Grade 11 Religion Exam

Samsara (Hinduism)

• Refers to “the law of rebirth” (reincarnation)

• It is the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth

• The cycle is unending unless we reach salvation/liberation

Moksha (Hinduism)

• The ultimate liberation from desire and the highest exit a human can reach

• Obtaining this is considered enlightenment and freedom from delusion and a need for anything

• There are four paths towards moksha: knowledge, action, devotion, and renunciation

Ascetic/Sannyasin (Hinduism)

• Last stage of life

• Renunciation of worldly objects, focus on spiritual life/moksha

• Withdrawal from the world

• Monastic life

Karma (Hinduism)

The belief that a person experiences the effects of their own actions, acts of present life determine rebirth

Dharma (Hinduism)

• Your life duty

• Changes with status and age

• Three levels of dharma

  • One with the spiritual world and universe

    One with the society immediately around an individual

    One with oneself

• Can only be understood by reading the sacred texts

Ahimsa (Hinduism)

• Do no harm

• Hindu belief that all life is part of Brahman

• Violence leads to karma and rebirth

• Non violence breaks the cycle

Four castes (Hinduism)

1. Brahmins (thinkers/knowers)

2. Kshatriyas (doers)

3. Vaisya (provide food)

4. Shudra (do the work)

Occupation/contributions of the castes (Hinduism)

• Jajman (landlord/higher castes) give gifts

• Kamin (lower castes) service the landlords

How is caste determined? (Hinduism)

• Reincarnation/karma

• Dharma

  • Each caste has a set of rules to live by

• Law of many

  • Hindu book of sacred law, contains restrictions for daily life

Brahmins (Hinduism)

• Highest caste

• Priests, teachers, judges

• Help people of other castes fulfill their dharma

• Preforms rituals and observe vows

Kshatriyas (Hinduism)

• Warrirors and rulers

• Landowners

• Lead the people

• Advised by brahmins

Vaishya (Hinduism)

• Commerce and trade

  • Merchants, traders, farmers

• Shopkeepers who sell products

Shudra (Hinduism)

• Manual labour and service

  • Labourers, servants, artisans

Untouchables

• Outcasts

• No distinct caste

• Expected to do dirty work

• Comes in contact with animal skin, dead bodies and feces

• Avoided due to fear of pollution

Shema (Judaism)

• Statement of monotheism

• Hear O Israel, The Lord our God, The Lord is One

Shabbat/Sabbath (Judaism)

Day of rest, sunset on Friday to nightfall on Saturday

Rabbi

Teachers of the law, interpret the Talmud (Mishnah + Gemara)

Western/Wailing Wall

Holiest wall, Holy of Holies

Site of destruction of the two temples

Mezuzah

2 verse of Deuteronomy written on parchment, placed diagonally on the doorsteps. Reminder of God’s Mitzvot

Tzittzit and tallit

Prayer shawl for morning service, reminder of all 613 mizvot for 613 fringes (tzittzit)

Menorah

Light onto nation of Israel, eternal presence of God. Used in the synagogue and during chanukah

Yarmulke/kippah

Practices of Jews to cover heads during prayer, worn during prayer to respect God

Star of David

Shape of King David’s shield. Symbolizes identity, unity and protection

Chai

Hebrew word for life/living

Anti-semitism

• Semite: Hebrew speaker

• Hatred of Jews

Pesach/passover

• 7-8 days

• Exodus of Israelites from Egyptian slavery

• Big meal (seder) and reading of Exodus

• Bitter foods, herbs, saltwater, unleavened bread, fruit and wine

Rosh Hashanah

• Head of the year

• Jewish new years

• Day of rest and day of judgement over a Jew’s life

• Shofar (ram’s horn) is blown

• Eat apples dipped in honey → sweet year ahead

Yom Kippur

• When the high priest could enter inner sanctum of temple to call on God’s true name

• Day of self-denial and atonement

  • Fasting, no wearing costumes, no fasting

  • No work

  • Day of prayer and repentance

• Sabbath of sabbath

• Holiest day

Sukkot

• “huts” or “booths”

• Jewish harvest and pilgrimage festival

• 7-9 days

• Living in huts to commemorate how they lived in wilderness

• Read from book of Ecclesiastes

Purim

• Commemorates rescue of Jews from Persia

• Reading of scrolls of Esther

• Give gifts, dress in costumes, get drunk, put on plays

• Reminders that Jews can survive even when hope is lost

Hanukkah

• “Dedication”

• Victory of Maccabees in 2nd century BCE

• 8 days with prayer, 8 candles

• Give gifts, oily food, play dreidel

• Commemorates small about of oil that could last 8 days during the war.

Tenak/Torah

• Truth of Moses, contains 613 mitzvot

Halakah

• Way of life that is pleasing to God

• 613 tenak sent as a gift of God’s love

Pentatuech

• AKA the first five books of Torah

  • Genesis

  • Exodus

  • Leviticus

  • Numbers

  • Deuteronomy

• Hand written on parchment by scribes

Talmud

Collection of rabbinical teachings. Mishnah + Gemera. Rabbinical teachings and interpretations.

Animism

All things in nature/the universe have a spirit/soul

Shaman

• Spiritual leader acting as bridge between physical and spiritual world

• Healings powers that are inherited or a result of personal quest

Vision Quest

Turning point in life before puberty to find oneself and ones life direction

• Long walks in mountainous areas

• Fasting

• Sleep deprivation

• Spiritual instruments

• Medicine bag

• Feather or fur or rock placed into medicine bag

  • Reminds individual of roots, stays with individual

• Isolation in nature

Concept of time

• Cyclical like seasons or rebirth

• Measured by natural events, not by dates or clocks

• Respecting the past, living in the present, and caring for the future

• Time is more about relationships and meaning, not strict schedules

Pow wows

• Social gathering involving dancing and singing

• Purpose is to renew old ways and preserve rich heritage, restores right relationships and healing of creations

• Sun, eagle, buffalo, drums, medicine wheel

• Takes place in a circle

• Heartbeat of mankind is represented by beating drums

Sun Dance

Gather and pray for healing, making personal sacrifices on behalf of the community.

• Tree, buffalo head, eagle nest

Spiritual world and physical world are interconnected because dancing purifies

Body piercings symbolize a. renewal of the quest for the spirit on one’s life

Potlatch

• Potlucks

• Giving away of blankets, beadwork, weapons or crafts

• Celebrates birth, weddings and sometimes deaths.

• Represents status

• Interconnectednes of community

Smudging

• Holy act part of many rituals

• Smoke purifies things

• Sacred herbs are burned in bowls, smoke is brushed over eyes, mouth, ears, hands and whole being

• Ashes are returned to the earth

Sacred pipe

• Pipe: Unity and harmony

• Stone bowl of pipe: Truth

• Stem: Way we are to live in harmony and balance with all of creation

• Water, air, fire and earth (tobacco) show interconnectedness

• All elements represent unity of creation

Sweat lodge

• Kinda like a sauna

• Purifies body, mind, spirit and heart to restore relationships with self, others, creator and creation

• Sweat lodge, water, fire, rocks, peace pipes, songs, prayers

• Sweat to cleanse the soul

• Participants return to womb (cyclical life)

Residential school

• Set up by Canadian government and Christian church association

• 1880-1996

• Assimilate aboriginal youth into Christian Euro-Canadian culture

• Up to 6000 students died

Dukkha (Buddhism)

• Pali word; suffering, unsatisfactoriness, or stress

• Basic unsatisfactory nature of existence in samsara

• Dukkha-dukkha: Ordinary suffering

Nirvana (Buddhism)

• Ultimate goal

• Liberation from suffering and cycle of rebirth

• Enlightenment and the cessation of attachment

Enlightened One (Buddhism)

Siddharta Gautama

Four Noble Truths (Buddhism)

1. Life is suffering (dakka)

2. Suffering caused by craving and aversion

3. Suffering can be overcome

   • Through great discipline

4. Follow the eightfold path

Buddha’s Four Visions

1. An older man

2. A sick person

3. A corpse

4. A wandering ascetic

Eightfold Path (Buddhism)

1. Right understanding/view

   • Understand 4 nobles truths

2. Right thought

   • Think kindly of others, do not dwell

3. Right speech

   • Speak kindly and truthfully

   • No gossip, swear, or lies

4. Right action/conduct

   • Act kindly towards all living things

   • No harm physically or emotionally

5. Right livelihood/work

   • Job that doesn’t hurt others

6. RIght effort

   • Cleansing of the mind through meditation

7. Right mindfulness

   • Aware of what you are doing

   • Have concern for others

8. Right concentration

   • During meditation

Structure of eightfold path

• Each step is a prong on a wheel, each is needed to turn the wheel (end suffering)

• Fixed on Nirvana

• Used together

• The wheel = our lives

Buddha (Buddhism)

• Prince in Lubini 2500 years ago

• Unhappy, set off on 6 year journey

• Enlightened after

• FOund the middle path, key to human happiness

Five Precepts (Buddhism)

• To stop suffering

1. Ahimsa

2. Abstain from stealing

3. Abstain from improper sexual conduct

4. Abstain from false speech.gossiping

5. Abstain from alcohol and drugs

   • Leads to carelessness

Archangel Gabriel (Islam)

• Muhammad received a series of revelations from Gabriel over 23 years

• Assembled to form the Quran

Ramadan

• Ninth month of Islamic lunar calendar, holiest month

• Fast from dawn to sunset (sawm)

• No eating, drinking, smoking or sexual activity

• Fast is broken at sunset with Iftar

• Pre-dawn meal is Suhoor

• Spiritual reflection, self-disciplined, worship

• Aim to grow closer to Allah through prayer, reading the Quran, charity and good deeds

• Ramadan ends with Eid al-Fitr a festival

• Special prayers, feasting, visiting loved ones, giving to the poor

Mecca/Mekkah (Islam)

• Holiest city, birthplace of Muhammad (PBUH)

• Kaaba, cube shaped building located in Masjid al-Haram (Grand Mosque)

• Non-Muslims are not allowed to enter Mecca

• Symbol of unity, devotion and spiritual origin

Kaaba

• Built by Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) and Isma’il (Ishmael)

• Prayer (salah) is directed toward Kaaba

• Destination of Hajj

Eid al-Adha

• “Festival of Sacrifice”

• Second major Islamic festival

• Honours Ibriham’s willingness to sacrifice his son

• Gathering for special Eid prayer in large groups

• Time of gratitude, charity and community celebration

• Time to share blessings and help those in need

• 3-4 days

Islam’s perspective on Jesus

• Jesus aka Isa

• Great prophet of Allah

• Born miraculously to Maryam (Mary)

  • Maryam is also honoured in Islam

• Messiah to guide Children of Israel with holy book called Injil (Gospel)

• Miracles performed by God’s permission

• Raised up to heaven

Jihad

“struggle” or “striving”

• Struggle in the way of Allah to live a Righteous life

• Internal, spiritual struggle to become a better person

• External efforts of defending Islam or Muslim community

  • Armed Jihad only allowed in certain conditions (self-defence)

• Forbids harming innocents, women, children, or combatants

• Also includes non-violence like speaking out against injustice

• Encouragement to engage in Jihad daily through prayer, self-control and good deeds

Five Pillars of Islam

• Pillars of Islamic Faith

1. Shahadah - Declaration of Faith

2. Salah - Prayer

3. Zakah - Charity/Almsgiving

4. Sawm - Fasting during Ramadan

5. Hajj - Pilgrimage to Mecca

Shahadah

• Declaration of Faith

• “I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah”

• Affirms Tawhid - belief in oneness of GOd

• First pillar and entry point

• Oneness of God and Prophethood of Muhammad

• Reciting sincerely makes one a Muslim

• First and last words heard in life

• Unites Muslims under common belief system

Salah

• Prayer

• At dawn, noon, afternoon, sunset, and night

• Direct connection to Allah, done facing Mecca

Zakah

• Charity or almsgiving

• Muslims must give a portion of wealth (2.5% of savings) to help poor and needy

• Zakah purifies wealth and promotes social justice and compassion

Sawn

• Fasting during Ramadan

• From dawn to sunset

• Teaches discipline, empathy and spiritual growth

Hajj

• Pilgrimage to Mecca

• Must be performed at least once, if physically and financially able

• Takes place during Dhul-Hijjah, last month of Islamic calendar

• Series and rituals in and around Mecca

Iman

• Means leader

• A person who leads prayer in a mosque

• Guides community, gives sermons, and teaches Islamic knowledge

Medina

• Second holiest city after Mecca

• Prophet migrated there in 622 CE, marking the start of the Islamic clender

• Site of first Muslim community and Mosque

• Center of Islamic leadership and law

• Non-Muslims are not allowed in sacred areas

• Important destination for Muslims, especially during Hajj and Umrah

Holy Trinity

• Christian belief that God exists as three persons in one being

  • God the father - The Creator

  • God the Son - Jesus Christ, The Savior

  • God the Holy Spirit - God’s presence and power in the world

• All three are distinct, but are fully God

• Central belief in most dominations

• A mystery of faith

St. Peter

• Originally named Simon

• One of the disciples

• First pope

• Preached to mainly Jewish Christians

• Leader of early Church in Jerusalem and later Rome

• Crucified upside down in Rome

• Tomb is below St. Peter’s Basilica

St. Paul

• Originally Saul, Jewish Pharisee who persecuted Christians

• Converted after seeing Jesus on the road to Damascus

• Major missionary spreading Christianity across Roman Empire

• Preached mainly to Gentiles (non-Jews)

• Wrote letters in the New Testament

• Emphasized faith, grace, and salvation through Jesus

• Martyred in Rome by beheading

Transubstantiation

• Catholic belief about the Eucharist

• During mass, bread and wine truly become Body and Blood of Christ

• Although appearance and taste stay the same, substance changes

• Priest consecrates elements with words “this is my body… this is my blood”

• Based on Last Supper

• Reflects belief that Christ is truly present in Eucharist

• Central to Roman Catholic theology and worship

• Different from Protestant views

Incarnation

• Means “becoming flesh”

• God became human in the person of Jesus Christ

• Jesus is both fully God and fully human

• God entered human history to save humanity

• Celebrated especially at Christmas

• Reveals God’s love, closeness, and willingness to suffer for humanity

Protestant Reformation

• 16th century religious movement leading to split from Roman Catholic Church

• Began in 1517 when Martin Luther nailed 95 Theses to church door in Wittenberg

  • Criticized sale of indulgences, called for reform in practices and teachings

• Key beliefs included

  • Salvation by faith alone (not by works), Bible as only source of authority, rejection of Pope’s authority

• Led to creation of Protestant churches

Divinity of Christ

• Belief that Jesus is fully God and fully human

• He is equal with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit

How is Jesus’ divine nature shown.

• His miracles

• His authority to forgive sins

• His resurrection

Council of Nicaea

• 325 AD

• First ecumenical council of Christian Church

• Called by Emperor Constantine to unify Christian beliefs across the empire

• Rejected Arianism, affirmed Jesus’ divinity, counter heresies that denied it

• Produced Nicene Creed, statement of core Christian beliefs

• Established unified doctrine

• Set model for handling major theological disputes.

What was the main goal of the Council of Nicaea

• Settle Arian controversy (debate over whether Jesus is fully divine)

Key figures in Council of Nicaea

Emperor Constantine

• Called for the meeting in the first place

Arius

• Priest from Alexandria, taught that Jesus was created and not equal to God

Torah/Old Testament

• Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy; the Books of Moses

• Christians believe the Old Testament is the Word of God, part of divine revelation

• Contains history, law, poetry, and prophecy; pointing forward to Jesus

• The Old Testament is respected, but Christians follow the New Testament as a fulfillment of promises in teh Old

• Some laws are fulfilled in Christ, but the moral teachings remain important

What does the Torah lay foundation for

• Creation and humanity (Genesis)

• God’s covenant with Abraham

• Exodus and the Ten Commandments

• God’s law for the people of Israel

Councils of Jerusalem

• 50 AD

• First church council ever

• Purpose: to decide of Gentile Christians must follow Jewish laws (circumcision and dietary rules)

  • Must Gentile converts obey the Law of Moses to be saved?

Key figures in the Councils of Jerusalem

Peter

• Argued that salvation comes by grace, not law

Paul and Barnabas

• Shared experiences of Gentiles becoming Christians before following Jewish law

James

• Leader of the Jerusalem church

• Decided gentiles do not have to be circumcised or fully follow Jewish law

Council of Jerusalem final verdict

• Gentiles do not have to be circumcised or fully follow Jewish law

• They were asked to avoid:

  • Idolatry

  • Sexual immorality

  • Eating meat from strangled animals

  • Eating blood

Edict of Milan

• 313 AD

• Issued by Roman Emperors Constantine and Licinius

• Granted religious tolerance through Roman Empire, especially toward Christians

  • ENDED PERSECUTION, ALLOWED free worship and owning of property

• Turning point for acceptance of Christianity

• Set the stage for Christianity to become Rome’s official religion

• Shift from minority → influential religion

Great Schism

• 1054 AD

• Split between Western (Roman Catholic) and Eastern (Eastern Orthodox) Christian churches

• East-West Schism

• Caused by theological, political, cultural and linguistic differences

Key Issues of the Great SChism

• Authority of the Pope in Rome vs the Patriarch of Constantinople

• Filioque clause in Nicene Creed (Western addition of “and the Son”)

• Different practices and liturgical traditions

Result of Great Schism

• Roman Catholic Church in the West

• Eastern Orthodox Church in the East

• Major division in Christian history, significant religious and cultural impacts

Vatican II

• Ecumenical council of Roman Catholic Church (1962-1965)

• Convened by Pope John XXIII and continued under Pope Paul VI

• Modernized church teachings and practices to engage better with contemporary world

Key reforms of Vatican II

• Allowed Mass to be celebrated in local languages instead of just Latin

• Promote greater participation of Lay people in the CHurch

• Encouraging ecumenism (dialogue and unity with other Christian denominatoins)

• Supporting interfaith dialogue

• Emphasizing religious freedom and human rights

• Renewing Church’s approach to social justice and the modern world