ORIGIN OF WORLD RELIGIONS

Religion
• Religion is the pursuit of trans
ormation guided by a sacred belief system
• Spirituality reflects one’s integrative view of life while affecting the human soul.
• Is a cultural system of behaviors and practices that relate humanity to what an anthropologist has called an order of existence
• An organized system of beliefs, ceremonies, and rules used to worship a god or group of gods
• Latin word religio refers to “ something done with overanxious or scrupulous attention to detail”
• This term may have been derived from the Latin verb religare which means “ to tie together, to bind fast”.
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
Date Significance

2000 B.C.E. Time of Abraham, the patriarch of Israel

1200 B.C.E. Time of Moses, the Hebrew leader of the Exodus

1100-200 B.C.E. Hindus compile their holy texts, the vedas

563-83 B.C.E Time of Buddha, founder of Buddhism

551-479 B.C.E. Time of Confucius, founder of Confucianism

200 B.C.E. The Hindu book, Bhagavad Gita, is written

2-4 B.C.E-32 C.E. The Crucifixion and the Resurrection of Jesus Christ

The Patriarch Abraham

• The prophet and the patriarch Abraham is considered the common origin of the three monotheistic religions, ( Judaism, Christianity, and Islam)
• Muslims consider Abraham’s son Ishmael as the ancestor of the Arabs while Christians view Abraham as “Father in faith” and the Jewish people as the
descendants of Israelites.
• The ancient Hebrews call their god Elohim, Adonai, or Yaweh. Present-day Judaism uses the names “ Lord, and God”
• For the muslims , they call their god- Allah.
• Judaism has 48 prophetss and 7 prophetesses.
Early Prophets:
• Abraham
• Isaac
• Jacob
• Moses
• Aaron
• Joshua
For Muslims they believe that Muhammad is the final prophet or the “ Seal of the Prophets”
• The role of divine revelation or intervention is assosciated among their progenitors.
> God instructed Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac at Mount Moriah, God presented the Ten Commandments to Moses at Mount Sinai.
> God sacrificed his son Jesus Christ through crucifixion as plan to Salvation.
> God commanded Muhammad to establish a new religion at a cave in Mount Hira.
Indian Mosaic
• India- is one of the worlds oldest surviving civilization.
• 4 Religions that originated in India
a. Hinduism-also known as Sanatana Dharma and they call it museum of religions
b. Buddhism- centers its attention on the figure Buddha- a human being. Siddhartha Gautama’s life is closely linked with the historical and religious
development of Buddhism in India. The religion become more popular outside its place.
c. Jainism
d. Sikhism
The Way of Dao
• Chines civilization is one of the worlds oldest that date back almost 4000 years ago.
• China adopted his ideals and ethics as the Chinese developed meritocracy as a basis for government officials.
• Confucius- regarded as China’s greatest philosopher and teacher.
• Lao-tzu- the author of Dao De Jing or the book of the way and its power.
> worked as government archivist or record keeper during Zhou Dynasty
Daoism- established the “Way of the celestial masters” sect by Zhang Daoling during Han Dynasty.
> centers on the concept of Dao as a way or path signifying appropriateness of one’s behavior to lead other people.

• Analects of Confucius
“ When the empire is well-ordered,’’ said Confucius, “ it is from the emperor that edicts regarding ceremonial, music and expeditions to quell rebellion go forth. When
it is being ill governed, such edicts emanate from the feudal lords; and when the latter is the case, it will be strange if in ten generations there is not a collapse. If they
emanate merely from the high officials, it will be strange if the collapse do not come in five generations. When the state-edicts are in the hands of the subsidiary
ministers, it will be strange if in three generations there is no collapse.
• The Art of Leadership
The greatest type of ruler is one of whose existence the power are hardly aware
Next best is a leader who is loved and praised
Next comes the one who is feared
The worst is the one who is despised
When a leader doesn’t trust the people, they will become untrustworthy
The best leader speaks little
He never speaks carelessly he works without self interest and leaves no trace
When the work is accomplished, the people say: “ Amazing: we did it all by ourselves.”
Shinto
• Is a loosely organized local belief of Japan.
• Its mythology highlights the superiority of Japan.
• Japan people believed that their emperors literally descended from the sun goddess Amaterasu.
• The term Shinto was coined around 6th century C.E. to distinguish native belief system from imported religious of China and Korea, including Buddhism,
Daoism, and Confucianism.
• The term actually originated from Chinese words shen and tao roughly translated as the “ way of life”.
• Kami- defined as gods but could also refer to deities or heaven and earth, or even spirits in human beings, animals, tress, seas, and mountains.

Geography of Faith

• Laws and social norms vary by region and localities. The study about geography of religion may reveal some fascinating truths why a certain country is
predominated by one particular religion or why a specific region became homeland of great religions
The Western Frontier
• West Asia is home of the 3 great religions namely:
• Judaism
• Christianity
• Islam
• Countries closest to the eastern part of Mediterranean Sea north of the Arabian Sea and south of Turkey sometimes called the Levant, have experienced
numerous religious cataclysms in their existence as nation-states. These include Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, Syria, and Palestine. Gaining independence in
1944, Lebanon has undergone a protracted civil war from 1975 to 1990 between Christians and Muslims. During that time while Christians controlled
wealth and power, majority of Muslims felt discriminated. Around 250,000 lives were lost as a result of the conflict.
• After 1971, Many Jews migrated from Europe to their ancient homeland, Palestine. In 1948, Israel was established after driving away the Palestinian Arabs
who had been living in the area for centuries.
• The Arabian Peninsula, the worlds largest Peninsula consist of countries that are predominantly Islamic in character. The countries include Saudi Arabia,
Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, and Oman.
• The topography of West Asia is characterized by vast areas of mountainous terrains.
• 4 Sacred mountains
 • Temple Mount- one of the most sacred sites in the world revered by the Jews, Christians, and Muslims.
• 3 structures found in the site:
1. Al-Aqsa Mosque
2. Dome of the Rock
3. Dome of the Chain
- Jewish people consider the Temple Mount as their holiest shrine.
Mount Moriah – the site of sacrifice of Isaac by Abraham
• Vast expanse of deserts and bodies of water is West Asia also figure significantly in biblical history.
• Book of Exodus- narrates Yam Suph being crossed by the Israelites as they escaped from Egyptian lands.
• Yam Suph- present day Red Sea or in the modern day Sea of Reeds.
• Dead Sea- is the landlocked salt lake between Israel and Jordan.
Indian Subcontinent
• More than 4000 years ago, civilization emerged along the Indus River That developed a unique culture.
• Hindus gods: Sun-Surya
• Fire-Agni
• Water and celestial oceans- Varuma
 Ganga/Ganges- the holiest river of Hindus
 Pilgrimage sites: Rishikesh, Haridwar, Prayag, and Varanasi.
The Eastern End
• The supremacy of China on the eastern front can be explained by the role of its environment and geography that includes vast alluvial plain, extensive
fertile valleys of two great valleys, and pleasant climate.
• China is surrounded by two bodies of water : Huang He and Yangtze river.
• First two dynasties recorded: Shang and Zhou
• Confucius –main persona of the emerging social philosophy, did not intend to start a religion rather expound on the nature of order and stability in the
society.
• With the growth of Confucianism and the development of Chinese urban culture the religious shamanism began to decline.
• It was only during the second millennium after the death of Confucius in 479B.C.E that the teachings and ideals identified with its philosophy spread in
China.
• Daoism emerged in response to the widespread welfare and social turmoil that besieged the Zhou Dynasty.
• Korea experienced a great deal exposure to Chinese culture with the Han and Tang Dynasties maintaining close ties with the Koreans.
• 3 Kingdoms
1. Goguryeo
2. Silla
3. Baekje
 Being influenced by a small country compared to China, Korea had adopt Confucianism.
 The Japanese feudal system embraced the ideals of Confucianism.
> Buddhism entered Japan
> Shinto was introduced to differentiate the native belief from the new religions
> Shinto followers acknowledged buddhas and bodhisattvas
> There came a fusion or syncretism between Shinto and Buddhism
Mount Fuji- an abode of Japanese gods is surrounded by temples and shrines.
It is one of the holy mountains along with Mount Tate and Mount Haku.
• Meanwhile Confucius had a firm conviction about:
5 Basic Relationship
1. Ruler and subjects
2. Father and son
3. Husband and wife
4. Older and younger brothers
5. Friends and members of society