Five Major Religions 12/5

Yesterday in Human Geo, we mostly took notes and here are the notes we took.

Countries
-Economic Alliances

• European Union (EU)
• Organization of Petroleum exporting countries (OPEC) - experts oil to the US
• (Supply and Demand with Gas)

-Political

• North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) - European nations and USA alliance that help each other out if one of the countries gets attacked

Five Major Religions

Christianity

• Around 2.2 billion adherents (largest religion in the world)
• Call them: Christians
• Geographic locations: Europe, the Americas, Southern Africa
• Founder: Jesus Christ
• Holy Book: The Bible (mainly the New Testament)
• Beliefs: Jesus led a perfect life, died, came back to life, now reigns in Heaven with God (Jesus is Human and Divine)
• Clergy: Pope, Bishops, Priest
• Denominations: Catholic, Protestants, Eastern Orthodox

Islam

• 1.5 billion adherents (second largest religion in the world)
• Call them: Muslims
• Geographic locations: Indonesia, Middle East, North Africa
• Denominations: Sunnis (75-90%) and Shiites (10-20%)
• Founder: Muhammed
• Holy Book: Qur'an
• Beliefs: Monotheistic - One God, Abrahamic Tradition, Five Pillars (testimony, prayer, donating money or almsgiving, fasting)
• Pilgrimage: Muslims see their purpose in life as serving and submitting to Alah (God), and observing Islamic law

Hinduism

• 1.1 billion adherents (third largest)
• Geographic locations: India, Nepal
• Holy book: The Vedas - eternal truths to stages written in verses which were in song and easily memorized
• Founder: no founder - It is a series of intellectual or philosophical points of view, rather than a rigid, strict set of beliefs
• Beliefs: Reincarnation of a soul to go to a new and younger person

Buddhism

• 500 million to 1.5 billion (estimates vary quite a bit)
• 1.2 million in the USA
• Call them: Buddhists
• Geographic locations: Southeast Asia, China, Nepal, Japan
• Denominations: Tibetan, Zen Theravada, Amidst
• Founder: Siddhartha Gautama
• You can be a Christian and a Buddhist
• Beliefs: Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold paths

Judaism

• 14-18 million adherents (ninth largest)
• Call them: Jews
• Geographical locations: Israel (80% in Israel are Jews)
• Founder: Abraham (?)
• Holy Book: Talmud and the Torah (The first five books of the Old Testament)
• Beliefs: Ethical Monotheism - God is one and concerned with the actions of human kind
• The Ten commandments and the 13 Principles of Faiths