The Major Religions in South Africa

Question 1

meaning: immigrated, sacred and tolerance

Answer 1

immigrated - left their countries of birth to go live in another country

sacred - holy

tolerance - respecting different ideas, even if you don’t agree with them

Question 2

how many official languages does SA have

Answer 2

11

Question 3

what forms a part of the community life in religions

Answer 3

religious rituals, celebrations and beliefs

Question 4

what do different religions have different ways of explaining

Answer 4

• how the world was created
• how to lead a good life on Earth
• how to worship
• what happens to people when they die.

Question 5

worship usually includes prayers and special ceremonies , these often:

Answer 5

• happen in a special / sacred place
• include rituals
• involve special / sacred objects
• include celebrating special days and festivals
• include special books / scriptures

Question 6

describe the 7 main religions in SA

Answer 6

1 - African traditional religion

• worship - in homes and other sacred places
• figure - God (isiXhosa: Qamata, isiZulu: UMvelinqangi) Ancestors

learning about ancestors, the meaning of sacred places, how to behave, and respect for life happens through stories. these stories have been passed down from generation to generation.

2 - Bahá’í faith

• worship - people’s homes, local Bahá’í centres, / rented venues. there are 7 temples in world.
• figure - God

these people work towards achieving world harmony and equality amongst genders, races, religions and cultures. they believe “The earth is but one country and humankind its citizens.” their Most Holy Book is the Kitáb-i-Aqdas but they also recognize the Bible the Qur’an, and holy texts of other religions.

3 - Buddhism

• worship - monastery, temple or in their home
• figure - Buddha

Buddha used ideas from nature as well as questions and answers to pass on his message. after his death, his followers gathered his teachings together. the best-known buddhist books are called the Pali canon / Tripitaka.

4 - Christianity

• worship - church
• figures - God and Jesus

the Christian holy book is called the Bible. the Bible has many instruction on how to live a good life. the writings vary from history, law and prophecy to poetry, wisdom, letters and gospels.

5 - Hinduism

• worship - in temple and at home
• figure - Brahman

the Hindu holy books were written over many different periods. they vary from philosophical texts to legends and stories. there are various texts called the Vedas. the Bhagavad Gita is seen as the most important scripture.

6 - Islam

• worship - mosque and at home
• figure - Allah and the prophet Mohammed

the sacred book is called the Qur’an. it is believed to be the word of Allah (God). the Qur’an teaches Muslims how to live their lives and advises on many things, such as marriage, death, lending money. etc.

7 - Judaism

• worship - synagogue
• figure - God

Jews call their holy book the TeKaKh. one part is called the Torah; another is the Talmud. the Talmud has considerable influence on the way Jewish people live their lives.

Question 7

meaning: scriptures and oral traditions

Answer 7

scriptures - writings that are seen as sacred

oral traditions - knowledge passed on from one generation to the next through stories, religious ceremonies and social behaviour

Question 8

describe the role of oral traditions and scriptures

Answer 8

each religion has specific traditional beliefs and customs. religions include worship and other rituals, celebrations and ideas about how people should behave in society. religious traditions and beliefs have been passed on through the ages from one generation to another. in most religions, the traditions have been written down and are called scriptures or “Holy Books”.

and oral tradition is the knowledge and stories told by one generation to the next, without writing them down. from the earliest days of human life on Earth, people would sing / chant their stories to each other. this oral tradition was a way to keep the history of a culture of the people alive. all religions started spreading through the oral tradition. often, the stories / songs were performed by a special holy person.

over time some of these stories came to be written down. e.g. the gospel of Jesus was written down long after his death, based on stories told by the apostles. in some religions, the oral tradition is still practised as a special way to preserve traditions and rituals, whether or not the followers are able to write and speak.