Religion Review

Judaism

Judaism originated around thirty five thousand years ago in the Middle East, and it is also the parent religion from where Christianity and Islam derived. Jews, in attempt to return God's well-doing, followed God's laws and incorporated holiness into their lives. The most important religious document of this religion is the Torah. Spiritual leaders were called Rabbis and they often spoke at synagogues, their place of worship. In 920 BCE, the kingdom collapses, and the Jewish people split into many groups. In 600 BCE, their main place of worship, their temple, was destroyed, and Jews were sent into exile. As time passed, Jews were allowed more religious freedom, until the King of Syria destroyed the temple completely in attempt to establish the worship of Zeus. There was a revolt in 164 BCE, and the temple was restored. In 63 BCE, the Jewish allowed the Romans to establish control, and in the following years, Jewish people were taxed and oppressed by the unfitting rulers. Jesus was the believed messiah, but he soon branched into a new religion, Christianity. Teaching academies were founded in the first century, led by scholars to discuss the word of God. Beginning in 70 CE, the Jewish could no longer bear to be under Roman control. In 150 years, two revolts were led: one revolt resulted in the destruction of the temple, and the second resulted in the exile of Jews in Jerusalem. In 200 CE, scholars compiled a collection of teachings and sayings called the Mishna, and later, an expanded version, the Talmud, would provided even more insight on the Jewish teachings. By 439 CE, Romans banned Jews from official jobs.

Zoroastrianism

Founded by Zoroaster, Zoroastrianism is one of the world's oldest monotheistic religions. In the Classical Period, it was Persia's main religion; however, it has lost a considerable amount of followers. Zoroastrians believed that fire was pure and represent God's light and wisdom. Their book of Holy Scriptures is called the Avesta, which is divided into two parts. One part contains original hymns written by Zoroaster himself, the other contains myths and stories. Cyrus founded the first Persian empire, and he ruled himself with Zoroastrian beliefs. He had religious tolerance for the Jews, and his successor, Darius the Great also had religious tolerance. When Alexander the Great defeated Darius, many Zoroastrian texts were destroyed. Under the rule of the Sasanians, a single church was created under the control of Persia, the modern calendar system was created, and periodic persecution of Christians and Jews occurred.  Zoroastrians, under the Sasanians, had no religious tolerance, and soon the the religion became oppressive and ritualized. The Sasanian Empire fell to Islamic conquests in the 7th century.

Christianity

Being the most popular religion, Christianity has over two billion followers around the world. Christians believe that Jesus is the messiah from the Old Testament and was the son of God. They believe in a singular god, though split into three forms. Priests and ministers lead worship in churches and various places, and they taught from the Bible. The history of Christianity was focused on the life and death of Jesus, the son of god. He is believed to have been the messiah that would free the Jews from captivity. Around the age of thirty, he taught with his twelve disciples, healed many, and worked miracles. His death and his resurrection were popular, but had it not been for Paul, Christianity may have remained a small religion. Paul established many Christian churches, but many Roman rulers were disapproving until the rule of Constantine. Constantine made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire. When Rome fell in 476, Eastern and Western Christians were no longer under the same political rule. 

Buddhism

Based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, Buddhism is around 2,500 years old, and currently has over 376 million followers. Buddhism arose when Siddhartha Gautama searched for Enlightenment in the sixth century BCE. Buddhists believed that a central god was not present, and change is always possible. Enlightenment can be achieved through practice or morality, meditation, and wisdom. The Buddha, having born in a royal family, sought Enlightenment when he saw the suffering and death around him. He traveled away from home, and lived a life of extreme self-denial and discipline. He achieved Enlightenment through extreme meditation, became the Buddha, and taught many disciples. By 600 CE, Buddhism spread to China, Tibet, Nepal, Japan, and Korea through the fluent trade system of the Silk Road. 

Hinduism

Consisting of 900 million followers, Hinduism exists mostly in Nepal and India. With no significant founder, Hinduism was developed through many teachings of various philosophers and belief systems. It originated around the Indus River Valley and consisted of eighty percent of the the Indian population. Many texts and stories were written during the Classical Period, and many elements of worship are still present today. The Rise of the Gupta Empire aided in the development of the Vaishnavism, Shaivism, and Shaktism. This period was a time of literary development.