during worship, prayer or on festival days. The women wear a traditional dress that they call a sari or a salwarkameez. On worship days or other appropriate times the women will cover their heads.
Hinduism's main symbol is aum. It means the sound heart in deepest thought (meditation) and this is said to be the name that most represents god.
In Hinduism it's more of what you practice than what you believe. Hindus believe in a universal soul or god that is called Brahman. Brahman has many forms that some Hindus worship. Hindus believe that every one has a part of Brahman in them and this is called atman.
Hindus believe in reincarnation, which means they believe that a soul upon a dead body, can be reborn as an animal, a plant, or as a human. They also believe that all forms in life have a soul and every soul has a chance to discover every life in different forms. Karma depends on what the soul is born as. Karma depends on everything that people do in life. Karma determines what might happen to them in the future. If someone follows the dharma, they can expect to be rebirthed into higher form in the next life they live, or have good luck in the future. Dharma is a life path of truth, duty, religion and good behavior.
Most Hindus worship (puja) every day at their home and have shrine, which can be anything from a room, a small alter, or a picture or statues. A family often worships together. Hindus makes offerings to a murti at the shrine. A mur is a statue that is of a sacred god, or a god or goddess.
The Hindu holy men give up their family and possessions in order to live a free life and to seek union with Brahman. Hindu people practice yoga because it is an important part of their culture. Yoga also promotes self-discipline of the mind and body.
In Hindu cows are used for milk, butter, and dung for fuel. They are not butchered for eating and some Hindus are vegetarians.
If a woman is married they wear a red dot (bindi) on their forehead. Orthodox men have a religious marking (tilak). Women that are married wear a mangalsutra around their neck; it is a necklace that gets tied around the bride by the groom on their wedding day. Today Hindu girls and women wear bangles that are also used as a symbol of marriage. Men can sport a sikha, a tuft of hair that looks like a ponytail on the back of their head. Hindu men wear a dhoti kurta, a chadder that can be wrapped around their shoulders and turso during cold weather. The men also wear a churidars during worship, prayer or on festival days. The women wear a traditional dress that they call a sari or a salwarkameez. On worship days or other appropriate times the women will cover their heads.
Judaism
A Jewish calendar has different names for the twelve months of the year. The following text is the names of the twelve months. Remember in the Jewish tradition, they start their year in September. In bible times, they started their year in April.
January= Shevat
February= Adar1
March= Adar2
April= Nissan
May= Iyar
June= Sivan
July= Tammuz
August= Av
September= Elul
October= Tishrey
November= Scheshvan
December= Kislev
In the Jewish language, there are no vowels. They commonly use accent marks. They also have different letters in their alphabet. Some letter are the same, but they are pronounced differently.
The Jewish symbol is two triangles connected to form a six sided star.
The colors that represent the Jewish religion are blue, white and gold, but you will mostly see blue and white representing them.
In the Jewish religion, girls generally wear skirts. Some girls cover their hair. You will mostly see the boys wearing the little caps on their head and long black coats.
Males wear prayer shawls when they pray.
You will often see Jewish people eating braided bread on Saturdays because it is the day of Sabbath. They go to church on Saturdays and the day starts in the afternoon.
They often blow out of a sheep horn to alert during a battle, they are also used during the holidays because it is a tradition of the religion.
Instead of reading a bible, they read scrolls, it is the same as a bible but written in Hebrew.
They follow traditions.
There are three main holidays in the Jewish religion. There is Passover, Shavuot, and Sukkoth.
Passover is a feast. They remember and celebrate their independence from Egypt. They cannot eat leavened bread for seven days during Passover.
During Shavuot, they bring something such as fruit or wheat to the priest or rabbi. They do this because during bible times their economy was based on agriculture.
During Sukkoth they camp outside for seven days to remember the Israelites when they were in the desert.
Hanukkah is celebrated to remember the temple. There are 8 days in Hanukkah. A gift is given each day. The gift you like the most, you give to another person. Laktes are eaten during this time. Dreidel is played during Hanukkah. We light one candle each day of this holiday.
There are three types of Jews. The main one is Orthodox. There are also Messianic Jews, and the other type is Secular. An Orthodox Jew follows a lot of customs and traditions. They don't believe that Jesus is the messiah, they believe he was a prophet. They do not believe the messiah has come to earth yet. The Messianic Jews believe Jesus is the messiah, but they follow the Jewish customs and traditions. The Secular Jews are descended from the Jewish people, but do not follow customs or believe in God.
Most people say that Jesus came from the Jewish nation. They have a huge history of exiles and persecutions. They were taken over by the Romans, Greek, and the Babylonians, and were murdered and persecuted by the Nazis during the Holocaust. The land was never called Israel until the 1900's; it was called Palestine. They also had to fight the "The War Of Yom Kippur" and "The War of The Six Days"
They have a different diet. They can only eat what it says in Leviticus 11 in the bible. The main thing that Jews have to remember is to not eat pork, shrimp, and seafood.
January= Shevat
February= Adar1
March= Adar2
April= Nissan
May= Iyar
June= Sivan
July= Tammuz
August= Av
September= Elul
October= Tishrey
November= Scheshvan
December= Kislev
In the Jewish language, there are no vowels. They commonly use accent marks. They also have different letters in their alphabet. Some letter are the same, but they are pronounced differently.
The Jewish symbol is two triangles connected to form a six sided star.
The colors that represent the Jewish religion are blue, white and gold, but you will mostly see blue and white representing them.
In the Jewish religion, girls generally wear skirts. Some girls cover their hair. You will mostly see the boys wearing the little caps on their head and long black coats.
Males wear prayer shawls when they pray.
You will often see Jewish people eating braided bread on Saturdays because it is the day of Sabbath. They go to church on Saturdays and the day starts in the afternoon.
They often blow out of a sheep horn to alert during a battle, they are also used during the holidays because it is a tradition of the religion.
Instead of reading a bible, they read scrolls, it is the same as a bible but written in Hebrew.
They follow traditions.
There are three main holidays in the Jewish religion. There is Passover, Shavuot, and Sukkoth.
Passover is a feast. They remember and celebrate their independence from Egypt. They cannot eat leavened bread for seven days during Passover.
During Shavuot, they bring something such as fruit or wheat to the priest or rabbi. They do this because during bible times their economy was based on agriculture.
During Sukkoth they camp outside for seven days to remember the Israelites when they were in the desert.
Hanukkah is celebrated to remember the temple. There are 8 days in Hanukkah. A gift is given each day. The gift you like the most, you give to another person. Laktes are eaten during this time. Dreidel is played during Hanukkah. We light one candle each day of this holiday.
There are three types of Jews. The main one is Orthodox. There are also Messianic Jews, and the other type is Secular. An Orthodox Jew follows a lot of customs and traditions. They don't believe that Jesus is the messiah, they believe he was a prophet. They do not believe the messiah has come to earth yet. The Messianic Jews believe Jesus is the messiah, but they follow the Jewish customs and traditions. The Secular Jews are descended from the Jewish people, but do not follow customs or believe in God.
Most people say that Jesus came from the Jewish nation. They have a huge history of exiles and persecutions. They were taken over by the Romans, Greek, and the Babylonians, and were murdered and persecuted by the Nazis during the Holocaust. The land was never called Israel until the 1900's; it was called Palestine. They also had to fight the "The War Of Yom Kippur" and "The War of The Six Days"
They have a different diet. They can only eat what it says in Leviticus 11 in the bible. The main thing that Jews have to remember is to not eat pork, shrimp, and seafood.
Buddhism
Buddhism began in northeast India and is based off the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama. It is a religion that is 2,500 years old with 350 million followers worldwide.
Buddhism is main religion that is practiced in most countries in Asia. It is a religionof suffering and the need to lose It. A main part of Buddhism is Nirvana, one of the most wonderful and blissful states that one can experience. It is a state with no suffering. The place of Origin is northeast India. One of their major festivals is the Wesak.
Buddhism is different from many religions because it is not centered on a relationship with God. Buddhists do not believe in a creator God.
Siddhartha Gautama is known as Buddha. He was born in 580 BCE in the village of Lumbini in Nepal. He was born into a royal family. For many years he lived in palace walls, and did not know suffering, sickness, and death. Siddhartha stopped being a prince and became a "holy man" because he saw a monk, and decided that it was a sign that he should leave the protection of the place and become a homeless holy man. Siddhartha Gautama is so important to
Buddhism because he found the path to enlightenment. By doing so, he was led from pain and suffering and remade towards the path of enlightenment and became knows as "the Buddha" or "Awakened One."
One of symbols of Buddhism is the wheel of life, which symbolizes the cycle of life, death, and rebirth. The eight spokes remind people that Buddha taught 8 ways of life
The lotus flower symbolizes purity and divine birth.
Buddhism is main religion that is practiced in most countries in Asia. It is a religionof suffering and the need to lose It. A main part of Buddhism is Nirvana, one of the most wonderful and blissful states that one can experience. It is a state with no suffering. The place of Origin is northeast India. One of their major festivals is the Wesak.
Buddhism is different from many religions because it is not centered on a relationship with God. Buddhists do not believe in a creator God.
Siddhartha Gautama is known as Buddha. He was born in 580 BCE in the village of Lumbini in Nepal. He was born into a royal family. For many years he lived in palace walls, and did not know suffering, sickness, and death. Siddhartha stopped being a prince and became a "holy man" because he saw a monk, and decided that it was a sign that he should leave the protection of the place and become a homeless holy man. Siddhartha Gautama is so important to
Buddhism because he found the path to enlightenment. By doing so, he was led from pain and suffering and remade towards the path of enlightenment and became knows as "the Buddha" or "Awakened One."
One of symbols of Buddhism is the wheel of life, which symbolizes the cycle of life, death, and rebirth. The eight spokes remind people that Buddha taught 8 ways of life
The lotus flower symbolizes purity and divine birth.
Islam
Islam is the second most common religion in the world. The Arabic word 'Islam' means submission and obedience, and derives from a word meaning 'peace'. Muslims believe that Muhammad is the last prophet in a line of prophets that include Abraham, Moses, and Jesus. The man of the family is the head of the household. Followers of Islam pray five times a day, and dress modestly. The Koran is their holy book.