CRP: How did the religions start?

The ways in which religions start tell us quite a lot about them. This is therefore a useful theme to start your essay with.

Hinduism

The interesting thing about Hinduism is that no-one really knows much about how it started. It probably started some time around 3000BCE (5,000 years ago) but no-one really knows how or why. It is more of a culture than a religion. In fact the name “Hindu” comes from the area in which Hinduism started. The fact that Hinduism doesn’t really have a “founder” makes it unique among world religions.

Judaism

We’ve looked at the story of Abraham in class. He heard from God to go to a new place to start a new religion and he did it. No-one’s exactly sure when this happened, but it was around 2,000BCE (4,000 years ago). For more information look at New Steps in RE Book One, page 20.

Moses is regarded as the other man who started Judaism. It was him who brought the Israelites (Jews) out of Egypt where they were slaves and he was given the Ten Commandments by God. For more information look at New Steps in RE Book One, page 22.

Note that it is quite unusual for a religion to have two founders.

Islam

Unlike the other two we know exactly when Islam started: 610CE (AD). Muhammad was visited by an angel of God and told what to have written down. This became the Qu’ran and Islam started from then. Unlike the other two there is a definite founder of Islam and we know quite a lot about him. For more information look at New Steps in RE Book One, page 24.

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