How many followers are there of Christianity worldwide? 2.1 billion

 

Place of Origin: Israel

 

Founder: Jesus of Nazareth

 

Sacred Text: The Bible

 

Name the two major Christian festivals: Christmas and Easter

 

What are the four names that Jesus is known by? Son of God, Light of The World, Lamb of God, The Good Shepherd

 

What is the name of the people who believe in Jesus Christ and follow His teachings? Christians

 

Christians believe that there is only one God, but that this one God consists of 3 “persons”.  Name the three persons:

Father, Son and The Holy Spirit

 

The place of Christian worship is called a church

 

Name the writers of the Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John

 

Draw and name the three Christian symbols:

The Cross

 

The Fish

 

The Dove

 

 

Name the 10 Commandments:

1. Thou shalt have no other gods before me
2. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image
3. Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain
4. Remember the sabbath day and keep it holy
5. Honour thy father and thy mother
6. Thou shalt not kill
7. Thou shalt not commit adultery
8. Thou shalt not steal
9. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour
10. Thou shalt not covet any thing that is thy neighbour's

How do the first 3 commandments differ from the last 7 seven commandments?

It talks about how to respect God, and others talk about respecting others.

 

Which religion did Christianity develop from?

Judaism

 

Name the 3 variants of Christianity:

Orthodox

Protestant

Catholic

Jewish Variants

What is a variant?

A variant is two or more people or things that have slight differences in opinions. The three major variants or streams in Judaism are Conservative, Orthodox and Reform (Liberal or Progressive).

Orthodox

It is very strict on Kosher and traditional.

Men and women sit separately in synagogues and women don’t do some of the rituals.

Still worship in the Hebrew language.

Not allowed to marry other religions.

Conservative

It is modern and moderate.

They believe Jewish Law can be changed.

Men and women sit together in synagogues.

Progressive

It is relatively new.

They are allowed to marry other religions.

The Torah can be adapted

Choose the Variant

Relaxed practice and fits in society -P

Individual praying and occasional conversation in service -P

Traditional beliefs but addressing contemporary needs -C

Men and women sit separately in the synagogue -O

Men and women sit together and participate fully in service, prayers and rituals -C+P

Women do not practice in all rituals -O

English used for parts of the service -P

Strict dress and dietary law -O

They always worship in Hebrew -O

Women can lead services and become rabbis -P

Kosher Menu

Breakfast- Cheese latkes- traditional Jewish Meal

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1-2 Tbsp. sugar
• 4 eggs
• 16 ounces (400 grams) cottage cheese

Preparation:

1. Melt butter in frying pan.
2. In a mixing bowl, mix together dry ingredients - flour, baking powder, baking soda and sugar.
3. In a separate bowl, mix eggs and add cottage cheese until smooth.
4. Combine egg and flour mixtures. Mix in melted butter.
5. Drop batter by spoonfuls into hot frying pan.
6. Flip when top of pancake bubbles.

 

Lunch

 

Apple crumble and a tuna salad  

 

Dinner

 

Pasta Bechamel (traditional)- Creamy Macaroni and Cheese

Two Jewish Festivals

Shavuot

Shavuot, the Festival of Weeks.

It is also known as Hag Matan Torateinu (the Festival of the Giving of Our Torah).

Shavuot is not tied to a particular calendar date, but to a counting of 7 weeks from Passover.

Work is not allowed on Shavuot.

They stay up the entire first night of Shavuot and study Torah, then pray as early as possible in the morning.

It is customary to eat a dairy meal at least once during Shavuot.

Omer Period

Omer means a measure of grain that was once offered at the temple of Jerusalem

They give this to God as a way of saying thanks for the good harvest

The period of Omer is between Passover and the festival of Shavuot

It lasts for seven weeks

It is a period of mourning because during this period many years ago a rabbi and many of his students died of the plague

During this time they are not allowed to shave their hair, listen to music, wear new clothes or have weddings or parties

Being Jewish in 21st Century Australia

Questions on Judaism

1.   What language do the Jewish people speak?

Hebrew.

2.  How do the Jewish people read Hebrew?

Hebrew is written and read backwards (from right to left). 

3.  Why is Israel important to the Jewish People?

Israel is important to the Jewish people because in His covenant to Abraham, God said to go to Israel, and there would be the ‘promised land’.

4.  When was the present state of Israel formed?

On the 14^th of May, 1948.  After WWII

5.  What makes it unique in the world?

It is the only Jewish state 

6.  Who is the chosen prophet of Judaism?

 Jews believe Moses was the greatest prophet. Abraham was the first prophet.

7.  What do the Jews believe God thinks of their people?

The Jews believe that God sees all human as his children, but he will reward those who have done good and punish the wicked.

8.  How do the three main religions differ in their view of Jesus?

Christians believe that Jesus was the Messiah, and that he will come again. Jews believe that Jesus was a prophet, but he is not part of their religion and was not the Messiah. Islam also follows the belief that Jesus was not the Messiah, but simply a prophet.

9.  Why do the Jewish people not celebrate Christmas?

Jewish people do not celebrate Christmas because they do not believe that Jesus was the Messiah, and Christmas is the celebration of Jesus’ birth.

10.            What festival do they celebrate instead?

Jewish people celebrate Hanukkah, not Christmas. Hanukkah is the Jewish Festival of Lights.

11. What event is celebrated at this festival and what is the significance of the number 8?

The number 8 is significant as the festival lasts for eight nights, and on each of these nights, one candle of the 8 in the candelabra is lit.

12.            What is the name of the sacred text of the Jewish people?

The Torah.

13.            How is their text similar to the Christian Bible?

The Torah is the same as the first 5 books of the Old Testament in the Christian Bible.

14.            How many commandments do the Jewish people have to follow?

The Jewish people have 613 Commandments that were summed up into 10 by Moses.

15.            What is the name of the leader of a Jewish religion?

A rabbi is a teacher of the Jewish law.

16.            What is a Tallit?

A tallit, otherwise known as a prayer shawl, is a shawl worn to morning services that has fringes which remind the person of the Commandments.

17.            What is a Tefillin?

A tefillin is a leather pouch that holds scrolls of scripture.

18.            What is a Kippah?

A Kippah is a skull cap worn by Jewish men during prayer to show their devotion and faith.

19.            What is the word used to describe the food Jewish people can eat?

Kosher.

20.          Where is the only Kosher McDonalds?

Buenos Aires, Argentina.

21.            Why is a Cheese burger not Kosher?

A cheese burger is not kosher because it contains meat and dairy.

Judaism

Being Jewish

The term “Jewish” can be used to describe a race and a culture rather than a religion, so some who identify themselves as Jewish may have little interest in the beliefs and practices associated with the religion of Judaism.

The Torah

The Jews believe in the teaching of the Jewish Bible, known as the Torah.

This is the first Testament of the Christian Bible. There is no second testament or new Bible for Jews.

Why? The Jewish people do not believe Jesus is the savoir or son of God.

What are the first five books of the Torah? Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.

Written Law and Oral Law

613 commandments found in the Torah (“Written Law”)

Talmud (“Oral Law”)- commentary of ancient rabbis that elaborates on how to apply God’s Law in everyday life through

·         Dietary rules (Kashrut/Kosher)

·         Dress and other symbols

·         Prayer and devotion to the one God

·         The temple and temple rights

·         Observance and Holy days

·         Proper social relations between male and female, in business, judicial rulings, etc.

Core Beliefs

·         God exists

·         God is one and unique

·         God is eternal

·         Prayer is to God only

·         The prophets spoke the truth

·         Moses was the greatest of the prophets

·         The written and Oral Torah were given to Moses

·         There will be no other Torah

·         God will reward the good and punish the wicked

·         The Messiah will come

·         The dead will be resurrected

The Family

The heart of Judaism is in the home and family, social responsibility and doing Mitzvot (“good deeds” based on God’s Commandments)

Through education and hard work we make our lives, the lives of others, and the world, what God intended it to be- Holy.