World Religions Review

Vocabulary flashcards reviewing core terms, leaders, sacred texts, holidays, and beliefs across major world religions including Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, and Buddhism.

Pope

The leader of the Roman Catholic Church.

Martin Luther

The Christian monk who protested corrupt practices in the Catholic Church.

Jesus

The Christian messiah.

Bible

The sacred text of Christianity.

Ten Commandments

The laws received by Moses from God.

Church

A place of worship for Christians.

Baptism and Communion

Two important Christian sacraments.

Easter

The most important Christian holiday celebrating the resurrection of Jesus.

Muslim

A person who practices Islam.

Friday

The main weekly day of communal prayer for Muslims.

Mosque

A building in which Muslims worship.

Hajj

The Muslim pilgrimage to the city of Mecca.

Allah

The Arabic word for God.

Quran

The sacred text of Islam.

Muhammad

The prophet who founded Islam.

Abraham

The man referred to as the Father of the Jews.

Torah

The sacred text central to Judaism.

Rabbis

Jewish religious teachers.

Synagogue

A place of worship for Jews.

Sabbath

The Jewish day of rest, observed from Friday evening to Saturday evening.

Rosh Hashanah

The Jewish New Year holiday.

Sanskrit

The ancient language used in many Hindu sacred texts.

Caste system

The traditional social class system associated with Hinduism.

Samsara

In Hinduism, the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth.

Mahatma Gandhi

The Hindu leader known for promoting nonviolent resistance.

Vedas

The ancient sacred texts of Hinduism.

Dalai Lama

The spiritual leader associated with Tibetan Buddhism.

Tripitaka

The collection of sacred Buddhist writings.

Bodhisattvas

People who delay their own final enlightenment to help others.

Siddhartha Gautama

The founder of Buddhism who became known as the Buddha after attaining enlightenment.

Middle Path

The path of moderation taught by the Buddha.

Cow

A sacred animal in Hinduism.

Passover

The Jewish holiday celebrating the Israelites' liberation from slavery in Egypt.

Diwali

The Hindu Festival of Lights (also spelled Divali).

Star of David

A key religious symbol associated with Judaism.

Buddha

A title meaning "enlightened one."

Agnostics

People who believe there is not enough evidence to know whether a god exists.

Dome of the Rock

A sacred Islamic shrine in Jerusalem, located within a site also sacred to Jews.

Arabic

The language used for the original text of the Quran.

Parables

Stories Jesus told to teach moral or spiritual lessons.

Eightfold Path

The practical path followed by Buddhists alongside the Four Noble Truths.

Sects

Different branches or groups within a religion.

Atheists

People who do not believe in the existence of a god or gods.

Jerusalem

The city containing the Western Wall, a sacred Jewish site.

Secular

Describing something that is not religious.

Clergy

The collective term for religious leaders.

Hebrew

The traditional language of Jewish scripture and worship.

Israel

The modern country considered the homeland of the Jewish people.