Creation of the world

• There is one creation story for all 3 of the Abrahamic Religions

• Judaism, Christianity, Islam
• It is the same for all three.

• God (one god) is all there is, floating in the nothingness of space.
• Decides to make the universe.
• Over 7 days, creates everything in the universe, earth, animals,
vegetation, and humans.
• On the 7th day he rests (that’s why people relax and go to church on
Sundays)

• Man created out of clay, God exhales “divine spark” through nostrils
and then man is created.
• Woman either created at same time as man or from man’s rib
(depending on which Genesis verse you read)
Some 12 year old’s drawing of the creation
 Adam and eve
• God considered universally good, other religions have good and bad gods, not this
one.
• Living like God wants = good person; living against what God wants = bad

• God is a pretty decent guy

• Adam and Eve exist in the Garden of Eden, a paradise with no suffering or hardships, all
of their needs are met.
• And yes, they are naked.
• Tells people they can have anything they want as long as they don’t eat fruit from the
Tree of Knowledge

• Of course, this is what they do! (Have your parents ever told you NOT to do
something? COME ON!!!)
• A serpant convinces Eve to eat an apple from the tree, she does, and then convinces
Adam to join her.
• They are overcome with emotions, realize they are naked and cover themselves.

• God catches them, punishes Adam and Eve for their betrayal
• Kicks them out of Eden and punishes them individually too
• Adam and all men after him are forced to labor and work all day
• Eve is forced to suffer the pains of child birth
• This act of defying God, eating the forbidden fruit, called “Original Sin”
• All humans after Adam and Eve are tainted with Original Sin.
 Ever hear of Noah?
• God looks down on the earth and feels it has become corrupt
and horrible, too much murder, no one following God’s rules.

• Searches for “one true believer”, finds Noah

• Tells him to build a great arc, stock it with just his family
and 2 of every living creature.

• God sends a great flood to destroy all the humans on earth

and “wipe the slate clean” so earth starts over.
• Rains for 40 days and 40 nights.
• Noah and his family left with the burden of starting over

• Humans all come from the line of Noah, therefore, all humans
are related to some extent.
Noah: Helping the dogs and cats to
get along since 3000BCE
And then there’s this
noah…
 First of all…
 Christianity can be considered an “update” to Judaism.
 Abraham, Moses, Exodus…
 All these things are in Christianity as well, but they are called
the “Old Testament” instead of the “Torah”
 These are the Holy Books: Torah=Judaism Bible=Christianity

 In fact: Islam, Christianity, Judaism all follow the same

belief as Judaism’s “Torah” and Christianity’s “Old
Testament”…
 But Judaism stops at the Torah, Christianity and Islam both
add on.
 Jesus of Nazareth
 Jesus was a Jewish man
born to a poor family.

 History confirms his birth

and existence, but history
and religion tell different
tales of his life.

 Christianity considers him

“the son of God”
 Judaism does not
acknowledge this. (This is
the primary difference
between Christians and
Jews)
 Islam calls him a Prophet,
not “the son of God.”
 Jesus
 But There is a Problem:
What Christians
believe about Jesus
 Conducted miracles
 Turned water into wine at a
feast.
 Cured the sick
 Raised the dead
 Giving sermons about love
and respect for everyone.
 Teaching people to forgive
and treat everyone equally
(including women, poor,
sick)
 Jews under the control of
Roman Empire.
 Jews were unhappy and
fighting for their freedom
often, but always losing to
the Romans
 Thousands being killed
often
 Many people looked to
Jesus as a savior to help
the Jews finally free
themselves from the
Romans
What Happens to Him
 Jews ask Romans to deal
with him

 He is taken captive,
whipped, clubbed,
crusified, stabbed, dies.

 His followers (Disciples)

bury him and, according to
scripture, he resurrects
from the dead three days
later.

 His Disciples go forth and

spread the word to the rest
of the world.
 Jesus Continued
 Jesus Christ is the primary fixture of Christianity.
 The stories of Jesus and his miracles convert a great
many people to Christianity. The message is
universal:
 Everyone is loved by God.
 You don’t need to own or pay to be a part of the
religion.
 Universal love and respect

 Rome is full of the sick, starving, poor, and

downtrodden. The religion spreads quickly.
 Check for Understanding
 Who is considered to be the father of all 3 of the
middle eastern religions (Islam, Christianity,
Judaism)?

 For Christians, how much of the Torah is part of their

belief? What is this called?

 What is the New Testament? Who does is primarily

focus on?

 Why was Jesus put to death?

  Rome follows its own
religion and everyone MUST
ROMA!!! OBEY or DIE!!!
 Christians, Jews, Zoroasters,
Persians, ANYONE who
believes something different
is hunted and made an
example of in the Coliseum.
 Religion used by Romans as a
way of controlling people in
the empire.
 Other religions teach people
characteristics that go
against the Roman state.
 “These people are dangerous
to our nation” -Romans
 Christianity Lives
 Becomes so popular that
Rome cannot stamp it out.

 Constantine adopts
Christianity as Rome’s
official religion and it is
accepted.

 Most revered and

important of the early
workers for the faith is Paul
the Apostle
 His writings are the most
influential and most
common in the New
Testament
 Roman Christians are called
“Catholics”
 Power of Christianity
 The Catholic Church
 Super all-powerful
 People in charge of church were
our direct contact with God.
 If you upset the church, you
upset God and can be
excommunicated (or “kicked
out” of heaven in the afterlife)
 Speaking out against the church
same as arguing with God,
labeled as a “heretic” or a non
believer and punished with
torture, excommunication, or
death.
 Check for Under-again?
 What happened to early Christians, as well as
members of other religions?

 What major Empire adopted Christianity as their

religion and, therefore, helped the religion survive?

 What kind of punishments were awaiting those who

spoke out against the Catholic Church?
Christianity vs. Islam
 Islam arrives around 600 AD

 Spreads quickly through Africa,

Asia, Europe

 Takes control of all land near

“the Holy Land” of Jerusalem,
and take the city itself.

 Pope Urban II declares “all true

Christians must rise and do the
work of God to reclaim our Holy
Land from the heathen
invaders.”

 1st Crusade: “blood up to a horses

bridle in the streets”
 Crusades
 Holy wars where the Christian world
tried to reclaim Jerusalem from
Muslims.

 1st Crusade is successful

 Islamic forces under Saladin reclaim

the city.
 One of histories greatest military
leaders and most compassionate
rulers.
 Allows anyone who wishes to leave
the city peacefully.

 Many other crusades, only the 1st

considered “successful”
 Reformation
 Christian world split in half in early 1500s.

 Many complained that Catholic Church had become

corrupt
 Buying lavish gold crowns and staffs, jewels when so
many are starving.
 Selling of indulgences (tickets to heaven)

 German Monk named Martin Luther had enough,

nailed 95 thesis to the front of the Catholic Church
door complaining of how corrupt they had become.
 Speaking out against the church meant death.
Protestantism
 Those who agreed with
Martin Luther formed
Protestantism or “to
protest” against the
Catholic Church

 Now old followers were

Catholics, those following
Luther became
Protestants.
 Presbyterians, Baptists,
Congregational, Methodist,
Episcopalian

 Protestants are the

Pilgrims that founded
America.
 Check for that
Understanding, y’all!
 What were the Crusades?
 Were any of them successful at accomplishing their goal?
What was the goal?
 Who was the leader of the Islamic world that retook
Jerusalem and was one of histories greatest rulers?
 Who was the Germanic Monk who nailed his 96 thesis to
the door of the Catholic church?
 What was his major complaint?

 What were the followers of this man called? What

happened to Christianity because of him?