Major Religions and Their Beliefs, Exams of Religion

Download Major Religions and Their Beliefs and more Exams Religion in PDF only on Docsity! Name Date _ CHAPTER 8: Aspects of Culture 125 Most religions designate some special places as sacred or holy. Today, seven major religions have the greatest number of followers around the world: animism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam and Sikhism. Animism is the belief that many things in nature have their own spirit. Animism is one of the earliest forms of religion. Many different people have held animistic beliefs. In sub-Saharan Africa, tribes believed that animals, plants, and even places had their own spirits. Medicine men attempted to make contact with the spirit world, and young men had experiences with the spirits during ceremonies marking their passage from childhood to adulthood. In Native American societies, people similarly believed that animals and objects in nature had their own spirits. Each group of families, known as a clan, identified with a particular animal and never harmed or ate that animal. In ancient Japan, people also believed that many spirits, known as kami, existed in nature. These animistic beliefs gave rise to the Japanese religion of Shintoism. Like animism, Hinduism is a very ancient religion. It teaches its disciples that the principles of life can be discovered through meditation. Hinduism has no single holy book, but Hindu writings like the Upanishads and the Bhagavad-Gita provide guidance and inspiration. Name Date _ 126 MASTERING THE TEl<S IN WORLD GEOGRAPHY Many Hindus believe that God is revealed through the ancient laws and principles con­ tained in Hindu scriptures, which speak of a struggle between order and chaos. Hinduism is the third largest religion in the world, and the most popular religion in modern India and Nepal. There are about one billion Hindus in the world today. 1 ;} Gods. Hindus believe that thPrP ;np many qnrís and goddesses. Each of these gods, however, is a rnanifestation (form) of one Supreme Being. Karma. Karma refers to él person's behavior in life, which I lindus believe determines that person's form irr Lire rrexl lire. People who live él good life will be reborn in a higher caste. Those who do not are reborn in a lower caste. Sacred Objects. Hindus believe the Ganges River is sacred and has the power to wash away sin and evil. The cow is also considered sacred. As a result, religious Hi ndus do not eat beet. Buddhism began in Nepal around 500 B.C. Prince Siddhartha Gautama lived a life of great luxury. One day, he looked out beyond his palace walls and was shocked by the human suffering he saw all around him. This prompted him to leave his family and to set out in search of truth. After six years of searching, he came to believe suffering was caused by human desire. Gautama became known as "Buddha." He taught that to end suffering, a person must come to accept the world as it is and to block out selfish desires. Buddhist missionaries carried his ideas throughout India and to China, Korea and Japan. Today, Buddhism remains popular in f,,¡-1sl ,111d Southeast Asia. . i :·t ,,;,, í '"""'"'...= ....................... -~ ................. ---'--'---'"..,__ :,.._ · '."' Gods and Holy Books. Buddhists do not f,, believe in a single Supreme Being (God). They r also do not have a primary holy book. Their . , basic beliefs are found in books called Sutras. Jt., <'It l hese truths PX[)lilin lifr's mr aninq. Thry explain that pain and suffering ' is caused by human desires, such as the desire for material wealth and selfish pleasures. Only by giving up wrongful desires can a person find peace and harmony. ...__---------· --~ [ightfold Path. I o give up selfish human desires, Huddhists believe one should follow this path: give up wealth, act in a worthy mariner, speak truthfully, live righteously, respect all living things, and meditate . Nirvana. By following the Eightfold Path, an individual can escape the soul's endless reincarnations and achieve nirvana - a state of eternal peace and bliss.