World Religions Exam Guide 2025

Flashcards for the World Religions Exam Guide Spring 2025

"Religio"

To reconnect or to link again

Religion

A system of symbols, myths, doctrines, ethics, and rituals for expression of ultimate concern

Ecumenism

Any interdenominational initiative aimed at greater cooperation among Christian churches

Interreligious Dialogue

Any cooperative, constructive and positive interaction between people of different religious traditions at both the individual and institutional levels

Ultimate Concern

The definitive purpose to human existence and all creation

Xenophobia

Fear and hatred of strangers or foreigners or of anything strange/foreign

Salvation

Primarily God's gift through Jesus Christ and is mediated through the Church, while also recognizing the possibility of salvation for those who sincerely seek God, even outside the Catholic Church

Myth

Sacred narrative of past events, retold to express values; not objective history, but nevertheless express certain “truths

Atman

The spirit and manifestation of Brahman in all humans, animals, and plants

Avatar

To appear, to descend, to take birth or manifest; the form of a deity

Brahma

Creator; born from a golden egg; created the earth and all things in it

Brahman

Divine essence that permeates everything

Dharma

Pursuit of righteousness; a person’s duties in life and their social obligations

Diwali

Festival of Lights; celebrates Rama’s return after defeating Ravana

Holi

Celebrates good overcoming evil and the victory of Vishnu; welcomes the Spring season and new life

Karma

Actions, motivations, and their consequences; carries from a previous life to the next

Moksha

Liberation or freedom from samsara; this is the ultimate goal in Hinduism

Samsara

Cycle of birth, death, and rebirth - reincarnation

Shiva

God of death, destruction and reproduction; destroys the universe at the end of every cycle

Veda

The ancient and sacred scriptures of Hinduism, composed in Sanskrit

Vishnu

Preserver; God of love and benevolence; Has taken on various forms and incarnations: Lord Rama and Krishna

Ahimsa

Non-injury/non-harm; principle of nonviolence or path of least harm

Buddha

Siddhartha Gautama; emphasizing a path to enlightenment and liberation from suffering through practices like meditation and mindfulness

The Buddha

One of the 3 Jewels of Buddhism

The Sangha

One of the 3 Jewels of Buddhism--the community

The Dharma

One of the 3 Jewels of Buddhism--the teachings of the Buddha

Attachment or Greed

One of the 3 Poisons of Buddhism

Aversion or Hatred

One of the 3 Poisons of Buddhism

Dilution or Ignorance

One of the 3 Poisons of Buddhism

Life is filled with suffering.

One of the 4 Noble Truths of Buddhism

The cause of suffering is desire.

One of the 4 Noble Truths of Buddhism

To cease suffering, one must cease desiring.

One of the 4 Noble Truths of Buddhism

The path to the end of suffering is the Noble Eightfold Path.

One of the 4 Noble Truths of Buddhism

Old age

One of the 4 sights Siddhartha Gautama saw

Illness

One of the 4 sights Siddhartha Gautama saw

Death

One of the 4 sights Siddhartha Gautama saw

Ascetic

One of the 4 sights Siddhartha Gautama saw

Right Understanding

Understanding of the causes of suffering, the end of suffering, and the way one suffers (Noble Eightfold Path)

Right Thought

The mind must be purified of all that moves it away from enlightenment (Noble Eightfold Path)

Right Speech

One must speak truthfully and kindly about others (Noble Eightfold Path)

Right Conduct

One must not cheat, steal, murder, or engage in any kind of sexual misconduct (Noble Eightfold Path)

Right Livelihood

One must earn a living through actions that would not harm other living things (Noble Eightfold Path)

Right Effort

One must be diligent in getting rid of bad thoughts while cultivating good, wholesome thoughts (Noble Eightfold Path)

Right Mindfulness

Being aware of thoughts, feelings, and actions at all times; Knowing oneself (Noble Eightfold Path)

Right Concentration

A form of meditation in which a person concentrates on one object in order to give full attention to the object and dispel other distractions (Noble Eightfold Path)

Anatman

The doctrine of no-self, meaning that there is no permanent, unchanging essence or self within individuals or phenomena

Bodhisattva

An individual who has attained enlightenment but chooses to postpone entering nirvana to help others achieve enlightenment as well

Dukkha

A universal and inherent part of human existence; Buddhist view of suffering

Dharma

Refers to the teachings of the Buddha, the true nature of reality, and the universal law that governs the world

"Nirvana-in-this-lifetime"

Physical life continues but with a state of mind that is free from negative mental states, peaceful, happy, and non-reactive

"Nirvana-after-death"

The last remains of physical life vanish, and no further rebirth takes place; Known as parinirvana

Path of Middle Way

Emphasizes a path of moderation and balance, avoiding the extremes of self-indulgence and self-mortification

Siddhartha Gautama

A prince born in 560 BCE, was the historical Buddha

Theravada Buddhism

Oldest of the Buddhist traditions; study the Pali Canon; focus on mindfulness; believe parinirvana is only possible for monks and nuns

Bar/Bat Mitzvah

Held for boys and girls on their 13th birthdays to signal their transition into adult members of the synagogue

Halakah

The body of Jewish law in Judaism; based on Torah; determines all aspects of daily life

Jewish beliefs in God

Belief in one God who is: revealed in nature, active in human history, the Creator of the Universe, omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, both transcendent and immanent, without physical form

Mezuzah

Cylinder placed on doorways; contains the schema (central prayer to judaism)

Mishnah

Compiles the 613 commandments and oral law

Pesach

Sacred Jewish texts

Shabbat

Begins sundown Friday, ends sundown Saturday; rest and worship; no work allowed

Shavuot

Text--Commentaries, folklore, and accumulated tradition on the meaning of law

Talmud

Composed of mishnah and gemara

Tanakh

Hebrew scripture; entire hebrew bible

Torah

Pentateuch, the first five books of what Christians call the Old Testament

Yom Kippur

The Day of Atonement; occurs ten days after Rosh Hashanah; holiest day of the year; fast from sundown to sundown

Protestant

Tend to value personal relationship with Jesus and freedom from strict church hierarchy and doctrine

Catholic

Tend to value adherence to dogma, doctrine, and an established organizational structure

Orthodox

Tend to value adherence to dogma, doctrine, and an established organizational structure

Council of Nicaea

Called together by Emperor Constantine to address problems developing within Church's teaching

Evangelism

Conversionism: belief that lives need to be transformed through a “born-again” experience and conversion to follow Christ

Biblicism

Obedience to the Bible as the ultimate authority

Activism

Missionary activity to share the Gospel with as many people as possible

Crucicentrism

Emphasis on Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross as the redemption for humanity

Millennialism

A reference in the Book of Revelation to a 1000-year reign of Christ on earth prior to the final judgement and the future eternal state

Rapture

A Biblical interpretation of 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 that refers to an event in which all living Christians will mysteriously vanish from the earth and the dead will rise to heaven

John Calvin

Supported the Doctrine of Election and Predestination; opposed all religious art

John Wesley

Broke from the Anglican Church in England; founded Methodist Church

John Wycliffe

Forerunner to the Reformation; most notable for his translation of the Bible into English

Luther’s Sola Fide

Luther thought that it was faith alone that would lead to salvation, not good works

Martin Luther

Catholic priest who was upset by the corruption around him; He sought to make reforms from within the Church by posting a list of 95 grievances on the door of the church

Schism of 1054

The Christian Church remained unified for a number of years until a handful of difference in opinion about theological teachings developed; split into two distinct Churches

Teachings of the Council of Trent

Salvation through both faith and works

Ali

The first Imam after Prophet Muhammad; Muhammad’s successor!

Gabriel

God’s messenger; Gave the Quran to Muhammad

Hajj

5th pillar of Islam; Pilgrimage to Mecca

Hijab

Head covering for women; modesty

Injil

The gospel message given to Jesus

Jihad

Often misunderstood as the justification for Islamic extremists' violent actions

Qu’ran

The heart of Islam; the word of God; infallible and without error; Holy book of Islam

Ramadan

The holy month of fasting; begins at sunrise to sundown; no water, food, etc.; communal prayer

Shahadah

1st pillar of islam; Declaration of faith

Ulama

Religious scholars; Experts in islamic law, theology, and religious sciences

Ummah

Global community of muslims; Family

Zakat

3rd pillar of islam; almsgiving

Pope St. John XXIII

One of the primary goals of Vatican II was Christian unity

Lumen Gentium

The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church

Unitatis Redintegratio

Decree on Ecumenism

Nostra Aetate

Declaration on the Relation of the Church to Non-Christian Religions

Ultimate Values

If religion is aimed that which is of ultimate concern, then religious values must be ultimate values