158World religions
A religion is a set of beliefs that explain where the
world came from, what happens after death, and how
we should live our lives. Religious people come
together to worship and take part in festivals. They
believe in an unseen, spiritual world that cannot be
explained by science.
JUDAISM
Judaism emerged more than 3,500 years ago in the
Middle East, among a tribe called the Israelites.
Jews believe that there is only one God, who
created the world and continues to care for it.THE TORAH is the sacred text that
Jews believe God dictated to Moses on
Mount Sinai. It includes the Ten
Commandments, which show the
Jewish people the right way to live.
Together with other sacred texts, it
makes up the Tanakh. MENORAH The candles on this nine-branched
holder are lit during Chanukah, the Jewish festival
of light. The central candle is used to light the eight
outer candles—one for each day of Chanukah. THE YALMULKE
Some Jewish men wear
a skull cap—called a
yarmulke—to show
their respect for God.The vast majority of people in the
world are members of a religious
tradition. Roughly a third of the
world’s population are Christians,
and a fifth are Muslims. Only
12 percent of people describe
themselves as nonreligious.The six religions with the most
followers in the world are:
TELL ME MORE...Abrahamic religions
Judaism, Islam, and Christianity
are part of the same “family” of
religions, known as the Abrahamic
religions. All three consider
Abraham as one of the forefathers
of their faith. Islam and
Christianity have been spread
throughout the world by
immigrants and missionaries. THE ABRAHAM ICON in the
Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem.TAKE A LOOK: PASSOVER SEDER
This is a special meal
in which symbolic
foods are placed on a
special platter in the
middle of the table,
including bitter herbs
to signify suffering
and an egg to
represent rebirth.Passover is a festival that
celebrates the release of the Israelites from
Egypt, where they were held in slavery. Jews
believe that God sent ten plagues against the
Egyptians, the last of which killed all first-
born children and animals. The Israelites
marked their houses with lambs’ blood and
God “passed over” without harming them.
After this, the Pharaoh released the Israelites.Christianity Islam
CULTURE