Judaism and Islam Overview

Study Notes

Jewish Factions: Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes
Writings of Judaism: Hebrew Bible (Torah, Prophets, Writings), Mishnah, Talmud
Jewish History: Patriarchs, Exodus & Divine Revelation, Monarchy, Babylonian Exile, Second Temple, Destruction of the Temple, Rabbinical Judaism
Diaspora
Maimonides
Kabbalah
Zionism
The Holocaust
The State of Israel: History, Jewish "Denominations" (Reform, Conservative, Orthodox), Immanence vs. transcendence, 3 Revolutions of Modernity (Protestant Reformation, The Enlightenment, The French Revolution)

Islam: "submission" in Arabic, same root as Muslim ("one who submits"), submits to the one true God (Allah)
Traditional Narrative of the Life of Muhammad: Central figure in Islam, Muslims are strict monotheists, Muhammad is the perfect human being, born in 570 A.D. in Mecca, worked as a merchant, married Khadija, received revelations from Gabriel over 22 years
The Qur'an: direct revelation of God to Muslims
The Sunna (habit/practice) - Hadith (sayings/talk)
Primary Teachings of Islam: Muhammad is the "Seal of the Prophets," last prophet, Other prophets include Abraham, Moses, and Jesus, The Qur'an, the Sunna
Five Pillars of Islam: Shahada (Profession of Faith), "There is no god but God. Muhammad is the messenger of God."
Daily Life: Daily prayers (5x), Ritual washing, Prostration in the direction of Mecca, Public prayers on Fridays (led by an Imam),
Sawm (Fasting): Ramadan, No eating or drinking from dawn to dusk.
Zakat (Alms): Wealth sharing, 2.5% of income.
Hajj (Pilgrimage): Once in a lifetime pilgrimage to Mecca, circling the Ka'aba 7 times

Introduction: Core religion of the Indian subcontinent, Hinduism = same root as India (Indus River), Polytheistic, extremely ancient
Seven Core Beliefs: Belief in one universal soul (Brahman), Source of all reality, Belief in an immortal individual soul (Atman), Transmigration (Reincarnation), Belief in Karma, Our actions affect the future of our souls, Belief in Moksha (liberation), Belief in the Vedas, Belief in cyclical time, Belief in Dharma (proper behavior), Based on age and caste
Hindu Cosmology: Monism (all reality is ultimately one), All reality shares a common essence, Brahman is the source of all existence
Practical Hinduism: Four stages of life (The Student stage, The household stage, The forest-dweller stage, The wandering ascetic stage), Four Goals of life (Kama, Artha, Dharma)

Introduction: Main religion of southeast Asia, Majority religion in Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar (Burma), Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Laos, Mongolia, Tibet
Traditional Narrative of the Life of the Buddha: Born in 563 BC, Born into a princely family, Was pampered and shielded from the real world, Married, Lived in luxury, Four Passing Sights (old man, diseased man, corpse, wandering ascetic), Renounced his princely life, Joined the ascetic, Discovered “The Middle Way"
The Buddha: The exemplar person, The teaching of the Buddha (Dharma), The Buddhist community (Sangha)
Three Marks of Existence: No self (anatta), Impermanence (anicca), Suffering (dukkha)
Four Noble Truths: To live is to suffer, Suffering is caused by desire, Suffering can be brought to cessation (suffering can end), The solution to suffering is the Noble Eightfold Path,
The Noble Eightfold Path: Right views, Right intention, Right speech, Right conduct, Right livelihood, Right effort, Right mindfulness, Right meditation
Major Divisions of Buddhism: Theravada, Mahayana, Vajrayana