Judaism
a monotheistic religion founded by Abraham
Monotheistic
a religion with only one god (examples are Judaism, Christianity and Islam)
Covenant
an agreement; Jews believe that they have this with god (they follow his rules and he will watch over them)
Torah
the holy book of Judaism; is the same as the Old Testament of the Christian Bible
Ten Commandments
10 rules passed from God to Moses; they are followed by Jews, Christians and Muslims
Diaspora
refers to the spread of Jews around the world
Temple
a place of worship for Jews
Christianity
a monotheistic religion that started as a sect of Judaism
Jesus
a figure that Christians believe is their savior or messiah
Old and New Testaments (Bible)
the holy book in Christianity; the Old Testament (which is the first half of the Bible) is the same as the Jewish Torah
Catholicism
one of the major divisions in Christianity; led by the Pope
Protestantism
one of the major divisions in Christianity; began with Martin Luther as a protest against the Catholic Church
Church
a place of worship for Christians
Islam
a monotheistic; people that follow this religion are called Muslims; like Jews, Muslims trace their origins to Islam
Five Pillars
are the five basic rules for Muslims (belief, prayer, charity, fasting and pilgrimage)
Muhammad
the founder of Islam; is considered a messenger and prophet of God
Hajj
a pilgrimage to Mecca; one of the five pillars
Koran
the holy book in Islam
Mosque
a place of worship for followers of Islam
Mecca
a city in Saudi Arabia; is considered the holiest place by Muslims
Shi'a
a Muslim group that accepts only the descendents of Muhammad's son-in-law Ali as the true rulers of Islam
Sunni
a Muslim group that accepts only the descendents of the Umayyads as the true rulers of Islam
Hinduism
a polytheistic religion
Caste
levels in society that dictate a person's job and who they can associate with; the way Hindu society is organized
Brahmin
the highest level in the Hindu caste system; originally the word only priests, but now incorporates modern professions
Reincarnation
the belief in Hinduism that one is reborn into another life
Vedas
the sacred literature of Hinduism; contains teachings and beliefs
Karma
Hindu belief that actions in ones current life determine what they will be reborn as in the future
Moksha
enlightenment; when a soul reaches this they cease to go through cycle of reincarnation
Brahma
The creator God in Hinduism
Darhma
the strict guidelines which determine the caste a person will become a part of
Polytheistic
a religion with more than one god
Buddhism
a tradition that focuses on personal spiritual development
Siddhartha Guatama
the founder of Buddhism
Eight Fold Path
eight steps to end suffering according to Buddhist tradition
Four Noble Truths
1) All life is full of suffering, pain, and sorrow. 2) The cause of suffering is nonvirtue, or negative deeds and mindsets such as hated and desire. 3) The only cure for suffering is to overcome nonvirture. 4) The way to overcome nonvirtue is to follow th
Nirvana
the state of englightenment for Buddhists