Today we will learn about the development of religion in early civilizations. The rise of Judaism in Hebrew culture and the establishment of Hinduism on the Indian subcontinent had profound effects on the people of those regions. These religions still shape many of the world's cultures today. We will also continue to work on the skills of paragraph writing and outlining.
Question of the Day
How did the belief systems (religions) of Judaism, Hinduism, and Buddhism make their societies more cohesive?
Focus Questions
What are the core beliefs of Judaism and why did this religion develop in ancient Israel?
What are the core beliefs of Hinduism and why did this religion develop in ancient India?
What were the core beliefs of Buddhism and why did this religion develop in India?
The vocabulary below is related to the work you are doing today and would be worth using in your paragraph.
Indian Subcontinent
Indo-Europeans
Aryans
Vedas
Brahmins
Caste system
Mahabharata
Hinduism
Polytheism
Reincarnation
Karma
Dharma
Buddha
Buddhism
Siddhartha Gautama
Enlightenment
Nirvana
The Four Noble Truths
Judaism
Palestine
Canaan
Torah
Abraham
Monotheism
Covenant
Moses
Israel
Judah
The Ten Commandments
Turn in your individual Cornoutline.
Today you'll have to write a paragraph on the development of religion.
You'll need to show me the Cornoutlines that you completed for homework.
Write one paragraph on the civilizations that you studied for homework last night. The prompt will be: How did the belief systems (religions) of Judaism, Hinduism, and Buddhism make their societies more cohesive?
We will have a scored discussion on Judaism, Hinduism, and Budddhism.
The Ten Commandments: You may use ideas from this source in our discussion.
Buddha Statue: Here's another option.
Each member of your group will create a Cornoutline using one of the focus questions for next class (below). You'll need to bring your individual Cornoutline to class in hard copy. Use the sections of the book detailed below to help you do this work
Why did Christianity rise in Rome and Buddhism develop in India? - Chapter 6 (Section 3) and Chapter 3 (Section 2)
How did the rise of Christianity affect Roman society? : Chapter 6 (Section 3)
How did the rise of Buddhism affect Indian society?: Chapter 3 (Section 2)
Be prepared to write a paragraph in response to this prompt: What are the factors that tend to lead to the rise and spread of a religion?
You should try to share your outline with the other members of your group before class. You will have some time at the beginning of class to talk with the other members of your group about their research and how it applies to the question for today's paragraph.
Primary Source: To improve the quality of your paragraph you may include a sentence or two about these historical documents:
Paul's Letter to the Romans (Christianity)
Setting in Motion the Wheel of the Law and Questions that Tend Not to Edification (Buddhism)
Buddha Statue: Here's another option.
The Story of India (Part 1): This short video tells the story of the development of religion in India. Here's a link to the website and interactive timeline associated with the video.
The Story of India (Part 2): This short video continues the story of the development of religion in India. Here's a link to the website and interactive timeline associated with the video.
Flood Tablet: This is one of the 100 objects from the British Museum that the BBC has used to tell its history of the world. It's related to our topic next class (development of religions).