INTRODUCTION TO

WORLD RELIGIONS AND

BELIEF SYSTEMS

AERON JOHN A. AMIN

Subject Teacher
MELC: Analyze the influences of religion to
culture and society.

Lesson Objectives:
1. Identify the founders, sacred texts,
doctrines, core teaching and related issues
of Judaism.
2. Relate a story from the Old Testament that
demonstrates the Jewish belief in one God.
3. Show appreciation to other belief systems
Instructions: 4 Pics, One Word: Guess the concept
described in the four pics shown below.
JUDAISM
FOUNDER AND ORIGIN
Where did Judaism begin?

It began here in Israel. We live here!

TERMS TO REMEMBER:
1. Judaism – named after tribe of Judah
2. Jew – shortened form of Judean – member of tribe
of Judah
3. Jehovah – God of the Jews
4. Hebrew – originally Habiru – “they who crossed
over” referred to people who crossed the desert
and were respected – now the language of the
Jews
5. Scriptures – the sacred books of Judaism
6. Torah – the laws of Moses, first 5 books of Ta-Na-Kh
FOUNDER
 Judaism began before history in
the eastern Mediterranean was
even written.
 Judaism was founded by
Abraham around 1750 B.C.E.
 Judaism originated in Israel
around 4000 years ago.
WHO IS ABRAHAM?
 The father of the “Jewish people”, was
Abraham.
 He was the first person who entered
into a covenant, or contract with God.
 Abraham was the first Patriarch which
means “male power figure”. Matriarch
means “female power figure”, this is
where Ma and Pa came from.
WHO ARE THE JEWS?
 Traditionally, a Jew is anyone
who’s mother is a Jew.
 You can also be a Jew by
conversion
 A conversion ceremony is really
just an “adoption” into the family
of Abraham and Sarah
THE STORY OF MOSES
When Moses was born, Israelites were slaves of Egypt.
One day he saw a slave master beating a Hebrew, and
Moses struck him in anger. He knew that the
punishment was death, so he fled into the forest.
There he saw a bush that was burned by fire, but not
destroyed. When he took a closer look, God spoke to
him. God told him to go back to Egypt, and lead his
people out of slavery.

Moses went back to Egypt to tell the Pharaoh, but the

Pharaoh ignored him.
THE STORY OF MOSES
In anger God punished Egypt by sending plagues,
turning drinking water into blood, 3 days of
darkness, and finally killing all newborns. The
Pharaoh’s son was killed that night and the next
day, the Pharaoh called Moses, and told him to
take his people and his cattle and to leave Egypt.
Moses led them into the desert for 40 years.
When they arrived at Mt. Sinai, God spoke to the
Israelite’s and gave them the 10 commandments.
TRIVIA
 They use B.C.E ( before common era) and not
B.C. (before Christ), or A.D. (Anno Domini),
which means in the year of the Lord, because
Jews do not believe Jesus was Christ, or the son
of God.
 The Jewish calendar is different because they
chose to make the beginning of their calendar
creation.
 Judaism is the mother religion to both
Christianity and Islam
 BELIEFS,
PRACTICES AND
DOCTRINES
JUDAIC FAITH AND RELIGION
FAST FACT…
 Founder(s) : Abraham (2000 B.C.) , Moses
(1391-1271 B.C.)
 Sacred texts: Torah, Poetry, Prophets, Talmud,
Mishnah
 Doctrines: Ten Commandments
 Major Branches : Orthodox, Reform,
Conservative
ELABORATION ON PRACTICES
DIETARY PRACTICES

One of the areas of Jewish life heavily influenced by the laws

from Torah is their food. “Food consumption and handling must
be done according to religious laws”. Ex. “all blood must be
drained before the meat is cooked and eaten, because blood, w/c
gives life, is sacred to God”. Jews do not eat pork &
shellfish(Leviticus 11).
Kosher-means ritually correct in food preparation &
consumption.
SABBATH
A day of rest and worship at the synagogue, is observed each
Saturday. In Judaism, all days begin at sunset, so all holidays begin at
sundown and end at sundown.

MESSIAH
Fundamental Jewish beliefs is that a Messiah, or savior will come.
The belief in the coming of Messiah is one of those doctrines that have
changed across diff versions of Judaism. Traditional Jews refused to
accept Jesus as the Messiah, & so they remain waiting for Messiah.
The followers of Jesus, who they call Christ, were Jews, believed in
Him, became the first Christians.
PASSOVER
Jews have many holidays, but perhaps the most important for
them is the Feast of the Passover, w/c commemorates the
liberation of the Hebrews from Egypt. It is celebrated for 8 days.

Seder or the Paschal – is a meal shared by the family on the 1 st day

of the feast.

Matzah - the primary food during Passover, or unleavened bread,

it symbolizes freedom and liberation. In connection to this all
leavened items must be removed.
WHAT ARE THE BELIEFS OF JUDAISM?
 Judaism is one of the oldest religions still existing today.
 Judaism has a very formal set of beliefs that one must hold
to be a Jew.
 Jews share a core of Monotheism principles (Believe in one
God) and that he is the powerful and all knowing, and that
at the end God will send down a messiah to redeem the
Jews.
 The everyday belief for Jews is concentrated in their written
scriptures. The Tanakh and the Talmud are the main holy
books in Judaism. The Tanakh contains the Torah (five books
of Moses), the prophets, and the Ketuvim ("writings").
 Judaism's oral law is contained in the Mishnah, Tosefta,
classical midrashim and the two Talmuds.
WHAT ARE THE BELIEFS OF JUDAISM?
 The mainstream Jewish view is that God will
reward those who observe His commandments
and punish those who intentionally transgress
them.
 Once one learned Torah properly, one could
then learn the higher truths
 One can attain closeness to God even in this
world through moral and spiritual perfection.
 As a matter of practice Orthodox Judaism lays
stress on the performance of the actual
commandments.
FACTS ABOUT JEWISH INTERESTING
BELIEFS
 Have 613 commandments from God, but The
Ten Commandments are the most
important.
 Moses is one of the Prophets they Believe in
 Judaism does not accept the New testament.
 Jews believe that god made a covenant as a
promise to the people that he will save the
ones that believe in him.
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS

And God spoke all these words:

1. “I am the Lord your God, who

brought you out of Egypt, out of the land
of slavery. You shall have no other gods
before me.”
 2. “You shall not make for yourself an image in the
form of anything in heaven above or on the earth
beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow
down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord
your God, am a jealous God, punishing the
children for the sin of the parents to the third and
fourth generation of those who hate me, but
showing love to a thousand generations of those
who love me and keep my commandments.”
 3. “You shall not misuse the
name of the Lord your God,
for the Lord will not hold
anyone guiltless who misuses
his name.”
 4. “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six
days you shall labor and do all your work, but the
seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you
shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or
daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your
animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in
six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the
sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh
day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and
made it holy.”
5. “Honor your father and your mother, so
that you may live long in the land the Lord
your God is giving you.”

6. “You shall not murder.”

7. “You shall not commit adultery.”

8. “You shall not steal.”

9. “You shall not give false testimony
against your neighbor.”

10. “You shall not covet your neighbor’s

house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s
wife, or his male or female servant, his ox
or donkey, or anything that belongs to
your neighbor.”
 SYMBOLS AND
ARCHITECTURE
JUDAIC FAITH AND RELIGION
Synagogue
Originally a place where
10 men can go and worship
and study.
Most Jewish rituals take place in
synagogues .
The Rabbi is the one who is in charge
of the synagogue and teaches Judaism
Western Wall
 The wall is located in the holy city
of Jerusalem.
 160 feet in length
and 40 feet in height.
 There are 19 rows of stones
extended 20 feet under ground.
 Jewish people travel to the wall to pray
Star of David
 The Star of David is the universal
symbol of Judaism.
 The Star of David appears on
synagogues, the state flag of Israel, and
Jewish ritual objects.
 The star is made of two triangles.
 During the Holocaust all Jewish people had to
wear the Star of David on their arm to show that
they were Jewish.
 The Hebrew term for the Star of David is Magen
David
Menorah
 It is the oldest symbol of the Jewish faith
 The Menorah has 7 branches to symbolize
the 7 days of Hanukah
 The Menorah is said to be the symbol of
Israel and our mission to be “a light
unto the nations”
 The lamp stands today in all synagogues
around the world
 There is also 9 branched Menorahs used
for Hanukah, it celebrates the miracle
that a days worth of oil can last 8 days
CORE TEACHINGS

Divine moral law is embodied in the codes set out

in the first five books of the Bible, known as the
Torah, developed in the later Biblical works, and
expanded in a continuing flow of ethical and legal
literature, as described in The Talmud and Other
Literature. The Torah is thought to have originated
in about 1400 BCE.
The codes in the Torah set out 613
commandments, which include those well
known as the 10 Commandments.

Included in the moral principles set out in

the commandments in the Torah and in
the later literature are rules about justice,
equality before the law, loving-kindness,
social welfare, and the ideals of peace and
political freedom.
ISSUES RELATED
TO JUDAIC FAITH AND RELIGION
1. HOLOCAUST - The term Holocaust is of
Greek origin that means “sacrifice by fire.”
2. ANTI-SEMITISM - The term anti-Semitism
pertains to hostility towards and discrimination
against the Jewish people that was strongly felt in
France, Germany, Poland, and Russia in the late
nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
ACTIVITY 1: ESSAY
Direction: Choose at least 2 from the 10
Commandments and explain intensively by providing
the following: (1) state the selected Commandment/s,
(2) Context, explanation and discussion of the
commandments.

Please also add a reflection after your discussion of the

two selected commandments.
ACTIVITY 2: COMPARE ME
Direction: Choose one core teaching/belief from
Judaism and relate it to the doctrine and belief
systems in your own religious sects.

Explain how these teachings differ from each

other.
ACTIVITY 3: COMPARE ME
Direction: Share a new practice/belief or new
holiday/religious observance about Judaism with
which you were previously unfamiliar.
What was the most interesting or surprising thing
you have learned in our discussion with Judaism?