Classwork 1/14/18

Today in class we were given an assignment that should help us before the test on religions this Friday. We had to write a paragraph on each of the religions we have learned about. (Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism) Here are my responses:

Christianity

Christianity is easily the most popular religion in the world as of now. With nearly 2.2 billion adherants from many denominations, it trumps over the other religions in the world. If you were to try and find large groups of Christians, you would probably start by looking in Europe, the Americas, and Southern Africa, as that is where Christianity is most popularly based. Obviously, it can be found in other nations as well, like India. Christianity is based around one figure: Jesus Christ. He is considered a holy teacher and is probably the most important figure in the Bible. The Pope is known as the head leader in the catholic church, and priests are local authorities.

Islam

Islam is estimated to be the second most popular religion right now, with around 1.5 billion adherents. There are only two denominations in the Islamic religion, compared to the various ones of Christianity. The two denominations are Sunnis, and Shiites. Despite having the same major belief systems, these two denominations can be rather argumentative with each other. You can find Muslims in Indonesia, the Middle East, and North Africa, among other places. Their founder was Muhammad, but he is not the central figure of the Islamic faith. Instead, they worship their God, who is called Allah. Their holy text is called the Qur'an, and they follow a system called the Five Pillars of Faith. They are a monotheistic religion, like Christianity. This means that they only believe in one God. Muslims see purpose in life as serving and submitting to Allah, and observing Islamic law. 

Hinduism

Hinduism is the third largest religion in the world, with about 1.1 billion people currently practicing it. Hindus are largely centered in India and Nepal, but can of course be found in other places as well. There is no distinct founder to this religion but instead it is referred to as a "series of intellectual or philosophical points of view rather than a rigid, strict, set of beliefs". Hinduism is most likely one of the oldest religions still being practiced, dating back to before 800 BC when the Aryan scholars completed writing the Vedas. The Vedas are considered the holy book of the Hindus. These collections of texts are composed in verse form, and are meant to be sung and memorized.

Buddhism

Buddhism is the fourth largest religion with an estimated 500 million-1.5 billion adherents. There are various denominations in Buddhism, for example, Tibetan, Zen, Theravada, and Amidist. You can find Buddhists in South East Asia, China, Nepal, and Japan. The founder of Buddhism is believed to be a man named Siddartha Guatama, who much similarly to Jesus, believed in things like living simply, and forgiveness. Two of the most important fundamentals for Buddhists are The Four Noble Truths and The Eightfold Path. The Four Noble truths are supposedly what Siddartha realized when he was on his journey to live humbly. The Eightfold Path is like a set of rules to live by.

Judaism

Judaism is ninth largest religion in the world, with only 14-18 million adherents. Most Jews are centered in Israel or the United States. Their founder is believed to be Abraham, who also happens to be a major figure in Christianity. Their holy book is the Torah, or the first five books of the old testament of the Bible. Judaism is surprisingly closely linked to Christianity, especially in the fact that they are monotheistic, and believe that God is one, and concerned with the actions of man kind. They also have two major beliefs, called the 13 Principles of Faith and the 10 Commandments.