Religion

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