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5th century BCE

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The first is that life is made up of pain and suffering. Next is that all the suffering is caused by desires. After that is that you can be free from those desires.

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Buddha is said to awake the truth of life.

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The religion is based on teachings of the Buddha.

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Jesus died on the cross for others sins (Immoral act).

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Jesus is the son of god.

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Jesus was located in the middle east 2000 or more years ago.

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That Buddha lives to teach.

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Buddha is said to awake the truth of life.

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The religion is based on teachings of the Buddha.

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Believe that Jesus died on the cross for others sins (Immoral act).

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He was located in the middle east 2000 or more years ago.

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The god represents loving kindness and compassion

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Jesus was fully human at his time and experienced all the things the people at his time did

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Building to worship

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Believes god knows everything and sees everything

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Worlds most wide spread religion

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God sent his son to earth to save humanity from its sins

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Follow the teachings of jesus christ, being a healer, Preacher.

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To live a life where there is good and bad, to be aware of your actions and your thoughts.

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Buddha's teachings which revolve around the four noble truths.

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Originated from India.

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Jesus and Followers

Christianity grew out of Judaism in the Middle East. In about 29 ce a Jew named Jesus began to preach in Galilee. He attracted many followers because of his healing powers and his religious teachings. But people in power feared that he might lead an uprising, and they put him to death. The Bible holds that Jesus rose from the dead three days after being put to death, spent 40 days on Earth, and then was taken up to heaven.

For many years, Jesus' followers continued to practice religion in the same way as Jews, except they believed that Jesus was a savior sent from God. In the 1st century ce a missionary named Paul helped separate Christianity and Judaism into two distinct religions.

Spread of Christianity

To help spread Jesus' teachings, some early Christians wrote about him. Writings by four men-Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John-were chosen as the standard account of Jesus' life and teaching. These four narratives now form part of the New Testament.

In the early days of the church, the Roman Empire controlled most of the Mediterranean region. Life was difficult and dangerous for Christians living within the empire. They were treated harshly for their beliefs. In 312 ce, however, the Roman emperor converted to Christianity. By the end of the 300s, Christianity was the empire's official religion. This power helped secure Christianity's place in the world.

Christianity in the Middle Ages

Christianity continued to gain strength during the Middle Ages, a period from about 500 to 1500. Its leaders became powerful and wealthy, and the church was the chief cultural institution in Europe.

But as Christianity expanded, it could not remain unified. In 1054 the Eastern church at Constantinople separated from the Western church in Rome because of differences in beliefs and practices. This split created the Eastern Orthodox churches and the Roman Catholic church.

Another major development was the Crusades. In the 11th century a Muslim Turkish empire conquered Southwest Asia, including many places associated with Jesus. Over the next two centuries, armies of European Christians fought Muslim forces in the Middle East, partly in an attempt to recapture the Holy Land.

Modern Period

In the 1500s a German priest named Martin Luther began to question certain practices and teachings of the Roman Catholic church. Luther's criticism helped bring about the religious revolution known as the Reformation. As a result, various reformers eventually founded the first Protestant churches.

As Christianity flourished in Europe, Christians came to believe that their religion should be taught to people in other lands. Beginning in the 16th century and continuing into the 21st, Christian missionaries brought their faith to parts of Africa, Asia, and North and South America. These efforts helped make Christianity the most widespread religion in the world.

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With some 2 billion followers, Christianity is the world's most widespread religion. Christianity is based on the life, death, and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. The...

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Buddhism originated in India, based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, later known as Gautama Buddha. A Buddha is one who is said to be awake to the truth of life. Buddha is a Pali word which means "the awakened one." According to Buddhism, there were countless Buddhas before Gautama Buddha, and there will be many Buddhas after him.

Over the centuries, Gautama Buddha's teachings spread from Nepal to Central Asia, Tibet, Sri Lanka, Southeast Asia, China, Mongolia, Korea, Japan, Europe, North, and South America. Theravada Buddhism is most common in South Asia; Mahayana is most common further north. Buddhism exists in many different strands today, but all versions share basic ideas. About seven percent of the people of the world are Buddhist.

While many people see Buddhism as a religion, others see it as a philosophy, and others as a way of finding reality.

Background and Buddhist concepts

Siddhartha Gautama (563-483 BC) began life as the infant prince of a small kingdom in what is now the southern part of Nepal. As an adult, he left wealth and status behind to search for truth. The Buddha spent the next 45 years of his life traveling and teaching in the northern part of India. He died at the age of 80.

The Buddha focused much of his teaching on how to overcome suffering. He saw that all living things suffer. He taught that by overcoming suffering, a person will be truly happy.

He began teaching holy men or monks the Four Noble Truths of Life and the Eightfold Noble Path (see below). These teachings identify the causes of suffering and their cure. The Buddha taught that there are three marks of existence: He said life is best understood as being impermanent (everything changes), unsatisfactory (left on our own we are never truly happy), and interdependent (all things are linked).

In discussing suffering, the Buddha identified the "three poisons" of desire, anger, and stupidity, and he showed that we could end our suffering by letting go of desires and overcoming anger and stupidity.

The complete letting go of negative influences is called Nirvana, meaning "to extinguish," like putting out the flame of a candle. This end of suffering is also called Enlightenment. In Buddhism, Enlightenment and Nirvana often mean the same thing.

The Buddha taught that living in balance is the best way to live. He called this "the middle way." He also recommended meditation as a way to train the mind to see the world as it is.

The Buddha taught that actions have consequences for good or bad. People who make good decisions will be happier and have more peace of mind. This is called karma.

Another teaching of Buddhism is reincarnation - the idea that when people die, they will be reborn as someone or something else. They live their life the best they can in hopes of reincarnating as something better until they eventually reach enlightenment.

Buddhists would not say whether or not there is a God or gods. Buddhists do not believe that people should look to gods to save them or bring them enlightenment. Instead, they believe individuals should work out their own path the best they can. Many of the Buddha's ideas are found in other Indian religions, especially Hinduism.

Beliefs of Buddhism

The three jewels

Buddhists respect and treasure the Three Jewels, which are the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha.

The Buddha refers to the awakened one, the Dharma to the Buddha's teachings, and the Sangha to the people who follow the Buddha and his teachings.

Buddhists say "I take refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha." They find comfort in these jewels or treasures.

Four Noble Truths

The Buddha's first and most important teachings are the Four Noble Truths.

1. Life is suffering.

2. The reason for this suffering is that we want things to be a certain way.

3. The way to cure suffering is to rise above this desire.

4. The way to rise above desire is to follow the Noble Eightfold Path, practices which help us change our minds and understanding.

Noble Eightfold Path

The Buddha told people to follow a special way of life called the Noble Eightfold Path if they want to understand the Four Noble Truths. These are:

1. Appropriate views. Know and understand the Four Noble Truths.

2. Appropriate thought. Turn your mind away from the world and toward the Dharma.

3. Appropriate speech. Tell the truth, don't gossip, and don't talk badly about others.

4. Appropriate conduct. Don't commit evil acts, like killing, stealing, or living an unclean life.

5. Appropriate livelihood. Earn your money in a way that doesn't harm anyone.

6. Appropriate effort. Work to make your mind more good and less evil.

7. Appropriate mindfulness. Remember the Dharma and apply it all the time.

8. Appropriate meditation. Practice meditation as a way of understanding reality.

Five precepts

Buddhists are encouraged to follow five precepts, or guidelines:

1. I will not hurt a person or animal that is alive.

2. I will not take something if it was not given to me.

3. I will not engage in sexual misconduct.

4. I will not lie or say things that hurt people.

5. I will not take intoxicants causing heedlessness.

If a person wants to be a monk or nun, he or she will follow other precepts as well.

Interesting facts about Buddhism

The term "Buddhism" was invented by Western scholars in the 1830s. Buddhists don't refer to their religion as "Buddhism."

The Buddha founded an order of monks and nuns known as the Sangha who have preserved his teachings.

Because of its emphasis on meditation and mindfulness, Buddhism is often considered to be a form of psychology rather than a religion.

In Buddhism, there is no single holy book.

Buddhists do not believe in a supreme being or creator God.

A Buddha is a person who has reached enlightenment.

Buddhist monks and nuns shave their hair.

In Buddhism, each person must work their way to enlightenment.

Related pages

Images for kids

An aniconic depiction of the Buddha's spiritual liberation ( moksha) or awakening ( bodhi), at Sanchi. The Buddha is not depicted, only symbolized by the Bodhi tree and the empty seat.

Living at the root of a tree ( trukkhamulik'anga) is one of the dhutaṅgas, a series of optional ascetic practices for Buddhist monastics.

A section of the Northern wall mural at the Lukhang Temple depicting tummo, the three channels ( nadis) and phowa

A Buddhist triad depicting, left to right, a Kushan, the future buddha Maitreya, Gautama Buddha, the bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara, and a monk. Second-third century. Guimet Museum

Frontispiece of the Chinese Diamond Sūtra, the oldest known dated printed book in the world

In Spanish: Budismo para niños

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The religion based on the teachings of the Buddha is known as Buddhism. The Buddha was born with the name Siddhartha Gautama and lived sometime in the 6th to the 4th century…

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There are different branches of Christianity because some Christians worship in different ways.

What are the different branches (denominations) of Christians?

There are several denominations of the Christian faith, however all Christians share common beliefs.

Church of England - Anglicanism
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England.

Roman Catholic
The Catholic Church is the oldest institution in the western world. It can trace its history back almost 2000 years.

Baptists
For Baptists, the church is not just a particular place or building, but rather a family of believers, committed to Christ, to one another and to the service of God in the world.

Methodist
The calling of the Methodist Church is to respond to the gospel of God's love in Christ and to live out its discipleship in worship and mission.

Orthodox The Orthodox Church shares much with the other Christian churches in the belief that God revealed himself in Jesus Christ, and a belief in the incarnation of Christ, his crucifixion and resurrection.

Seventh-day Adventist
The belief which makes Seventh-day Adventists really stand out, though it is not the most important part of the faith, is the belief that Saturday is the Sabbath (the day of worship)

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World Religions for Children doing their homework

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2 min

Updated: 3rd August 2021

Want to learn all about Buddhism? Take a look at these amazing top 10 facts about Buddhism to wow your friends:

1. Buddhism originated in India.

2. This world religion is over 2,500 years old and is practised by over half a billion people.

3. Buddhism is based on the teachings of a spiritual leader called 'the Buddha', or 'the Awakened One'.

4. The Buddha was born in Lumbini, which was part of northern India, but is now part of Nepal.

5. Buddhism teaches people to lead a moral life and to be aware of what we think and how we behave.

6. Buddhists thank Buddha for his teachings. They believe he is perfectly enlightened without anger or hatred and he is the wisest and most kind-hearted person in this world who spent his life teaching.

7. The statue of Buddha reminds Buddhists of loving-kindness, wisdom and compassion.

8. Buddhists try to behave well through life, believing in karma. Bad behaviour in the present creates more suffering in the future, so if we want to reduce future suffering, we need to be positive in our thoughts and actions.

9. The main aim of Buddhism is to achieve enlightenment. We would then be experiencing complete joy and compassion and helping others and leading a moral life would be no effort at all.

10. Buddhism is a very tolerant and kind religion that respects the beliefs and ways of others.

Once you've learnt some interesting facts about Buddism, why not take a look at some of these activities and resources that can help you learn more?

This pack of Buddhism definition matching cards can help you learn definitions of some key Buddhism vocabulary!

Or try and find all the Buddhism words in this word search!

Or print off some of these colouring pages and get creative!

Did you know we have lots of other fun facts for kids about more exciting subjects?

From English, Maths and Science to famous figures and cultural celebrations, you can find all of the information you need in our Homework Help area.

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Top Ten Buddhism Facts for Kids - Twinkl Homework Help

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2 min Updated: 3rd August 2021 Want to learn all about Buddhism? Take a look at these amazing top 10 facts about Buddhism to wow your friends: Buddhism originated in India. This world religion is over 2,500 years old and is practised by over half a billion people.

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Christianity is the religion with the most followers in the world; almost a third of the world's population are Christians.
Like Jews and Muslims, Christians believe in just one God who created the world and all that is in it.

Christians follow the teachings of Jesus Christ, a preacher and healer who lived in the Middle East more than 2000 years ago. Christians believe that Jesus was the Son of God, sent down to earth to save people by dying on the cross and taking the punishment for their sins. It is through looking at Jesus's life and example that Christians believe they can learn what God is like.

Top 10 facts

Christianity is the world's largest religion.

People who follow Christianity are called Christians.

Christians have one God, who they believe created the world in just six days and continues to watch over it.

Christians believe that God is everywhere and sees and knows everything.

Today there are about 2.2 billion Christians in the world - almost a third of the world's population.

Christians got their name because of their belief in Jesus Christ, a preacher and healer who lived more than 2000 years ago in Israel in the Middle East.

God the Father, who created and cares for the world and everything in it.

God the Son, who came down to earth as Jesus.

God the Holy Spirit, which symbolises God's power living within Christians.

Jesus was born to an ordinary Jewish couple, Mary and Joseph, in Bethlehem. Most children know the famous Nativity story which describes his birth.

Christians believe that Jesus was the son of God, sent down to earth to save people and teach them about God.

The word Christ comes from a Greek word meaning Messiah, God's chosen one.

A church is a building where Christians worship.

Timeline

Did you know?

The Church of England (the officially established Christian church in England)

The Roman Catholic Church (which is headed by the Pope)

Baptists

Methodists

Presbyterians

Quakers

Christians celebrate Jesus's birth every year on 25th December - Christmas Day - but no one knows exactly when he was born. The first Christians did not celebrate Jesus's birth.

The chancel (the space around the altar and where the choir sit) in Bath Abbey

A stained glass depiction of Jesus on the cross

The enormous statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janiero, Brazil

A church in Amesbury, England

The Eucharist

A priest during a church service

Two churches, one medieval and one modern

A stained-glass church window

Cologne Cathedral seen from the air (showing the cross-shaped structure)

Leonardo Da Vinci's Last Supper

A baptism

Rosary beads, used by some Christians to pray

At the age of 30, Jesus travelled all over his country teaching others about God, encouraging people to love and respect each other. He became known for healing sick people and performing miracles; perhaps the most famous was when he was said to have fed five thousand people with just five loaves and two fish! Jesus always attracted large crowds of people whenever he came to talk and he told many stories to teach people about God, but the religious leaders of the time did not like what he had to say.

Christians think that God can be seen in three ways, which is known as the Holy Trinity:

The Bible is the holy book of Christians. The Christian Bible contains the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament contains the same books as the Jewish Bible (although Christians have a different view of what is written down) and was written before Jesus's birth. The New Testament contains stories about Jesus written by people who met him or had heard of him.

Sunday is a time when most Christians meet to worship God, whether in a church, a hall or someone's house.

A church can be big, small, old, new, plain or highly decorated. You will find that the floor plan of many churches is in the shape of a cross.
Jesus chose 12 men to travel with him and be his special companions; they became knows as his disciples.
Church services usually include prayers, hymns and readings from the Bible.

Christians believe that praying to God allows them to say sorry for the things they have done wrong and thank you for their blessings, to pray for other people (for example, for healing) and to pray for his help and strength for themselves. Christians believe that God wants them to be like Jesus Christ and carry on the good work he did in the world.
Jesus was crucified, which meant he was nailed to a wooden cross and left to die. The cross is a very important Christian symbol: it reminds Christians of how and why Jesus died.
All Christians share common beliefs but there are different branches of Christianity. These include:

Look through the gallery and see if you can spot the following:

Gallery

About

Christians believe that Jesus was the son of God. He was born to Jewish parents, Mary and Joseph, in Bethlehem in Roman-occupied Judea. This all happened over 2000 years ago.

The reason we celebrate Christmas is because Christians celebrate Jesus's birth on 25 December, although his exact birthday is not really known. It is thought that Christians chose the darkest and coldest time of year to highlight the 'light' Jesus brought to the world.

There is very little written about Jesus as a child, but at the age of 30 he travelled for three years teaching people about God and healing the sick. Wherever Jesus went, people came to listen to him and to ask for his help. He seemed to have a special interest in the sick and the poor.

Jesus went to Jerusalem with his disciples during the Jewish Passover festival. It was there that he was arrested and sentenced to death. Jesus's crime was calling himself the Son of God, he was thought to be treating God's name with disrespect. This is known as blasphemy.

Jesus shared a final meal with his disciples where he tried to warn them about what was going to happen to him. This became known as The Last Supper. Jesus shared around bread and wine; the bread was to symbolise his body and the wine his blood.

Jesus was buried in a tomb but three days later, the tomb was found empty. This is known as the resurrection, which means Jesus had risen from the dead. Jesus is believed to have appeared before his disciples before finally going up to heaven to be reunited with God. His journey into heaven is known as the ascension.

Christians believe that Jesus sacrificed or gave up his own life in order to save all those who followed and believed in him. By dying on the cross, he took the 'punishment' people deserve for the things they have done wrong and made them pure and blameless in the eyes of God.

It is through looking at Jesus's life and example that Christians believe they can learn what God is like.

Christians believe that God is kind and loving and is always ready to forgive people for doing wrong as long as they are truly sorry and promise to follow God. It is the belief of many Christians that when they die, they will go to heaven to be with God and Jesus.

The Eucharist is the main religious ritual in many churches. The word means thanksgiving and during the service bread and wine are shared, just as they were in the Last Supper.

People are welcomed into the Christian faith by a baptism ceremony, sometimes when they are a baby (a time to promise God that the baby will be brought up as a Christian) and sometimes when they are an adult (and make the promises for themselves).

The two main Christian festivals are Easter and Christmas. Christmas is when Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus. Easter marks the death and resurrection of Jesus and is the most important Christian festival.

Related Videos

Just for fun...

Print free colouring pages themed around the Nativity and Easter or Bible scene colouring pages

Try some Christian arts and crafts ideas and Bible activities for children

Explore a traditional church in an interactive film and find out what some of the objects in it are

Friends and Heroes is a series of animated children's Bible Stories which includes characters from the Old and New Testament

Watch a funny animated video, narrated by Peter the apostle, about the miracles he saw Jesus perform

Watch a video in which a Christian explains his belief system to aliens

Children's books about Christianity

Find out more

Lots of information about Christianity can be found on this BBC page

The Pope is the head of the Roman Catholic Church and he lives in the Vatican in Rome

See where in the world most Christians live in this map of world religions

Watch a series of BBC clips exploring the Christian faith through the eyes of young Christians

A guide to Christian festivals and dates in the year

Read an illustrated version of the Nativity story and the Easter story
Mary's Lullaby is reconstruction of the Nativity
Watch a video to find out why the Bible is such an important book for Christians

The sacred stories of different religions are available on the British Library website: listen to the stories of The Lost Son and David and Goliath in the Christian Stories book

In a video for KS1 children, Charlie and her soft toy Blue find out out why Christians give to charity

See inside a Christian cathedral and an Anglican church

Find out more about how Christians celebrate marriage, the tradition of baptism and Christian funerals

Hymns are religious songs, a form of singing prayer. The UK's top 100 hymns are listed on the Songs of Praise website, where you can also watch clips of religious music being performed in churches and cathedrals

Find out more about some of the stories in the Old Testament and the New Testament

Saints are celebrated by Christians as virtuous and special people. Lots of saints are pictured in Western art; when the paintings were painted people would have known exactly which saint's life was being shown and a number of symbols help us understand saints in art today, too. Learn more about identifying saints in artwork on the National Gallery website

Watch some KS1 religions studies animations from the BBC: the story of the First Christmas, the story of the Good Samaritan and the Lost Sheep and the story of Easter

Cbeebies tells the Easter story

Glossary of Christian terms

Advent - the period including four Sundays before Christmas. Advent means 'coming'.

Altar - the table used for the Eucharist.

Amen - Christians, Jews and Muslims say 'Amen' at the end of prayers; it means 'it is true'.

Ascension - Jesus's journey into heaven.

Christ - a Greek word meaning Messiah, God's chosen one.

Church - a building where Christians worship God.

Crucifixion - the way Jesus died, nailed to a wooden cross.

Disciple - a follower of a leader or teacher.

Easter - a Christian festival in March or April which celebrates the resurrection (rising from the dead) of Jesus.

Eucharist - the main religious ritual in many churches. The word means thanksgiving; in the service bread and wine are shared as they were at Jesus's Last Supper.

Gospel - sections of the New Testament in the Bible, written by four of Jesus's disciples (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) to spread the "good news" of Jesus's life. The word gospel means "good news".

Holy Trinity - the three ways in which Christians see God - God the father, God the son and God the Holy Spirit.

Jerusalem - a city in modern-day Israel which is sacred to Christians, Jews and Muslims.

Last Supper - a meal that Jesus ate with his 12 disciples on the day before he was crucified.

Lecturn - a stand in church from which the Bible is read.

Lent - a period of 40 days leading up to Easter when Christians spend more time in prayer and Bible study.

Lord's Prayer - a prayer said by most Christians, in private and at most church services, based on a prayer Jesus taught his disciples.

Mary - the person chosen by God to be the mother of Jesus.

Nativity - the story of Jesus's birth in Nazareth.

Parables - the name given to the stories Jesus told his followers to teach them spiritual lessons.

Priest - the name given to the person who leads Christian services (other names for the person who performs this role include vicar, minister and chaplain). The person who leads a cathedral and a region in the Christian church is called a bishop. The head of the Roman Catholic Church is the Pope. Other members of the Christian clergy are monks and nuns.

Resurrection - Jesus's rising from the dead, remembered by Christians at Easter.

See for yourself

Cathedrals are the most important churches in a diocese (the area a bishop looks after in the Christian church). Read about Britain's cathedrals and find cathedrals near you on an interactive map

See the Victoria and Albert Museum's collection of Christian objects, including metalwork, stained glass, textiles and visual art, online

See the 10 oldest churches in Britain

Medieval Christian manuscripts are beautifully decorated. You can turn the pages of the Lindisfarne Gospels, written and decorated at the end of the 7th century, online

Also see

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Christianity is the religion with the most followers in the world; almost a third of the world's population are Christians. Like Jews and Muslims, Christians believe in just one God who created the world and all that is in it.