foundational regions

Polytheism

• Earliest religion across all cultural regions

• Many gods and/or spirits

• Animism

• Sumerians, Greeks, Romans, Aztec, African, and Hinduism

Judaism: 900 BCE

• Monotheism

• Ten Commandments of moral and religious conduct

• Torah—Written record and beliefs of Hebrews

• Greatly influenced Christianity and Islam

• Founded in the Middle East in modern day Israel

Christianity: 30 CE

• Monotheism

• Jesus as Son of God

• Life after death, sins forgiven

• New Testament—Life and teachings of Jesus

• Persecuted by Romans; later legalized by Constantine in mid-300s

• Founded in the Middle East in modern day Israel  

Islam: 622 CE

• Monotheism

• Muhammad the prophet, Allah is God; Noah, Abraham and Jesus are all accepted as well.

• Koran [Qu’ran]

• Five Pillars of Islam

• Founded in Mecca and Medina – The Middle East south of Israel

• Shiite/Sunni split [more on this later]

Buddhism: 550 BCE

• Founder—Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha)

• Four Noble Truths

• Eightfold Path to Enlightenment/Nirvana

• Desire causes suffering

• Spread of Buddhism from India to China and other parts of Asia, resulting from Asoka’s missionaries and their writings

• Monotheistic

Hinduism: 1500 BCE

• Many forms of one deity or god

• Caste system

• Reincarnation

• Karma—Future reincarnation based on present behavior 

• Founded in India

Confucianism: 550 BCE

• A philosophical and ethical system of conduct [not actually a religion]

• Founder: Kung Fu-Tze

• Men superior, importance of family, only educated should be in charge, ancestor worship, mandate of heaven

• Knowledge of Confucianism made up much of the Civil Service exam.

• Dominant influence of Chinese government and education for over 2000 years

Daoism: 400 BCE

• Founder Lao-tzu; later polytheistic

• “The War”: a balance in nature 

• Yin/Yang [passive and active] is harmony

• Confucianism is unnatural

• Very popular with peasants

• Great effect on art

• Founded in China