Environmental Perspectives

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Environmental Perspectives

• Overview of World Religions Part One
• Western Religions and Nature

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Major Religions of the World(Not a complete list)

• Western Religion
• Judaism
• Christianity
• Islam
• Eastern Religions
• Hinduism
• Buddhism
• Taoism
• Confucianism
• Shinto

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Western Religions
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Ancient Judaism

• The religion of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament).
• The people were not called Jews, nor their
  religion Judaism until much later.
• Hebrew religion begins with the monotheism of
  Abraham.
• In the Bible, Abraham is called to serve one God,
  and leave behind his familys polytheistic
  religion.

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Modern Judaism

• People tied together by ethnic background,
  religion and culture, who trace their ancestry
  and religious faith back to Abraham.
• Jews base their faith on the Hebrew Bible. It is
  interpreted in light of ancient commentaries on
  the Law (Talmud) and other commentaries
  (Midrash).
• Primary branches of Judaism today
• Orthodox Judaism.
• Reformed Judaism.
• Hasidic Judaism.

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Christianity

• Jesus (c. 5 BC to 30 AD).
• The early church claimed to have seen Jesus alive
  after his crucifiction and began the Christian
  movement.
• Branches of Christianity today.
• Roman Catholicism.
• Eastern Orthodoxy.
• Protestantism. (Various branches)

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Christian History
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Islam

• The religion established by Muhammad in the 7th
  century A.D.
• islam means surrender.
• Islam is based on radical surrender to the one
  God.
• Based on the Quran (Koran), which Muhammad
  claimed was dictated by the angel Gabriel to
  Muhammad.
• Muhammad presents his message as a correction to
  wrong doctrines believed by Jews and Christians.
• Moslems believe they are descended from Abraham
  through his son, Ishmael.

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The Pillars of Islam

• set aside a day to worship Mother Earth.

• Belief in Allah as the only God and Muhammad as
  his prophet.
• Ritual prayer 5 times a day.
• Giving alms to the poor.
• Fasting from dawn until dusk during the holy
  month of Ramadan.
• Making pilgrimage (hajj) to the holy city of
  Mecca at least once during ones lifetime.

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Eastern Religions
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Eastern Religions

• Far Eastern Religions
• Taoism (China)
• Confucianism (China)
• Shintoism (Japan)
• Religions which originated in India
• Hinduism (India)
• Buddhism (now in much of Asia)

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Eastern Religions

• Far Eastern Religions
• Taoism (China)
• Confucianism (China)
• Shintoism (Japan)
• Religions originated in India
• Hinduism
• Buddhism