Judaism, Christianity, and Islam Overview for the Philosophy of World Religions
Israel
One who struggled with God and prevailed.
YHWH
Inhale and exhale sounding like the pronunciation Yah way.
Decalogue
The Ten Commandments.
Shema
The Lord is our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.
Hanakkuh
A celebration indicating the wars of independence.
Messiah
Anointed one.
Minyan
Quorum of ten male adults needed for community worship.
Ghetto
Forced living quarters only for the Jews.
Pogrom
Massacres on Jews.
Tikkun Olam
To repair the world.
Mishpat
Justice.
Chesed
Loving kindness.
Bar/Bat Mitzvah
Coming of age ceremony for the transition to adulthood.
Seder
A dinner marking the start of Passover.
Tree of Life Synagogue
In 2018, 11 worshipers were gunned down by an anti-semite.
Exegesis
To listen to a text’s meaning.
Incarnation
God becomes flesh.
Abba
Meaning daddy/father, characterizes someone’s personal relationship with God.
Lydia
The first convert to Christianity in Europe.
Agape
An alternate view of love.
Excommunication
People who are 'suspended' to their church or following religiously.
Lalibela Churches
Below ground churches, part of the oldest churches found in Africa.
Crusades
A wave of military command against the Holy Land.
Inquisition
An ecclesiastical court to suppress heresy.
St. Francis of Assisi
A figure who underwent a radical spiritual transformation and 'left the world'.
Middle Passage
The trading of slaves continentally.
Sacraments
A mystery or sacred rite.
Lent
A fasting period of 40 days before Easter.
Maundy Thursday
The day the Last Supper occurred.
Liberation Theology
The view of Jesus being the liberator of the oppressed.
Ecumenism
A movement to promote unity between Christian denominations.
Islam
Peace to obedience to follow God's law.
Ka’bah
One of the holiest sites in Mecca.
Ishma’il
The son of Hagar (the slave’s and master’s son).
Qur’an
To recite or read, a central religious text.
Muezzin
One who calls people to pray from a high place.
Surahs
Chapters in the Qur’an.
Shahadah
'There is no god but God, and Muhammad is the Messenger of God.'
People of the Book
The name for Jews and Christians.
Ramadan
A period of fasting from sunrise to sunset similar to Lent.
Dome of the Rock
The last of the three holiest sites which is the oldest mosque of Islam.
Sunni
The 80% of Muslims.
Shi’a
The other majority of the remaining Muslim community.
Dhimmis
Protected people by an exchange for loyalty by a tax on income.
Hijab
Veiling worn by Muslim women.
Malala Yousafzai
A young girl awarded for her fight for the right to every child to receive education.
What is the symbol of Judaism and why?
The star of David, as its connection to the holocaust
What was the “curse of Ham” and how was it interpreted to justify enslaving Blacks?
It was a biblical rationale for slavery by preachers of the churches before the civil war, making slavery as an okay thing at the time
What is the Hebrew Bible called and what are its three parts?
The Tanakh containing the Torah, Kethuvim, and Nevi’im
How does a mythic story differ from a factual account and give three examples from the book of Genesis?
Mythic stories give important truths but may not be realistically accurate, three examples are Noah’s Ark, Creation Stories, and the Tower of Babel
In terms of patriarchy, how are the two creation stories in Genesis different?
One story was focused on the male and female in gods image and the other more focused on the objective parts to the creation story
Who were the four courageous women who saved Moses in the story in Exodus?
Jochebed, Shiprah, the Pharaoh’s Daughter, and Miriam
How are Xenophobia and Endogamy related?
They are related in their aspects of limiting one’s perspective down to just a specific area, people avoid others different.
Draw the first symbol for Christianity and explain why.
A fish with the word ICHTHYS (spelt as IXOYE) meaning Jesus Christ and his disciple’s connection as being fishers
Name the four Gospels. What are three of them collectively called due to their similarities?
Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, the three in similarity are collectively called the synoptic gospels
How did Jesus answer the question, “What is the greatest commandment?”
He said to love thy neighbor and god with all your heart
Who were the first persons to experience the Resurrection on Easter morning and what does that mean for the Christian Church?
The woman of his followers leading to the men not believing them until they saw for themselves meaning the dramatic stories.
When is Easter?
Sunday after the full moon of the first day of spring
What was Constantine’s dream and how did it affect the future of Christianity?
His vision was that he saw a battle predicting the outcome of who would rule the empire where he saw a bright cross in the sky which now is seen as a sign to look up towards
How has Pope Francis challenged the leadership of the Catholic Church?
His view of nonjudgemental on homosexuality and divorce
Draw and describe the symbol for Islam.
The symbol is the crescent and the star, and it represents progress and illumination of knowledge
What do Muslims believe about Jesus and how many times is he mentioned in the Qur’an?
Jesus is mentioned 97 times and Muslims believe that Jesus recognized as the messiah
What are the Five Pillars of Islam? (use the Arabic words as well as the English)
Belief and Witness (Shahadah), Daily Prayers (Salat), Charity (Zakat), Fasting (Sawm), and Pilgrimage (Hajj)
Who was Malcolm X and how was he changed by going on the hajj?
He was formerly known as Malcolm Little a human rights activist, but changed his last name to X as he was protesting against the assigning of last names of Blacks who were enslaved by their owners
Describe the Greater and Lesser Jihad?
The Greater Jihad called for oneself to be better and the Lesser Jihad called for external effort to protect the Way of God, Jihad meaning striving