Religion- It's all about relationships

• HOW DO WE KNOW GOD WANTS A RELATIONSHIP WITH US?

  • These relationships are known as covenants
  • Covenant: a formal relationship between 2 parties which agree to a set of promises so they can work together toward a common goal
• THE FORM OF A COVENANT:

  Everytime God makes a covenat with the people in the Bible it has a particular form: God gives a blessing (he gives something the person wants, needs or promises them act for action)

  Condition (in return for the blessing humans might have to do something). Finally a sign (something that reminds people the covenant exists.)
• What was Noah's blessing?

  All life on Earth was destroyed by the flood. God promises a flood will never again destroy all life on Earth.
• What was Noah's condition?

  Noah must not eat meat that still has life (blood) on it.
• What was Noah's sign?

  The sign in the covenant is that when God brings clouds over the Earth they will see the rainbow and remember the agreement between God and every living thing in the world.
• Who is Abraham?

  Abraham is importan to Jews, Mulsims and Christians. He is considered founder of all 3 religions. He was an old man and a shepherd. He had a wife (Sarah), 2 sons (Isaac and Ishmael) and a father (Terac).
• Abraham's covenant

  Blessing- Land, relationship with God. Father of all nations.

  Condition- He had to go to a new land.

  sIGN- Males had to be circumcised.
• Abrahamic religions

  • Monotheism is the belief in only one god
  • There are three major monotheistic religions, known as Abrahamic religions: Judaism, Christianity, Islam.
  • All 3 monotheistic religions view Jerusalem as their holy city
  • Many beliefs are shared among the three major monotheistic religions.
• Judaism beliefs:

  • Believe in one all-powerful god whose commands were revealed by the prophets
  • Their god is named Yahweh
  • Their holy book is called the Torah
• Origins of Judaism:

  • Founded around 1400 BCE
  • Traced back to Mesopotamia where they lived as shepherds and merchants
  • Father of Judaism is Abraham
• Covenant with Abraham:

  • Covenant made with Abraham in which he and his people would be blessed if they remained faithful to God
  • Jews believe they are God's "chosen people" because of this covenant
  • God told Abraham to leave Mesopotamia and settle elsewhere
• Prophet Moses:

  • Moses led Jews out of slavery in Egypt
  • God revealed the 10 commandments to Moses:

  1. I am the Lord your God who freed you from slavery

  2. You shall have no other gods before me

  3. You shall not take the name of God in vain

  4. Keep the Sabbath holy

  5. Honour your mother and father

  6. You shall not murder

  7. You shall not commit adultery

  8. You shall not steal

  9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour

  10. You shall not covet your neighbour's possessions
• History of Jewish people:

  • Experienced many thousands of years of hardship, often having to leave one place for another
  • The Torah is the story of their travels
• A jew named Yeshua (or Jesus) grew up in the town of Nazareth after being born in Bethlehem around 6BCE
• Jesus began preaching a new message and gaining disciples, or followers
• Jesus believed that all the rules of Judaism could be reduced to 2:

  • Love God with all your strength, all your soul, and all your might
  • Love one another as I love you
• Early followers of Jesus felt they were Jewish, just following a new path led by Jesus
• Some Jews believed Jesus was the Messiah, others did not (split between Christians and Jews)
• Jesus was a political protester speaking out against injustice
• Jesus made enemies and was prosecuted as an 'enemy of the state' approximately 30 CE
• Christianity differs from Judaism in that they practice the rite of baptism (believer is dipped into water to wash away their sin)
• Baptism made a person a member of the Church
• Christians also celebrate the Eucharist, or last supper (usually with bread and wine)
• People who follow the religion of Islam are called Muslims
• The founder of Islam is the prophet Mohammed who started the religion in 622 CE
• Muslims have several sacred cities, the most important being Mecca and Jerusalem
• Mohammed was born and grew up in the trading center of Mecca in 570AD
• When Mohammed was 40, he heard God speak to him through the angel Gabriel in a cave (610 AD)
• Muslims believe that Mohammed is the prophet of God. God revealed his word to Mohammed who copied it down to Quran
• In 630 AD Mohammed returned to Mecca and established it as the Capital of the Islam faith
• The Kabba became the center of Islamic worship
• Muslims believe in the five pillars of Faith that were written in the Quran and believe that they are necessary for all Muslims to fulfill
• Five Pillars of Faith:

  • Declaration of faith: Muslims must regularly declare that there is only one God and Mohammad is his prophet
  • Prayer: Muslims must pray 5 times a day facing Mecca
  • Almsgiving: give to the poor
  • Fasting: must fast during daylight hours of the month Ramadan
  • Pilgrimage (hajj): Muslims must go to Mecca at least once in their life
• Abraham:
• According to the Torah, a covenant was made with Abraham- if he and his people remained faithful to God, they would be blessed with land, descendants and a personal relationship with God
• Jews believe they are God's "chosen people" due to the covenant with Abraham
• Abraham is the founder of Judaism
• Abraham is important to the Christian faith because Jesus the Messiah, and a Jew, was a descendant of Abraham through his great grandson Judah
• There are 42 descendants between Abraham and Jesus, roughly totaling 2000 years
• The founder of Islam is also Abraham (Ibrahim to Muslims). Abraham had 2 sons, His 1st son was Ishmael, who headed with Hagar, the Egyptian servant girl of Abraham's wife Sarah. Ishmael later became an important prophet of Islam and the father of Arab people