Final Exam Review

pillars of Islam

1. Shahada: one God + prophet Muhammad
2. Prayer: 5x/day, face Mecca
3. Fasting: Self-discipline, commemorates Hirja
4. Wealth sharing: 2.5% of all possessions for those who can afford
5. Pilgrimage (hajj): Allah forgives your sin if you make the journey

Qu’ran

Islamic text, offers complete worldview — way of life, culture, society, governance

Sunna

Islamic text, teachings of Muhammad

Muhammad

* Born 570 AD, orphaned, married Khadija
* 610 AD: Angel Gabriel appeared, told him to “Recite / Proclaim” 3x (night of power & excellence)
* Had to flee (hirja)
* Made Medina and Mecca holy cities

Brahman

central facet of Hinduism; we shouldn’t hurt other beings because ultimately we’re all one

Dharma

* Hindu sacred duty, moral guidance
* Love everyone, reject selfishness
* Determined by gender, caste, stage of life

Karma marga

Marga; doing the right thing because it is the right thing (not for reward, recognition, or success)

Jnana marga

Marga; study with many texts and teachers to become detached and see self in third person

Bhakti marga

Marga; loving devotion to one’s god or goddess

Buddha

* Born around 560 BCE, died around 480 BCE
* Warrior Class; Feudal Lord (very privileged)
* Parents made sure he never encountered any suffering
* Encountered suffering during the four passing sights at \~20
* Deprived of senses, then gave into
* Created middle way

Self

* Buddhist teaching
* Must discover self to achieve nirvana
* Accept that not everything about self is real

Four noble truths

* Life is discomfort (dukka)
* Suffering is caused by desire (tanha)
* Suffering can stop
* This can be done through the eightfold path

Israel

* Jews emigrated to Israel before WWI
* Was part of the Ottoman Empire
* The League of Nations in 1922 recognized the need for a Jewish homeland
* Many international treaties before and after reaffirmed this
* This land was already occupied
* Palestinians and Jews both claim the land as their homeland
* Very complicated conflict
* Many countries declared war on Israel

Holocaust

* More than exile, inquisition—anything that’s been faced before
* Shook the faith of many Jewish people

Critical Empathy

* Relationship with others
* Critical: using our faculties like observation, judgement, understanding, and classification (asking critical questions and using proper judgement)
* Empathy: the ability to “feel into” another’s religions tradition

Mythological

Pillar; stories and records of the past serve to establish and maintain tradition

Material

Pillar; physical dimension, manifest not only in the works of people, but in the preservations of artifacts and sacred places

Doctrinal

Pillar; leaders and scholars have sought to provide a systematic explanation of what adherents are meant to believe

Ethical

Pillar; religious beliefs underpin a value system defined by laws that promote specific behaviors

Experimental

Pillar; all religions are responses to certain significant experiences of their founders and followers

Ritual

Pillar; practices to which a religious tradition adheres and which provide a spiritual awareness

Social

Pillar; organizational structures that provide for the collective experience of adherents and identify the group within the wider society

Holy envy

a sentiment felt for one aspect of another tradition that is enviable

* Judaism’s sense of community
* Buddhism and Hinduism’s emphases on letting go and being more flexible
* Islam’s specific methods of praying

Nostra aetate

* Humans seek answers to life’s big questions
* Catholics should feel compassion for/tolerance of other religions

Samsara

* Wheel of rebirth/reincarnation
* Death isn’t final, everything is reincarnated

Moksha

* Infinite release; escape from reincarnation
* Many paths to attain (marga)

Karma

Moral law of cause and effect that determines the nature of your reality

Nirvana

Buddhist enlightenment

Chosen people

* Ethnic Jews
* God sees them as a holy nation, a treasured possession
* God will keep his deal with Jewish people if they keep theirs with him