Text 20 Religion and pr

From the ancient times religion plays a great role in the political and cultural life of people. As our world is multicultural there are a great many different religions and of course each one has its peculiarities. For centuries, religion has played a very important role in the cultural background of the many different ethnic groups in Russia. Yet the position of various religious sects and the loyalty of their followers are very dependent on the political unrests in the country.

So, PR writers should be careful and take into consideration an opinion of different nations and religions. For this purpose PR writers should have some general knowledge about the biggest religions, which are Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Judaism and Hinduism.

Judaism is the most ancient of the world’s surviving monotheistic religions. It is deeply influential on Christianity and Islam. It sees the world as the creation of a living God and the Jews are his chosen people. Central is the Idea of the covenant made between God and Abraham, ancestor of the Jews. The religion is 3500 years old, began in the Middle East. Jews worship in Synagogues; the spiritual leaders are called Rabbis. The Jewish Holy book is the Hebrew Bible, especially the first 5 books, called The Torah, which contains a history if the Jews until the death of Moses, the ten commandments and a corpus of ritual and ethical precepts. There are also oral traditions and interpretations called the Talmud. An important weekly festival is Sabbath. Jewish food must be kosher, which means that it is to satisfy the requirements of the Jewish law.

Important sects that were influential during the time of Jesus Christ were the Sadducees, the Pharisees and the Zealots.

Christianity is the world’s biggest religion with about 2.1 billion followers worldwide. It is based on teaching of Jesus Christ who lived in the Holy land more than 2000 years ago. Christians are people who believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and that God sent his Son to earth to save humanity from the consequences of its sins. Jesus was fully human and experienced this world in the same way as other human being of this time. He was tortured and gave his life on the Cross, then rose from the dead on the third day. Christians believe in the Trinity – that is in God, as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Christians worship in Churches, which are recognized as God’s body on earth. The Eucharist is central to the Church and is recognized as a sign of unity amongst Christians. The holy book is the Old and New Testament of the Bible. The holiest city is Jerusalem. Eucharist is a rite that comes from the Last Supper of Jesus Christ: the wine represent His blood and the bread His body. The spiritual leaders are called priest. The major festivals are Easter and Christmas. Christians believes in justification by faith – that through their belief in Jesus as the son of God and in his death and resurrection, they can have a right relationship with God whose forgiveness was made once and for all through the death of Jesus Christ. Christians believe that there is a life after earthly death.

Islam is one of the major world religions, with over 1 billion followers worldwide (1/5 of the world population).  Muslims are found all over the world, of every nation, color and race.  The name Islam comes from an Arabic word meaning "peace" and "submission."   Islam teaches that one can only find peace in one's life by submitting to Almighty God (Allah) in heart, soul and deed. A person who believes in and consciously follows Islam is called a Muslim. 

The prophet Muhammad, which incorporates elements of Judaic and Christian belief, founded this religion in the Arabian Peninsula in the 7th century. Modern Muslims are divided into orthodox Sunnities, the majority of followers and Shi`ites, who concentrate mainly in Iran, Iraq, Azerbaijan and Tajikistan. Muslims believe that Muhammad was a human being, not a god. And that he was the last prophet of God. Initially the difference between Sunni and Shia was merely a difference concerning who should lead the Muslim community. Shia believe that only the Prophet’s family were the right leaders and Sunni believe that the elected caliph (leader) should be the Prophet’s successor. Sunni Muslims pray five times a day, whereas Shia Muslims pray three times a day.

The Muslim scripture is Holy Koran. The Muslim building for communal worship is called a Mosque. The pilgrimage to Mecca(the birthplace of Muhammad) is very important to the believers and is called Hajj. The second holiest city of Islam is Medina.

Hinduism: True Hinduism began in the 2^nd century BC. It embraces diverse beliefs and practices with toleration, regarding none as essential. Even other religions are accepted though not their exclusiveness. Hindus have great respect of all life, many being vegetarian and revering and protecting the cow. The upper – class caste of Brahmins is respected as sacrosanct. Hindus believe in the doctrine of transmigration of souls in an endless cycle, under the law of Karma. The three paths of escape from the cycle are duty, knowledge (sought by meditation and yoga) and devotion to God.

Krishna is the major deity in later Hinduism, depicted as a blue –skinned, sportive youth generally playing the flute. He is worshipped as an incarnation of Vishnu, one of the major gods of modern Hinduism and advocates selfless action.

Buddhism is a widespread Asian religion and philosophy developed from Hinduism in the 6^th century BC by Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha. The Pali cannon is the scriptural basis of Buddhism. The basic teachings of Buddhism are contained in the “four noble truths”:1 all existence is suffering; 2 the cause of suffering is desire; 3 freedom from suffering is nirvana (the final goal of harmony and satisfaction) ; 4 the means of attaining nirvana is prescribed in the “eight fold path” that combines ethical conduct, mental discipline and wisdom.

Questions:

1. What are the biggest religions of the world?

2. What are the main principles of Judaism? What are the main principles and festivals of Christianity? What is the holy book of Jew?

3. Who are Christians and what is the name of the holy book of Christians?

4. What are the main principles and festivals of Christianity?

5. Who is the founder of the Islamic faith?

6. Who are Sunnities and Shi`ites? What is the main difference between them?

7. What is the holy book of Muslims?

8. What are the peculiarities of Hinduism?

9. Where do Jews, Christians, and Muslims worship?

10. What are the “four noble truth” of Buddhism?