Religiones

RELIGIONS
1. CHRISTIANITY
Christianity is the most popular religion in the world with over 2 billion adherents. 42 million Britons see themselves as nominally Christian, and there are 6 million who are actively practising.
• Christians believe that Jesus was the Messiah promised in the Old Testament.
• Christians believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
• Christians believe thatGod sent his Son to earth to save humanity from the consequences of its sins.
• One of the most important concepts in Christianity is that of Jesus giving his life on the Cross (the Crucifixion) and rising from the dead after the third day (the Resurrection).
• Christians believe that there is only one God, but that there are three elements to this one God:
o God the Father
o God the Sono The Holy Spirit
• Christians worship in churches.
• Their spiritual leaders are called priests or ministers.
• The Christian holy book is the Bible, and consists of the Old and New Testaments.
• Christian holy days such as Easter and Christmas are important milestones in the Western secular calendar

2. ISLAM
The word Islam means both 'peace' and 'submission'. It is the secondlargest religion in the world with over 1bn followers, and over 1.6m in the UK.
There are several different groups of Muslims, but all of them, in every country and community, regard their faith as a bond between them, and as a major part of their identity.
• Islam was revealed over 1400 years ago in Mecca, Arabia.
• Followers of Islam are called Muslims.
• Muslims believe that there isonly One God.
• The Arabic word for God is Allah.
• According to Muslims, God sent a number of prophets to mankind to teach them how to live according to His law.
• Jesus, Moses and Abraham are respected as prophets of God.
• They believe that the final Prophet was Muhammad (peace be upon him).
• Muslims believe that Islam has always existed, but for practical purposes, date their religionfrom the time of the migration of Muhammad.
• Muslims base their laws on their holy book the Qur'an, and the Sunnah.
• The Sunnah is the practical example of Prophet Muhammad.
• There are five basic Pillars of Islam.
• These pillars are the declaration of faith, praying five times a day, giving money to charity, fasting and a once in a lifetime pilgrimage to Mecca.

3. JUDAISMJudaism is the original of the three Abrahamic faiths, which also includes Christianity and Islam. There are 12 million Jewish people in the world, and most of them are in the USA and Israel. There are 320,000 Jews in the UK.
• Judaism originated in the Middle East over 3500 years ago
• Judaism was founded by Moses, although Jews trace their history back to Abraham.
• Jews believe that there isonly one God with whom they have a covenant.
• In exchange for all the good that God has done for the Jewish people, Jewish people keep God’s laws and try to bring holiness into every aspect of their lives.
• Judaism has a rich history of religious text, but the central and most important religious document is the Torah.
• Spiritual leaders are called Rabbis.
• Jews worship in Synagogues.• 6 million Jews were murdered in the Holocaust in an attempt to wipe out Judaism
Jews believe that the Jewish People are specially chosen by God, and it is the idea of this specially chosen race that leads some to conclude that Jews are a race, and not just a religion. This means that there are many people who identify themselves as Jewish without necessarily believing in, or observing anyJewish law.

4. HINDUISM
Hinduism is one of the world's oldest religions, and has over 900 million adherents worldwide. Hinduism is not a single doctrine, and there is no single founder or teacher.
• Hinduism originated around the Indus Valley near the River Indus in modern day Pakistan
• It is over 3,000 years old
• About 80% of the Indian population regard themselves as Hindu.
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