The document summarizes the creation stories and key figures from Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. It describes how all three Abrahamic religions share the same creation story of God creating the world over 7 days. It then discusses Adam and Eve living in the Garden of Eden until eating the forbidden fruit, Noah and the great flood, Jesus and his teachings and death, the spread of Christianity and conflicts with Rome and the Islamic world, and Martin Luther sparking the Protestant Reformation by nailing his 95 theses criticizing corruption in the Catholic Church.

2. Creation of the world
• There is one creation story for all 3 of the Abrahamic Religions
• Judaism, Christianity, Islam
• It is the same for all three.
• God (one god) is all there is, floating in the nothingness of space.
• Decides to make the universe.
• Over 7 days, creates everything in the universe, earth, animals,
vegetation, and humans.
• On the 7th day he rests (that’s why people relax and go to church on
Sundays)
• Man created out of clay, God exhales “divine spark” through nostrils
and then man is created.
• Woman either created at same time as man or from man’s rib
(depending on which Genesis verse you read)

3. Some 12 year old’s drawing of the creation

4. Adam and eve
• God considered universally good, other religions have good and bad gods, not this
one.
• Living like God wants = good person; living against what God wants = bad
• God is a pretty decent guy
• Adam and Eve exist in the Garden of Eden, a paradise with no suffering or hardships, all
of their needs are met.
• And yes, they are naked.
• Tells people they can have anything they want as long as they don’t eat fruit from the
Tree of Knowledge
• Of course, this is what they do! (Have your parents ever told you NOT to do
something? COME ON!!!)
• A serpant convinces Eve to eat an apple from the tree, she does, and then convinces
Adam to join her.
• They are overcome with emotions, realize they are naked and cover themselves.
• God catches them, punishes Adam and Eve for their betrayal
• Kicks them out of Eden and punishes them individually too
• Adam and all men after him are forced to labor and work all day
• Eve is forced to suffer the pains of child birth
• This act of defying God, eating the forbidden fruit, called “Original Sin”
• All humans after Adam and Eve are tainted with Original Sin.

5. Ever hear of Noah?
• God looks down on the earth and feels it has become corrupt
and horrible, too much murder, no one following God’s rules.
• Searches for “one true believer”, finds Noah
• Tells him to build a great arc, stock it with just his family
and 2 of every living creature.
• God sends a great flood to destroy all the humans on earth
and “wipe the slate clean” so earth starts over.
• Rains for 40 days and 40 nights.
• Noah and his family left with the burden of starting over
• Humans all come from the line of Noah, therefore, all humans
are related to some extent.

6. Noah: Helping the dogs and cats to
get along since 3000BCE

7. And then there’s this
noah…

8. First of all…
 Christianity can be considered an “update” to Judaism.
 Abraham, Moses, Exodus…
 All these things are in Christianity as well, but they are called
the “Old Testament” instead of the “Torah”
 These are the Holy Books: Torah=Judaism Bible=Christianity
 In fact: Islam, Christianity, Judaism all follow the same
belief as Judaism’s “Torah” and Christianity’s “Old
Testament”…
 But Judaism stops at the Torah, Christianity and Islam both
add on.

9. Jesus of Nazareth
 Jesus was a Jewish man
born to a poor family.
 History confirms his birth
and existence, but history
and religion tell different
tales of his life.
 Christianity considers him
“the son of God”
 Judaism does not
acknowledge this. (This is
the primary difference
between Christians and
Jews)
 Islam calls him a Prophet,
not “the son of God.”

10. Jesus
What Christians
believe about Jesus
 Conducted miracles
 Turned water into wine at a
feast.
 Cured the sick
 Raised the dead
 Giving sermons about love
and respect for everyone.
 Teaching people to forgive
and treat everyone equally
(including women, poor,
sick)
 But There is a Problem:
 Jews under the control of
Roman Empire.
 Jews were unhappy and
fighting for their freedom
often, but always losing to
the Romans
 Thousands being killed
often
 Many people looked to
Jesus as a savior to help
the Jews finally free
themselves from the
Romans

11. What Happens to Him
 Jews ask Romans to deal
with him
 He is taken captive,
whipped, clubbed,
crusified, stabbed, dies.
 His followers (Disciples)
bury him and, according to
scripture, he resurrects
from the dead three days
later.
 His Disciples go forth and
spread the word to the rest
of the world.

12. Jesus Continued
 Jesus Christ is the primary fixture of Christianity.
 The stories of Jesus and his miracles convert a great
many people to Christianity. The message is
universal:
 Everyone is loved by God.
 You don’t need to own or pay to be a part of the
religion.
 Universal love and respect
 Rome is full of the sick, starving, poor, and
downtrodden. The religion spreads quickly.

13. Check for Understanding
 Who is considered to be the father of all 3 of the
middle eastern religions (Islam, Christianity,
Judaism)?
 For Christians, how much of the Torah is part of their
belief? What is this called?
 What is the New Testament? Who does is primarily
focus on?
 Why was Jesus put to death?

14. ROMA!!!
 Rome follows its own
religion and everyone MUST
OBEY or DIE!!!
 Christians, Jews, Zoroasters,
Persians, ANYONE who
believes something different
is hunted and made an
example of in the Coliseum.
 Religion used by Romans as a
way of controlling people in
the empire.
 Other religions teach people
characteristics that go
against the Roman state.
 “These people are dangerous
to our nation” -Romans

15. Christianity Lives
 Becomes so popular that
Rome cannot stamp it out.
 Constantine adopts
Christianity as Rome’s
official religion and it is
accepted.
 Most revered and
important of the early
workers for the faith is Paul
the Apostle
 His writings are the most
influential and most
common in the New
Testament
 Roman Christians are called
“Catholics”

16. Power of Christianity
 The Catholic Church
 Super all-powerful
 People in charge of church were
our direct contact with God.
 If you upset the church, you
upset God and can be
excommunicated (or “kicked
out” of heaven in the afterlife)
 Speaking out against the church
same as arguing with God,
labeled as a “heretic” or a non
believer and punished with
torture, excommunication, or
death.

17. Check for Under-again?
 What happened to early Christians, as well as
members of other religions?
 What major Empire adopted Christianity as their
religion and, therefore, helped the religion survive?
 What kind of punishments were awaiting those who
spoke out against the Catholic Church?

18. Christianity vs. Islam
 Islam arrives around 600 AD
 Spreads quickly through Africa,
Asia, Europe
 Takes control of all land near
“the Holy Land” of Jerusalem,
and take the city itself.
 Pope Urban II declares “all true
Christians must rise and do the
work of God to reclaim our Holy
Land from the heathen
invaders.”
 1st Crusade: “blood up to a horses
bridle in the streets”

19. Crusades
 Holy wars where the Christian world
tried to reclaim Jerusalem from
Muslims.
 1st Crusade is successful
 Islamic forces under Saladin reclaim
the city.
 One of histories greatest military
leaders and most compassionate
rulers.
 Allows anyone who wishes to leave
the city peacefully.
 Many other crusades, only the 1st
considered “successful”

20. Reformation
 Christian world split in half in early 1500s.
 Many complained that Catholic Church had become
corrupt
 Buying lavish gold crowns and staffs, jewels when so
many are starving.
 Selling of indulgences (tickets to heaven)
 German Monk named Martin Luther had enough,
nailed 95 thesis to the front of the Catholic Church
door complaining of how corrupt they had become.
 Speaking out against the church meant death.

21. Protestantism
 Those who agreed with
Martin Luther formed
Protestantism or “to
protest” against the
Catholic Church
 Now old followers were
Catholics, those following
Luther became
Protestants.
 Presbyterians, Baptists,
Congregational, Methodist,
Episcopalian
 Protestants are the
Pilgrims that founded
America.

22. Check for that
Understanding, y’all!
 What were the Crusades?
 Were any of them successful at accomplishing their goal?
What was the goal?
 Who was the leader of the Islamic world that retook
Jerusalem and was one of histories greatest rulers?
 Who was the Germanic Monk who nailed his 96 thesis to
the door of the Catholic church?
 What was his major complaint?
 What were the followers of this man called? What
happened to Christianity because of him?