World Religions and Religious Pluralism

Vocabulary flashcards covering core terminology of religious pluralism, Christian history, and major religious symbols.

Multicultural

Consisting of multiple ethnic groups, cultures, languages, and religions.

Multiculturalism

A policy and law that recognizes and supports the diversity of a nation's or province's population.

Religious Pluralism

The co-existence of many religions in a society, such as in Canada, India, and the United States.

Syncretism

The attempt to blend the beliefs and practices of different religions into one system.

Tolerance

An attitude that recognizes the right of others to think, live, or worship according to their own beliefs.

Evangelization

Derived from the Greek word meaning 'to proclaim good news,' referring to the Church's mission to bring the good news of Jesus to places where the Gospel has not been heard before or where it has been forgotten.

Ichthus

The Greek word for fish whose letters form an acronym for 'Jesus Christ, God's Son, Saviour,' used as a secret symbol of recognition by early Christians under Roman persecution.

Tertullian

A Roman Christian theologian, lawyer, and writer in the late first and early second centuries who coined the word 'Trinity' to describe the three persons of God.

Ghetto

A separate neighborhood in certain cities where Jews were forced to live during the Middle Ages.

Crusades

Nine military expeditions between 1095 CE and 1272 CE called by the Pope against Muslims to help Byzantine Christians in Constantinople and keep Jerusalem accessible to Christian pilgrims.

Francis of Assisi

A Christian friar who traveled to Egypt in 1219 during a crusade to preach peace and engaged the sultan of Egypt in a dialogue regarding Christian faith.

Ecumenical Council

A gathering of all Catholic bishops along with the Pope representing the highest exercise of the Church's authority to decide on critical issues.

Second Vatican Council

An ecumenical council held between 1962 and 1965 that dramatically transformed the Catholic Church's relationship with other religions.

Salvation

Literally meaning 'made whole' or 'made healthy,' describing how people are freed from the power of sin and death through Christ as a gift from God.

Eagle's Feathers

A sacred symbol used ritually by FNMI (First Nations, Metis, Inuit) tribes to invoke the spiritual powers of the bald eagle and embody a link between Earth and Heaven.

Star of David

Also known as Magen David (Hebrew for 'shield of David'), a conventional symbol of Judaism consisting of two overlapping triangles forming a six-pointed star.

Cross

The primary holy symbol of Christianity, representing the cross on which Jesus was executed (crucified).

Star and Crescent

An Islamic symbol representing how faith guides a person in the same way that the moon and stars guide a traveler.

Yin and Yang

The main symbol of Daoism representing the balance of power between two forces: Yin (a cool, dark force) and Yang (a hot, bright force).

Aum (Om)

A sacred written sound symbol in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism believed to be the first sound from which the rest of the universe was created.

Wheel of Dharma

The Buddhist holy symbol featuring a wheel with eight spokes, representing the Eightfold Path to enlightenment.

Circumpunct

A circled dot symbol used across many religions and new religious movements, historically associated with the sun, gold, Jesus, and male energy.