Religions Key Terms

Traditional/Indigenous Religion

* Regionally practiced
* Lack of religious texts
* Ceremonies usually involve nature, music and dance

Shamanism

religious leader who uses altered states to speak to “Spirit world” - Witch doctors

Animism

spirits inhabit all things

Spiritualism

Brazil - connect to dead through “mediums”

Pantheism

sacred being of nature itself

Henotheism

multiple gods but devotion to specific one

Dualism

belief in two supreme opposed powers or gods, or sets of divine or demonic beings, that caused the world to exist

Ethnic Religion

regionally practiced - but more formalized (specific text, ceremonies involve after-life and social issues) - identified with specific ethnicities

Universal Religion

religion attempting to diffuse throughout the world; spread mostly by missionaries

Syncretic religion

religion with different traditions combined together

Atheist

lack of belief in a God/gods

Agnostic

don’t know if there’s a god/gods and/or if it’s possible to know

Dogma

“holy texts”

Metaphysics/-ical

study of supernatural beings and complexity of mind and thought (something outside of human sense perception)

Supernatural

“above nature”

Secular

non-religious/worldly

Judaism

* Oldest of monotheistic religions
* Based on written histories and teachings from the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible)
* Tanakh has three parts
* Torah (The Teaching)
* Nevi’im (The Prophets)
* Ketuvim (The Writings)
* Historically and geographically centered in Canaan/Israel/Levant

Covenant

agreement

Abraham (Ibrahim)

* considered first patriarch of Judaism (and of the 3 “Abrahamic Faiths”)
* covenant with God → worship only God to bless descendants & allow them to multiply
* moved the people to Canaan (Jordan River Valley) but eventually forced out because of drought → wanderers

Sarah

 a wife of Abraham; had Isaac (younger son)

Isaac

Sarah’s son; had sons who became tribal leaders of Jews → Christ/Christianity

Hagar

a wife of Abraham; had Ishmael (older son)

Ishmael

son of Hagar; became Father of Arabs → Muhammad/Islam

Anatolia

modern name is Asia Minor (apart of Turkey)

Canaan

Jordan River Valley; Promised Land of Israelites; “Land of Milk and Honey”

* Modern states of Israel, Lebanon, western Syria \~2000-1700 BCE

The Levant

first was reference to ancient lands along eastern coast of Mediterranean Sea in Old Testament (made up of kingdoms)

Hebrew/Hebrews

descendants of patriarchs of Hebrew Bible

Israel

aka Canaan

Reason why Hebrews left Canaan for Egypt

Food shortage

Messiah

the promised “anointed one” or Christ; the Savior

Exodus

Moses led the departure of the Israelites from Egypt

Moses

* Lived in Egypt during “the exile” Yahweh → Moses is going to be more powerful than Egyptian Pantheon
* 10 plagues → Israelites saves first born by marking doors with sacrificial lamb → basis of Passover
* led group from Egypt to Sinai Peninsula \~1250 BCE
* parted the Red Sea to travel out of Egypt
* 10 Commandments and Mosaic Laws given to Moses during “the exile” Obedience → God = protection & formation of national group with religious purpose

Passover

* March or April (usually around Easter) - week long celebration
* Observance deliverance of Jewish people from Egypt led by Moses
* Days of rest & traditional meals

Seder

* Held on first or second night of Passover
* Religious service set around dinner table
* Prescribed by Haggadah
* Order in which participants eat, pray, drink wine, sing, discuss current social justice issues and tell stories

Yom Kippur

* 10 days after Rosh Hashanah
* Holiest of all days
* “Day of Atonement”
* Fast for 24 hrs, prayer and repentance

Mosaic Law

bunch of laws given to Moses from God during “the exile”

Judea

*  Holy Land
* Jesus’s birthplace
* Around Jerusalem
* place where 2 out of 12 Tribes of Israel came

Israel

* son of Isaac
* one of 3 patriarchs
* original name was Jacob
* Israel marks his people’s special relationship with one God
* sons creates 12 Tribes of Israel

12 Tribes of Israel

* sons of Israel
* blessings to each son
* each have a tribe in Canaan
* 10 in Israel (North)
* 2 in Judea (South)

Judges

* successful individuals chosen from a different tribe in Israel
* chosen by God to rescue the people from their enemies and establish justice and the practice of the Torah amongst the Hebrews

Saul

* first king of Israel
* at first appointed king by Samuel (last of the judges) 
* ultimately rejected because of obedience to God
* wanted to slay David
* failed & David was successful

David

* appointed to be king after Saul disobeys God
* Saul wants to slay David
* David leads army
* David vs. Goliath
* David wins
* made king in Judah
* first king in Jerusalem

Solomon

* David’s son
* built palaces and temples
* some have golden inner walls
* death → foreign invaders have control of Israel

Babylonian Captivity

* fulfillments of Old Testament prophecies
* King Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon holds Jews in captivity
* Babylon = God’s agent of judgment against Israel for sins & rebellion
* King Cyrus of Persia → Jews → Israel after 70 yrs \~537 BC

Diaspora

Babylonian Exile → dispersion of Jews among Gentiles outside Palestine (present- day Israel)

Synagogue

houses of prayer/places of worship

Chanukah

* November or December
* Festival of Lights
* Celebration of reconquering 2nd Temple from Syrians
* They only enough oil for one day but lasted for eight
* Menorah
* light one candle for each day
* receive gifts for each day

Inquisitions

* Catholic courts established to find and punish heretics
* Many Jews killed during Spanish Inquisition

Pogroms

* outbreaks of anti-Jewish violence by non-Jewish street mobs
* term first used in Russian Empire (1881-1884)
* occurred during and after World War II & early 20th century

Ghettos

enclosed districts that isolated Jews from the non-Jewish population and other Jewish communities

Poland

Before WWII - where did the majority of Jews live?

Jesus Christ

* born during time of Roman rule in Bethlehem
* born 0 AD/BC (+/- a few years)
* born of Joseph and Mary of Bethlehem
* Story of Immaculate Conception
* Angel Gabriel tells Mary she will have child of importance — Son of God → basis of Christmas

Edict of Milan

permanently established religious toleration for Christianity within the Roman Empire

Constantine

* issued Edict of Milan in 313 CE
* first to convert to Christianity
* created Constantinople

Great Schism

* Roman church divided between two and ultimately three competing popes → denounced heresy and excommunicated each other
* Italian pope = real pope (frfr no cap)

Crusades

* series of religious battles between Christians and Muslims
* goal was to claim holy sites for both sides (specifically Holy Land)

Reconquista

Christian Spain’s attempt to expel all Muslims from the Iberian Peninsula

Reformation

* religious reform movement
* 1500s
* resulted because of creation of Protestantism (branch of Christianity)
* led by Martin Luther (95 Theses)

Counter (Catholic) Reformation

Catholic Church’s steps to oppose growth of Protestantism

Muhammad

* Last prophet of Allah
* Lived during time of lawlessness and violence
* Arabs worshiped 360 different gods
* Caravan driver → merchant later
* Met Khadijah → becomes his wife
* 610 CE - Mt. Hira - heard a voice telling him to “Proclaim” from Angel Gabriel
* 620 CE - traveled to the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem → Heaven
* Conversation with Allah became Qur’an (Holy Text)
* Duty as last prophet to spread word
* Wasn’t received well and actually ostracized for a while
* 630 CE - returns to Mecca and proclaims “Truth has come and falsehood has vanished.”
* Goes to Kaaba and removes statues of 365 gods
* States Allah is only God worshiped in Kaaba
* Dedicates Black Stone to Allah
* Says he is poisoned and dies in 632 CE
* Calls all of followers to hillside for speech
* Declares does not want to be worshiped and is just messenger
* Debate of successor between Abu Bakr (friend) and Ali (cousin)

Khadijah

wife of Muhammad

Anno Hijra “The Year of Flight”

* emigration of Prophet Muhammad and 70 Muslims from Makkah to Madinah
* Madinah: where Muslims first attained religious and political autonomy
* *Hijirah occurred on 1 Muharram 1 according to Islamic calendar (July 16, AD 622 on Gregorian calendar)*
* *Named “hijri” after its epoch*

Kaaba

sacred shrine which housed the images of many Arab gods

Mecca

* Birthplace of Islamic prophet Muhammad
* Only Muslims are allowed to enter because it is sacred

Medina

* Muhammad’s tomb
* Celebrated as place where Muhammad established Muslim community after flight from Mecca (622 AD)

ZamZam Well

* Water is believed to be blessed holy water
* Miraculously generated water when Hagar and Ishmael (Abraham’s son) were left in the desert

Archangel Gabriel

Archangel sent to various prophets by God

Islam

Religion with fastest growing population

Qur’an, Quran, Koran

* Islamic Holy book
* Believed to contain exact word of God as it was revealed to Muhammad
* Authority on all subjects (religion, law, politics, economics, social life)

Allah

* “the God”
* One and only God in Islam

Caliph

* Islamic state’s supreme religious and political leaderr
* Considered spiritual leader of entire Muslim population in world

Sultan

* Head of state and government
* Words were the Law
* Responsible only to Allah and God’s Law (Seriat)

Abu Bakr

Friend of Muhammad

Ali Hussen

Cousin of Muhammad

Sunni

* Believe Muhammad’s successor should be Abu Bakr
* Think Muhammad did not explicitly declare a successor

Shia/Shiite

Believe Muhammad’s successor should be Ali Hussein

Shahada, Salat, Zakat, Sawm, Hajj

5 Pillars of Islam

Shahada

* The creed
* “There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is His Prophet.”
* Muslims must proclaim their belief in one God and accept that God revealed his message to Muhammad. Honor must be given to the prophets Abraham, Moses, and Jesus. Muhammad is considered the last and the most important prophet. Muhammad is to be honored but not worshiped as a God.

Salat

* During prayer, one must face the holy city of Mecca. Each prayer time takes from 10 - 15 minutes. The 5 daily prayers are:
* Fajr - Dawn, before sunrise
* Dhuhr - Midday
* Asr - Late part of afternoon
* Maghrib - Sunset 
* Isha - between sunset and midnight
* Vary based on time/calendar
* Muslims pray on prayer rug (or small portable version)

Zakat

* Giving alms to the poor
* People should give money, clothing and food to various charities
* Basic concept is rich giving to poor
* In Saudi Arabia estimate of 2.5% of income

Sawm

* Fasting from sunrise to sunset during Ramadan
* Ramadan is 9th month of lunar year and is 30 days long
* Required to fast from dusk to dawn
* Summer months = longest fasting period due to daylight

Hajj

Making pilgrimage to Mecca once during lifetime

Ramadan

* 9th month of lunar year
* 30 days long
* Fast from sunrise to sunset
* Holy month
* Celebrate first time God revealed words of Koran to Muhammad

Eid al Fitr

* Marks end of Ramadan
* Celebrated during first three days of Shawwāl (10th month of Islamic calendar)
* Holy festival
* Performance of communal prayer at daybreak on its first day

Jihad

1. within one’s self to be good
2. to expel false gods


1. To spread the religion to heretics (non-believers)

Sejuk Turks

12 C Steppe horsemen (nomadic) - accept Islam - spread Islam through Warrior expansion (imperialism) from MENA to Indus Valley

Ottoman Empire

Take over Seljuk expansion - centered in Istanbul - spread Islam from Spain to India

Cleric (Mullah)

a Holy or learned man- one who can read and interpret the Quran (Sunni)

Imam

a religious leader. Sunnis call all their religious leaders Imams while Shias have designated 12 innocent Imams.

Ayatollah

 highest and most sacred order of Shia

Sultan

Islamic warlord - controls an Islamic area

Sultanate

an area controlled by Islamic leadership

Hinduism

* Showed people how to live by Henotheistic beliefs “written texts” - The Vedas
* Believed to have been brought by Aryans during “Vedic Period” (\~1500 BCE)
* Caste system introduced into society

Harappans

Inhabitants of ancient Indus Valley civilization

Aryans

Believed to have brought Hinduism from Caucasus Mtns. - “Vedic Period” (\~1500 BCE)

Sanskrit

Primary sacred language of Hinduism

Brahman

* Universal soul
* All things come from Brahman; all things return to Brahman
* Divided into 3 gods (the Trimurti) - Pantheistic
* Brahma
* Vishnu
* Shiva

Brahmin

* Top class (caste)
* Priests, educators, judges, academics
* Wealthy and high in status
* Hold the highest/best jobs

Brahma

the Creator

Vishnu

the Preserver