world religions test

religion

* the belief in and worship of a superhuman power or powers, especially a God or gods
* a particular system of faith and worship

worldview

what do you believe?

origin

what is the origin of the universe? where did i come from?

meaning

what is the meaning of life? what perfects (or fulfills) human beings?

morality

what is the difference between right and wrong? how do i know it?

destiny

what will happen to me when i die?

what are the categories of belief

theist, deist, agnostic, atheist, nontheist

theist

a person who believes in the existence of a god or gods, specifically of a creator who intervenes in the universe

deist

* belief in the existence of a supreme being, specifically of a creator who does not intervene in the universe
* used chiefly of an intellectual movement of the 17th and 18th centuries that accepted the existence of a creator on the basis of reason but rejected belief in a supernatural deity who interacts with humankind

agnostic

* a person who believes that nothing is known or can be known of the existence or nature of God or of anything beyond material phenomena


* a person who claims neither faith nor disbelief in God

atheist

a person who disbelieves or lacks belief in the existence of God or gods

nontheist

a person who does not believe that there is a God or gods

what do we have in common with other religions (from nostra aetate)

* the community of all peoples
* our origin; God made the whole human race to live over the face of the earth
* their final goal
* men expect from the various religions answers to the unsolved riddles of the human condition which deeply stir the hearts of men

what is the purpose of religion (from nostra aetate)

religions try to counter the restlessness of the human heart by proposing “ways,” comprising teachings, rules of life, and sacred rites

what does the church think about other religions (from nostra aetate)

* the catholic church rejects nothing that is true and holy in these religions
* she regards with reverence those ways of conduct and of life, those precepts and teaching which, though differing in many aspects from the one she holds and sets forth, nonetheless often reflect a ray of that truth which enlightens all men

what are the common elements of religions

* sacred stories & sacred scriptures
* beliefs & practices
* sacred time
* sacred places & sacred spaces
* sacred symbols & sacred art
* holy people

what are the reasons why we should study the world religions

* foster openness and acceptance
* dispel fear and misunderstandings
* foster peace
* understand humans and historic societies
* increase wisdom
* better understand our own faith

4 types of interreligious dialogue

life, action, theological exchange, religious experience

interreligious dialogue - life

* life in an open, neighborly spirit
* share joys/sorrows, problems, & preoccupations

interreligious dialogue - action

people of various religions collaborate for development and liberation of people

interreligious dialogue - theological exchange

specialists seek to deepen understand of religious heritages and appreciate other’s spiritual values

interreligious dialogue - religious experience

people, rooted in their own religious traditions, share their spirituality (prayer, contemplation, etc.), faith, and ways of searching for Divine

what is the relationship between religion and culture

* religion is influenced by culture and also triggers cultural change
* religion can influence culture and culture can influence what religion people follow in certain regions

jewish covenant

* the promise that God made with Abraham
* God would offer protection and land to Abraham and his descendants, but they must follow the path of God
* God commanded Abraham and his future generations to perform the ritual circumcision as a symbol of the covenant

torah

* the Lord’s Law, handed down by Moses
* most sacred
* first 5 books of the Old Testament
* God’s revelation
* kept in an ARK in the synagogue
* printed on a scroll and includes the laws

tanak

* contains the torah, nevi’im, and the ketuvim
* the nevi’im is the ‘Prophets’, 13 books
* the ketuvim is the ‘Writings’, 11 books

talmud

the basis for all codes of Jewish law and is widely quoted in rabbinic literature

bar/bat mitzvah

* 13 year old boys (bar) and 12/13 year old girls (bat)
* coming of age for a Jew where they are obligated to perform the Jewish mitzvot
* ceremony marking the first performance of the mitzvot such as being called up to the Torah to say the blessings
* full adult status and responsibility within Judaism

kosher

* hebrew for “fit” or “appropriate”
* describes the food that is suitable for a Jew to eat
* land animals: any creature that both chews its cud and has split hooves
* sea creatures: any fish that has both fins and scales
* birds: only those approved by the Torah; excludes scavengers and birds of prey
* repeated three times in the Torah that it is forbidden to cook a baby goat in its own mother’s milk
* meat and milk products must be kept separate
* animals must be slaughtered in a prescribed way to be kept kosher (generally more humane method)

tikkun olam

* repairing the world
* connotes social action and the pursuit of social justice

rosh hashanah

* Jewish new year
* a time of rejoicing and introspection
* a time to celebrate the completion of another year while also taking stock of one’s life
* challah in the shape of a circle is eaten and is dipped in honey
* apples may also be dipped in honey
* fall holiday at the beginning of the month of Tishri

yom kippur

* the day of atonement
* at the conclusion God seals the Books of Life and Death for the coming year
* the day is devoted to communal repentance for sins committed over the course of the previous year
* fasting
* the 10th day of Tishri

hanukkah

* celebrates the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem after its defilement by the Syrian Greeks
* lighting of the hanukkah (menorah)
* one candle a night for eight days
* december when days are shortest in the northern hemisphere

shabbat

* day of rest from physical and spiritual delights that is meant to illuminate key concepts in the traditional Jewish perception of the world
* candle-lighting ceremony
* special shabbat meals
* a day off from labor
* just before sundown each Friday through the completion of nightfall on Saturday
* 25 hours

yom hashoah

* holocaust remembrance day
* rituals are still being created
* solemn day
* one week after the conclusion of Passover
* 27th of Nisan

kippah

* brimless cap worn by Jewish males to cover their head
* may be worn during prayers or all the time

menorah

seven branched candelabrum used in the temple

shofar

ram’s horn that is blown like a trumpet during Rosh Hashanah

tallit

Jewish prayer shawl that is worn during morning prayers

tzitzit

fringe on a tallit that are made of four strands looped over to make eight strands in total

jewish child of promise

* Abraham and Sarah’s son Issac
* Jewish people and those who have through faith received the Abrahamic blessing

3 core identifiers of Judaism

God, Torah, people of Israel

tanak vs. old testament

* tanak: torah, nevi’im, ketuvim
* old testament: law, histories, wisdom/poetry, prophecy

importance of the 3 core identifiers of Judaism

none is central, all are interdependent with varying emphasis through time

maimonides’s 13 principles

1. God exists
2. God is an absolute and unparalleled unity
3. God is incorporeal - he has no body
4. God existed prior to the world
5. God is the only proper object of worship
6. prophecy occurs
7. the prophecy of Moses is superior to that of all other prophets who came in the past or will come in the future
8. the Torah that we possess was revealed from heaven
9. the Torah will never be abrogated or altered
10. God knows the actions of human beings
11. God rewards the righteous and punishes the wicked
12. a Messiah will come in the future
13. the dead will be resurrected

why did maimonides write the 13 principles

* wrote them to define some beliefs that all Jews believed
* helped to delineate the core beliefs of Judaism
* became a sort of creedal statement

who follows maimonide’s 13 principles

* some Orthodox Jews believe that disagreement with these principles amounts to hearsy, while other Jews of the same community see them as more of a summary of key beliefs of Judaism
* some adherents of more liberal streams of Judaism reject some of these principles outright
* Jews today relate to the content of these principle

the shema

* the central affirmation of Judaism
* a prayer that expresses belief in the singularity of God

general marriage rituals

* an extremely important lifecycle event
* a wedding takes place under a chupah, or wedding canopy, which symbolizes a happy house
* proclamation of blessings
* at the end of the ceremony, the groom breaks a glass with his foot

judaism death rituals

* multi-staged mourning practice
* shiva is observed for one week during which it is traditional to sit at home and be comforted by friends and family
* mirrors are covered during shiva
* each year on anniversary of death, the deceased is remembered at their synagogue
* at burial, all present help bury the deceased
* helping with burial is seen as a great mitzvah, as it is one that the person being served cannot return

3 main Jewish communities

orthodox, conservative, and reform

orthodox

* strict adherence to Torah
* guided by maimonide’s 13 principles
* temple will be rebuilt a 3rd time

conservative

* counteract reform Judaism, limits Jewish tradition
* Torah represents the divine word of God but was transcribed and interpreted by humans
* thus, law should be adaptable

reform

* more ‘adaptable’ Judaism
* advocates full integration into culture where one lives
* laws are products of human minds and human leader
* Torah is the moral standard, but can be adapted

3 elements/things in each synagogue

* an ark where the scrolls of the Law are kept
* an “eternal light” burning before the ark
* two candelabra
* pews
* a raised platform where scriptural passages are read and where services are conducted

Jewish belief in afterlife

while there is a belief in the afterlife there are no detains about it

jewish/christian connections

* Judaism predates Christianity
* Jesus was Jewish
* Jews still await their Messiah
* God of Abraham (Isaac & Jacob)
* Judaism is foundation of Christianity
* monotheistic
* shabbat and sabbath
* old testament
* last suppar & passover connection

covenant and modern Judaism (nostra aetate)

* she professes that all who believe in Christ-Abraham’s sons according to faith are included in the same Patriarch’s call and likewise that the salvation of the Church is mysteriously foreshadowed by the chosen people’s exodus from the land of bondage
* God holds the Jews most dear for the sake of their Fathers
* this sacred synod wants to foster and recommend that mutual understanding and respect which is the fruit of biblical and theological studies as well of fraternal dialogues

church view of crucifixion (nostra aetate)

* what happened in His passion cannot be charged against all the Jews, without distinction, then alive, nor against the Jews of today
* it is the burden of the Church’s preaching to proclaim the cross of Christ as the sign of God’s all-embracing love and as the fountain from which every grace flows

islam

* means to ‘surrender’
* the religion

muslim

the person

allah

God

jibril

* gabriel
* angel who first appeared to Muhammad and taught him the Qur’an

what are the 5 pillars of islam

shahadah (witnessing), salah (prayer), zakah (almsgiving), sawm (fasting), hajj (pilgrimage)

shahadah

* witnessing
* most important of the 5 pillars
* “i bear witness that there is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah”
* first words whispered to newborn
* last words said to dying person
* declaration marks a person as member of Islamic community

salah

* pray 5 times a day (dawn-sunrise, after midday, late afternoon-sunset, sunset-end of daylight, night until dawn)
* clean body, properly clothed
* face the ka’bah in mecca

wudu

ritual washing before praying

ka’bah

* the first Islamic shrine that Muslims believe was built by Abraham
* housed more than 360 idols
* statues removed by Muhammad, rededicating the Ka’bah to worship of the one God

typical day of worship at mosque

* fridays
* not equivalent of sabbath
* after midday prayer (2nd) is made in a mosque

zakah

* almsgiving
* obligation, seen as act of worship
* frees one form obstacles to Allah
* expected to give 2.5% of income
* not just monetary, includes actions

sawm

* fasting
* puberty and older (not ill, traveling)
* reminder to care for poor and needy

ramadan

* month which Muhammad received his first revelation from Allah
* Muslims fast from sun up to sun down

eid al-fitr

festival that marks the end of ramadan

hajj

* pilgrimage to mecca, saudi arabia
* required once in a lifetime (fit & financially capable)
* rituals reflection actions of abraham and his family

eid al-adha

marks the culmination of the hajj rites

quran

* one of the holy books of islam
* God revealed the quran to Muhammad
* quran remains as it was first revealed
* allah commands to pray

hadith

* “story”
* the sayings and stories (reports) of Muhammad that are meant to form guidance for living out religion

sunnah

* “habitual practice”
* traditional social and legal custom and practice of Islamic community
* major source of Islamic law
* oral and written accounts of Muhammad’s teachings and actions
* goes with quran, need both to fully understand and live as Muslim

mecca

* where Muhammad was born in 570
* location of the Ka’bah
* considered the most sacred spot on Earth and the heart of Islam

medina

* second holiest city in Islam
* celebrated as the place from which Muhammad established the Muslim community after his flight from Mecca
* Muhammad’s body is entombed here

jerusalem

* Islam’s third holiest site and home to the al-aqsa mosque
* holds the Dome of the Rock where Muhammad ascended on his night journey to heaven

muslim child of promise

* ishmael
* they believe that both ishmael and issac were legitimate children born by abraham and favored by God

muhammad info

* born in 570 in mecca
* monthly cave visits to pray and reflect on life’s meaning
* 610: ‘recite!’ by angel jibril
* supported and believed by Khadija
* moved to medina in 622 and battled with a lot of people
* returns to mecca and captures it
* purifies the Ka’bah and rededicates it to worship of one God
* dies in 632

when was the first revelation from Allah to Muhammad

* 610
* recite! by angel jibril
* message: only 1 God, care for poor and disadvantaged, judgement at death on how people lived

where do majority of Muslims live in the world

* more than 60% is in Asia
* about 20% is in the Middle East and North Africa
* Middle East and North Africa region has the highest percentage of Muslim-majority countries

what are the 6 main beliefs of Muslims

belief in:

* the oneness of God
* the angels of God
* the prophets/messengers of God
* the books of God
* the day of judgment
* the divine decree

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islam belief in the oneness of God

* monotheism
* God created universe and everything in it, sustains everything
* love for God transcends all other loves
* fear of God transcends all other fears

islam belief in the angels of God

* God created angels
* angels are always obedient to God’s will
* carry out tasks entrusted to them by God
* knowledge of angels comes from God through prophets and messengers
* jibril - shares revelations from God

islam belief in the prophets/messengers of God

* God sent prophets and messengers to teach us what is right and wrong
* they are human beings, selected to receive God’s revelation and spread the message to humanity
* messengers: individuals whom God sent new revelations constituting a new message for humanity (Moses, Jesus, Muhammad)
* prophets: call people to an existing message (David, Solomon, Adam, Noah, Abraham)
* given signs to prove they are prophets or messengers

islam belief in the books of God

* holy books: Torah, Bible, Quran
* God revealed holy books to God’s messengers
* Scrolls, Torah, Psalms, Gospels were all divinely revealed in their original forms
* Quran remains as it was first revealed

islam belief in the day of judgment

* God will hold every human being accountable for each of their actions
* God is just
* God can also punish while people are still on earth
* God rewards the patient, those who don’t harm others for personal gain
* world will end and Day of Judgment will arrive

islam belief in the divine decree

* ‘predestination’
* God is all-knowing, even before we do things (but doesn’t control us)
* humans have free will, God is aware of what we will do
* everything occurs because God has allowed it to happen
* believers should respond to the good or bad that befalls them with thankfulness or patience

arabism vs. islam

* arabs are people who speak arabic as a native language and identify themselves as arabs
* muslims are those who practice the religion of islam
* not all arabs are muslims and not all muslims are arabs

role of women in islam

women were seen as inferiors and that they should be obedient and serve their husbands

quran arabic vs. modern arabic

* Quranic (classical) arabic is more common in literature and writing
* primary distinguishing feature of Quranic arabic is its vocabulary and the way it is used for recitation
* modern standard arabic is the direct descendant of Quranic arabic
* standardized literary language of the Arab world that is commonly used and taught

sunni vs. shiah muslims

* sunni believe that real Muslims should be those who following the teaching of the Prophet Muhammad and that the caliphs should be chosen based on the consensus of the Muslim community
* shia believe that Muhammad’s descendants are the rightful heirs to his leadership

concentration in the middle east of sunni and shiah

* shias comprise a majority in iran, iraq, azerbaijan, and bahrain
* sunnis make up the majority of more than forth countries from morocco to indonesia

islam death rituals

* the body is washed and covered with sheet
* buried as soon as possible (no wake, viewing, visitation, etc)
* no cremation (belief of physical resurrection of body on Judgment Day)
* embalmed only if required by law
* face the ka’bah in mecca

why is there calligraphy & geometric art in mosques

* no depictions of Allah allowed
* many say no depictions of Muhammad allowed
* emphasis on calligraphy and geometry as art because there are no pictures allowed