Nostra Aetate
Latin word meaning "in our time." Declaration on the Relation of the Church with Non-Christian Religions of the Second Vatican Council. Passed by a vote of 2,221 to 88 of the assembled bishops, this declaration was promulgated on 28 October 1965, by Pope
Yom Kippur
means "Day of Atonement;" is the end of the "days of awe" - ten-day penitential period is the high holy time for Jews during which the creation of the world is ritually commemorated.
Ramadan
the fourth pillar of Islam, which is a month of prayer and fasting that commemorated the Night of Power, the first revelation to Muhammad by God
Synod
another word for council, a worldwide meeting of bishops of the Church to discuss matters of faith or doctrine
Bible
the Christian scriptures, consisting of the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments; we accept the Hebrew Bible as the Word of God, and it is contained in the Old Testament; the Jewish scriptures, consisting of the Torah or Law, the Prophets, and the Hagio
Qur'an
In Muslim belief, God's final revelation, superseding both the Jewish and Christian Bibles. The word means "recite" or "recitation.
Bhagavad Gita
an ancient Indian text that became an important work of Hindu tradition in terms of both literature and philosophy; the most popular of Hindu scriptures and the best known Hindu scripture outside Hinduism; the story of Arjuna, one of the brothers in the r
Hadith
A word meaning "story," the sayings and stories of Muhammad that are meant to form guidance for living out religion.
Four Noble Truths
the four central beliefs containing the essence of Buddhist teaching.
1. Life is filled with suffering.
2. The cause of suffering is desire.
3. To cease suffering, one must cease desiring.
4. The path to the end of suffering is the Noble Eightfold Path.
Noble Eightfold Path
the fourth of the Four Noble Truths, the Middle Way which reminds a person to avoid extremes
Exodus
Mosses leading the Jews from slavery in Egypt. theme of liberation through faith
Passover/Pesach/Exodus
Jewish Holiday commemorating the "passing over" of the angel of death and God saving the Jewish people from a life of slavery
Diwali (Divali, Dewali, Deepavali)
a "Festival of Lights" similar to Hanukkah for Jews or Christmas for Christians; celebrates the return of Rama, the seventh avatar of Vishnu, to his kingdom after a fourteen-year exile
Upanishads
another type of shruti scriptures; translates to "sit down beside"; writings concerned with the cycle of rebirth as it contingent on a person's actions, liberation from the cycle of rebirth, and the mystical relationship between
Brahman
(Ultimate Reality)
Vatican II
beginning in 1962- St. John XXIII, the Pope, called together 2,200 bishops and any world religious leaders to discuss and clarify the role of the church in the world according to the gospel of Jesus--following the history of world wars, communism, materia
ecumenism
The movement, inspired and led by the Holy Spirit, that seeks the union of all Christian religions and eventually the unity of all peoples throughout the world within the Catholic Church.
evangeltization
from the root word for gospel, the sharing of the good news
witnessing
giving testimony of one's religious faith to another
myths
traditional or ancient stories that help to provide a worldview of a people by explaining their creation, customs, or ideals
religion
derived from the Latin word religio meaning to blind
Vatican II Documents State
as students of the world's religions-we are not asked to pass judgement on various religious traditions--instead the documents state--"The Catholic Church rejects nothing which is true and Holy.
Liturgy
official set of forms for public worship
theodicy
deals with the question of how the existence of evil and suffering can be