The key ideas in a religion tell us what’s important for the religion and so help us to understand them.
Hinduism
“Dharma” is one of the key concepts in Hinduism. This means the “duty” which all living things have. Eg. A policeman has a duty to look after the public and fight crime, a worm has a duty to plough up the earth and make it fertile. Everyone’s dharma is slightly different, and in order for a community to work properly everyone needs to do their own duty. Note that the importance of dharma affects the whole community, not just the person.
Judaism
A key belief in Judaism is that the Jews are a group of people chosen by God. Therefore a lot of what they do is linked to them as a community. This is why they have a special Seder meal every year to remember how their community was brought out of slavery – they treat the meal as if they had been brought out of slavery themselves. The key belief is about community.
Islam
The key beliefs of Islam are captured in the Five Pillars of Islam. These are:
Shahadah – The declaration of faith: “There is no God but God and Allah is his prophet”. All Muslims believe this.
Salah – Prayer 5 times a day. All Muslims try to do this and when they go to the Mosque they pray together side by side.
Zakah – Giving to charity. Muslims recognise that everything they have is given by God. They give 2.5% of their money to charity to say thankyou to God and help poorer people in the community.
Sawm – Fasting during the month of Ramadan. Muslims do not eat or drink while the sun is in the sky for one month a year. This helps them to come closer to Allah. Many Muslims come together at the end of the day to have a feast when the fasting finishes.
Hajj – The journey Muslims take to Mecca once in their life. This journey helps them to focus on God and come closer to him. Many Muslims do this every year and this develops a sense of the worldwide Muslim community.
Note that all of these 5 things develop the sense of community in the religion.