5 major religion 3 Major Goddesses

1. Hinduism- oldest religion in the world 1. Saraswati- Wife of Brahma

2major cities - Education, creativity and music
-harappa - Saras- that which is fluid
-Mohenjodaro - Bring order out of chaos and has a
calming and centering personality
Hinduism also known as exonym- a name given
2. Lakshmi- wife of Vishnu
by the others to people, place or concepts
- Goddess of wealth and good
Persian term “Sindus” lived across the indus fortune
river 3. Parvati- wife of shiva
- The archetypal mother goddess and
“hindu” originated from the sunskrit worlf for fertility image
river “sindhu” - She benevolently mediates
between the worshipper and the
divine.
3 trimurti or triumvirate meaning 3 forms

3 forms or God are responsible for the creation, Interpret Hinduism as:
upkeep and destruction of the world. Monotheistic- one god
Polytheistic- many avatars of the
one god
Henotheistic- avatars to supremacy
3 most powerful god
Pantheistic- interpreted as
1. Brahma the creator representing aspects of natural
- 4 heads 4 arms- power world
- Rosary- time Atheistic- replace the concept of
- Waterpot- potentential for creation brahman.
- Sceptre- pouring of holy oil
- Vedas- knowledge BELIEFS:
2. Vishnu the preserver • Hindus believe in the doctrines of
- God of light, preserver and Samsara.
protector of the universe and his • “Atman” key thoughts of hinduism or
role is to have balance. the belief in soul.
- Krishna- avatarus of vishnu • One fundamental principle of the
- 4 arms- power religion is the idea that people’s action
- discus- meaning the mind and thoughts directly determine their
- Lotus flower- a glorious existence current life and future lives.
and liberation • Hindus strives to achieve dharma.
- Conch- god of sound • Hindus revere all living creatures and
- Mace- mental and physical strength consider the cow the sacred animals.
3. Shiva the destroyer • Food is an important part of life for
- Vasuki or the cobra on his neck- Hindus
power • Hinduism is closely related to other
- Pen- fear not Indian religions, including Buddhism,
Sikhism, and Janism.
• The purpose of life for Hindus is to • Right concentration
achieve four aims called Purusharthas.
• Dharma - righteousness
• Kama - desire 3. Judaism
• Artha - wealth
• Moksha - liberation The origins of Jewish faith are explained
throughout the Torah. According to the text,
God first revealed himself to a Hebrew man
named Abraham, who became known as the
2. Buddhism- Originated in India
founder of Judaism.
- Siddhartha Gautama the founder
- One of their beliefs were nirvana - Hebrews- refers to those accepted
- Do not believe in any kind of deity Yahweh as their God and much of
or god. their history is written on Hebrew
- Israelite- refers to the descendants
Four noble truths:
of the Hebrew, which is originated
• Dukkha - everyone in life is suffering in form Abraham.
someway - Jew- comes from Yehudah or Judah,
the southern kingdom of israel
• Samudāya- all suffering comes from
desire DENOMINATIONS OF JUDAISM

• Nirodha – it is possible to stop suffering - Reform Judaism - traces it to either

a Jewish Father or Mother
- Conservative Judaism - define jews
• Magga – steps to achieve
as being born of a Jewish Mother
enlightenment
- Orthodox Judaism - mainstream
• Wheel of rebirth- Born again into judaism (traditional teaching)
different bodies depending on how they
BELIEFS
conducted themselves in their previous
lives. Focus on relationships between: – God and
mankind
• Karma
– God and Jewish people
The Eightfold Path
– Jews and Land of Israel
• Right of faith or belief
– Man and Man
• Right resolve or aspiration
People of all religions are Children of God and
• Right speech
equal before God
• Right action
• All people have God’s love, mercy and help
• Right living
• Do not require a conversion to Judaism for
• Right effort Salvation

• Right thought No clear sense of heaven or hell

• God filled with love and mercy so punishment 4. The Bible contains the stories of God.
not eternal
5. God is the father and creator.
4. Christianity
6. One must follow all laws of God.
- Christianity originated with the
ministry of JESUS CHRIST in the 1ST 7. He died to save humanity from His sin.
CENTURY ROMAN PROVINCE OF
JUDEA. 8. One God but three person.
- is an Abrahamic monotheistic
religion based on the life and
teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. 5. Islam
- Believers = Christians - Islam is a one of the world's major
- Holy Scripture: Bible (Old and New monotheistic religions.
Testament) - Islam comes from the word "al-
- Christianity is a religion that silm" and "istaslama" which means
developed from Judaism; some of peace and surrender.
its first followers were originally - The god in Islam is referred to as
Jews. Allah, which in Arabic means "the
- Christians accepts Jesus Christ as god" or "the deity".
the Messiah, or the Savior.
- Jews considers Jesus as just another
prophet of God, and the real The founder of Islam
Messiah is yet to come.
The prophet Muhammad
- Christianity believes in the Holy
Trinity. He was Born in the city of Mecca
1. God the Father, the creator
He was a messenger sent from Allah
2. God the Son, the savior
3. God the Holy Spirit, the guide He was Allah’s most important prophet
Two Great Commandments: Where Islam Originated
1. “Love the Lord your God with all your Islam started in Mecca and Medina
heart and all your soul and with all your
In the middle east
mind”
2. “Love your neighbor as you love Islam spread to places like; Arabia, Asia, and
yourself” (Matthew 22:37-40). Egypt.
Christians also believe in the life after death. Then continued to expand
There is also a belief in Purgatory. Then Muslims were almost every country.
Brief Summarization of Beliefs in Christianity

1. There is only one God. QURAN- Means "recitation" in Arabic

2. God is all-knowing. The holy book of Muslim
3. Jesus is the son of God.
The sacred text of Islam and the highest Spirituality- Not a set of defined beliefs. It’s a
authority in both religious and legal matters. focus on your human spirit and soul. It’s not
about the way you look or the health of your
The Quran consists of 114 Chapters (suras) of
physical body.
different lengths, with a total of 6236 ayat
(verses). It provides detailed guidelines on the -Spirituality is your personal relationship with
day-to- day living of a Muslim. the God of your own understanding. As I teach
in my manifestation course, God is just a name
MOSQUE- place of worship of the muslims
for a higher power. Some people call it the
Universe, some people call it Source, while
others call it Consciousness. Everyone will have
The five pillars of islam different definitions of God.
The Testimony of Faith: Shahada- Saying the - experience
Shahada throughout the day
-Spirituality is something that you discover and
"There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is learn on your own. There are no rules when it
his messenger." comes to connecting to spirit. Some people
Prayer: Salat- raying five times a day facing connect with their God through books, others
Mecca: Dawn, noon ,mid-afternoon ,sunset through meditation, and some discover their
,nightfall highest truth by healing from traumatic events.

Muslim communities gather for collective -Spirituality is who you are because, at your
prayer mostly on Fridays. core, you are a spirit having a human
experience.
Charity: Zakat- Alms giving
Religion- A belief system that’s clearly defined,
Muslims believe that what they have are Allah’s including what you should believe, why and
belongings how to do so. It may have a specific God or
Muslims are required to give 2.5% of their numerous Gods. It may include worship,
income to the poor or needy teachings, theology and strong beliefs.

Fasting: Sawm- During Ramadan, Muslims -is a group of people who worship the same
cannot eat or drink anything during the daylight God. Everyone shares the same definition of
hours God, which is usually described in historical
doctrine or holy text.
Hajji- Once in their lives, Muslims make a
pilgrimage to Mecca - group of people comes together to study
doctrines
What will they be doing?
-Religion is pointing at the moon. Religion is not
3-6 days of rituals or prayer the ultimate. Religion is not, itself, the moon,
but it is meant to help us see the moon and to
Focus is on the Ka’ba, the holiest shrine and
require us to reach for it.
supposed first house of mankind.
- Religion is something that points toward who
you are. Through religion, you can discover the
SPIRITUALITY VS RELIGION
truth of who you are which is a spirit having a 4. Mysticism
human experience. 5. Meditation

- Religion only accepts one truth. This truth Williams james- he points to religious
usually refers to a doctrine or holy text that has experience as a phenomenon that can have
been passed down through generations. profound effects.
Deviating from the truth is frowned upon and
Richard Swinburne- offers a wa to classify
not tolerated.
religious experiences

1. Public experiences
Religious experience 2. Private experiences

In general is defined by: Kant- took the view that human beings have
only five senses and that all they know comes
1. A sense of wonder
through one or more of them.
2. A sense of new insight and
values Role and impact of religions and spirituality on
3. A sense of holiness and human history and personal life
profundity
Positive impact
It involves the whole person- mind, emotions,
Promotes social harmony- Religions provides
values and relationships. William james states
divine authority to ethical and moral principles
the a religious experience is the feelings, acts,
which also help promote unity among people.
experience of individual men in their solitude.
Provides moral value- It provides a systematic
Religious experience
model of universe, which in effect determines
1. The experiential- concerned with the organized human behavior.
experience itself- it allows the
Provide social change- Very effective in urging
experience to speak for itself trying to
and campaigning for certain social issues using
define exactly what is experienced
its own moral teaching as the basis of
2. The proposition- extracts experiences
argument.
form certain definite propositions which
are claimed to be religious truth. Reduces the fear of unknown- Religions
provides answers for phenomena and questions
Rudolph- stated that a religious experience may
that science and reason cannot explain.
be an encounter with something=ng powerful,
uncanny, weird, awesome but also attractive Gives positive goals in life- Narrative
fascinating. perpetuated through religion give people a
sense of meaning in life.
- He also pointed out that religious
experience cannot be described in Gives people a sense of belonging- Assurance
ordinary language. that a person can rely on other people’s help in
times of need.
Types of religious experiences
Negative impact
1. Near death experiences
2. Conversion
3. Group experiences
Causes discrimination- Religious fanaticism can
lead to feelings of hatred which could lead to
racism , and eventually violence.

Religions trigger conflicts and fights- Religions

has some aspects which make it susceptible to
be a source of conflicts and war.

Affirms social hierarchy- Perpetuate the nations

of class or gender discrimination and operation.

Role of Religions and Spirituality in Personal Life

Agent of socialization- Religion helps in creating

an ethical framework and also a regulator for
values in day to day life

Encourages us to take care of ourselves-

Religion makes us believe that our body and our
life are a gift from God

Influences our health- When you pray and

meditate you activate the brain and stimulate
clarity as you do your thinking.

Gives us a sense of purpose

Religion helps us to define our lives, and thus

we can say it gives meaning to our lives.

Influences our health

Provides mental peace

Compassion, forgiveness,
gratefulness,connectedness, hope, optimism,
trust and purpose are qualities that are strongly
associated with individuals who are spiritual
and religious.

Affects our physical health

Our belief system drives the way we think and

behave, which in turn impact our health related
actions.