World Religions and Cults Lecture Review

A Comprehensive set of vocabulary flashcards covering Indigenous traditions, Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Judaism, and Christianity, as well as the characteristics of cults and various world views.

Pantheism

The belief that god is in everything.

Atheism

A person that believes no God exists.

Residential schools

Institutions run by catholic churches, the last of which closed in $1996$, designed to assimilate indigenous kids into white, British, and catholic culture through strict discipline and punishment.

Sun dance

A summer festival held in the Great Plains for an $8-16$ day period involving sacrifices such as ripping flesh from the chest using wooden hooks and leather thongs.

Cult

A small religious group that is not part of a larger more accepted religion and has beliefs regarded by many as extreme or dangerous.

Single charismatic leader

A characteristic of a cult where the leader is viewed as a prophet or messenger, is not easily challenged, and the group lives and dies by their status.

Peoples temple

A cult started in Indiana by Jim jones that eventually relocated to Guyana.

FLDS

A group associated with Warren Jeffs.

Brahma

The creator God in Hinduism whose partner is Saraswati.

Vishnu

The preserver God in Hinduism whose partner is Lakshmi.

Shiva

The destroyer God in Hinduism whose partner is Parvati.

Brahmins

The priestly caste in the Hindu caste system.

Kshatriyas

The warrior caste in the Hindu caste system.

Vaishyas

The caste in the Hindu system consisting of producers, merchants, traders, farmers, and business people.

Sudras

The lowest caste in the Hindu caste system.

Dharma (Hindu Goal)

Conducting ones duties with compassion towards all beings and the absence of jealousy, cruelty, and greed.

Artha

Earning money by honest means to provide for family and acquiring wealth and power.

Kama

Pursuing love and physical pleasures to balance life and the sanctity of marriage.

Moksha

The ultimate goal of Hindus; leading the soul towards salvation and liberation from samsara through honest and moral actions.

Samsara

The endless cycle of reincarnation that applies to all living things.

Karma

The totality of ones life's action which determines the nature of a person's rebirth.

Dharma (Personal Code)

A personal code of conduct relating to family and society used to build good karma.

Sacred Thread Ceremony

A rite of passage for boys aged $7-12$ marking the transition from childhood to a responsible adult student under a guru.

Bindi

A forehead mark worn by women to sanctify marriage.

The Ganges River

The most sacred river in India, passing through Varanasi, believed to be pure and nurturing.

Holi

The festival of colours held on the full moon day in March to honour the arrival of spring.

Eightfold path

A Buddhist guideline to extinguish desires, including right views, thoughts, speech, conduct, livelihood, effort, mindset, and concentration.

Dukka

One of the $3$ marks of existence; the state of suffering where life is full of pain, anguish, and imbalance.

Anicca

One of the $3$ marks of existence; the principle of impermanence or the fact that everything is always changing.

Anatta

One of the $3$ marks of existence; the concept of 'No-Self' resulting from constant change.

$4$ noble truths

The core Buddhist teachings: to live is to suffer, the cause of suffering is attachment, suffering can be defeated, and the solution is the eightfold path.

$4$ passing sights

The things the Buddha saw that changed his path: old age, sickness, death, and a religious medicant.

$3$ jewels of buddhism

The Buddha, the Sangha (community), and the Dharma (teachings).

Middle way

The path of life prescribed by the Buddha that exists between extremes.

Nirvana

The everlasting state of joy and peace resulting from the end of suffering, equated to a candle being blown out.

Bodhisattva

A being who helps others attain enlightenment.

$5$ precepts

Buddhist ethical rules: do not kill, do not steal, do not commit sexual misconduct, do not use harmful speech, and do not use drugs or drink.

Islam

Submission or surrender to the will of Allah.

Ramadan

The most blessed month of the Islamic year where Muslims fast from food, drink, smoking, and sexual relations during daylight hours.

Hijrah

The migration of Muhammed and his followers from Mecca to Medina, marking the start of the Islamic calendar.

The Hajj

A pilgrimage to Mecca done to show submission and obedience to Allah.

Ihram

The garment everyone must wear during the Hajj so all people are equal.

T’waf

The practice of circling the Kabbah $7$ times and kissing the black stone.

Arafat

The most important part of the Hajj where pilgrims beg Allah for forgiveness for their sins.

Mina

The site where pilgrims stone three pillars representing evil to remind them to resist temptations.

Taj Mahal

An elaborate memorial built in Agra, India.

Night journey

The one night journey of Muhammed from Mecca to Jerusalem.

Dome of the rock

The oldest existing Islamic building in Jerusalem, marking the place where Muhammed is thought to have risen on a winged horse.

Kabbah

The holiest place in Islam found in Mecca, which Muslims face during prayer.

$5$ books of the torah

Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

Covenant

A solemn agreement between God and humanity.

Shema

The most important confession of faith in Judaism: 'O Israel the lord is our god, the lord is one' ($Deuteronomy 6:4$).

Anti semitism

Hostility and prejudice towards Jews.

Shofar

A ram's horn blown to celebrate God's creation and used as a call to prayer, notably during Rosh hashana.

Bar Mitzvah

A religious initiation ceremony for Jewish boys who have reached the age of $13$, meaning 'son of the commandment'.

Yom Kippur

The most solemn day of the Jewish year, involving fasting and prayers of repentance.

Rosh Hashana

The celebration of the Jewish new year.

Constantine

The Roman Emperor who issued the Edict of Milan to legalize Christianity and presided over the Council of Nicea in $312$ CE.

Reformation

An attempt to reform the Catholic Church and remove corruption.

Martin Luther

The reformer who wrote the $95$ Thesis to list grievances against the Catholic Church.

Indulgences

Payments for one's sins, which were eliminated by the Council of Trent.

Vatican Council $2$

A council convoked by Pope John XXIII to modernize church teachings and reform the liturgy.

Filioque clause

A clause added to the Nicene Creed meaning 'and the sun'.

Ecumenism

The movement to unify Christian churches.

Triduum

The Holy Days consisting of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter.

Incarnation

The belief in Jesus being fully human and fully divine.

Religious Pluralism

The coexistence of many religions in society.

Predestination

The belief that at birth it is decided if a person goes to heaven or hell.

Cosmocentric

A world view centered on nature and the world, common in aboriginal cultures.

Theocentric

A world view where God is the source of central life and the center of focus.

Anthropocentric

A human-centered world view where humans are the center of the universe.

Secular

A society-centered world view where the values of present society are central.