woorld religion

World Religions

Study Guide for the Final Exam: January 2025

Unit One: Studying the World’s Religions

LITTLE EXTRA/BG INFO 

• Religion: system of beliefs in response to the divine

  • Invludes sacred books, cultic rituals, and ethical practices of adherents

  • Concrete and insitutuional 

• Two approaches to studying religions:

1. Comparitive Methodology: studying several religions then comparing them

2. Emphathy(mutuality) Model: experience religion first hand (participating in its rituals and entering into it as a believer would )

PURPOSE OF RELIGION:  (The purpose of religion, i.e. the questions religions respond to)

How they develop?

1. Begin with mystery (questions)

   1. World questions with no answer (death creation, origin)

   2. Who am I? → Theological anthropology: understnading the nature of humans through the lens of a certain religion 

   3. Origin questions (What is nature of the world?)→ Cosmotology: understnading the nature of the universe 

   4. Purpose questions (What is our destiny?)

   5. Ultimate questions (How to transcend human condition?) → Transcendence: Overcoming the normal limitations imposed by human condition 

      1. How to attain salvation? 

2. Religion provides an answer, offers tradition, and offers experience of community

3. Establish right relationship with the ultimately

   1. Through scripture, religious experience, myths 

SEVEN DIMENSIONS OF RELIGION 

• Used to understand how religions expres themselves

• All intertwined and complementary

• Certain religions emphasize one over others

1. EXPERIENTIAL (individual experience)

• Religions often begin with religious experience of an individual → usually what leads to creation of the religion 

• Includes rleigious experience of foudner and individual’s personal experience of faith

• Faith: PERSONAL experience and beliefs of the divine

  • Involving intellectual belief and sometimes personal trust

  • To experience religion, you sometimes need faith 

• In nontheistic or transtheistic religions: religious experience is mysticism

2. MYTHIC: (add to context of religion )

• Myths: sacred stories that convey important sacred truths

  • ex) Biblical myth: Adam and Eve

  • Often talk about origin of universe or humanity

  • Non-historical and nonrational → BUT not FALSE

• Offers knowledge of nature of world (cosmotology) and how to live 

3. DOCTRINAL (BELIEF) (HOW TO THINK)

• BELIEF aspect of religion

• Consists of theological teachings adopted by followers of religion

• Includes:

  • Doctrines (the Trinity, Christiological beliefs)

  • Creeds: list of a religion’s beliefs (Apostle creed)

• Tries to make sense of content in experience and myth dimension 

4. ETHICAL (HOW TO ACT)

• Composed of moral principles (ethics) that guide action adn behavior in society / world

• Focus on how people should ACT

  • ex) Ten Commandments

• Ethics are similar across religions 

5. RITUAL (worship):

• Worship: act of religious devotion 

  • take up most of religious life

  • Most forms of worship are carried out by ritual

• Ritual: common form of worship (repetitive actions )

  • Often enacts a myth or sacred story 

6. SOCIAL: (Community)

• Community is major part and appeal of religion

  • Sense of beloniging

  • Empowering

• Often with defined structure 

7. MATERIAL (stuff):

• Physical objects or places sacred to religious tradition

  • Can be natural sites (mountains, river)

  • Or man made

    • Sacred archetecture, structures of worship, and sacred entities/ objects

  • Ex) crucifix, statues, books of scripture

HOW RELIGIONS BELIEVE THE DIVINE REVEALS ITSELF TO HUMANITY:

Revelation: transmission of divine will or knowledge to humans

• Usually through myths or religious experience 

Theism: belief in a transcendent, personal God (or gods), who creates, conserves, adn acts in special ways in the world 

• Belief in God or multiple gods

  • Monotheism: belief in one God

  • Polytheism: belief in multiple gods

  • Pantheism: belief that divine reality exists in everything 

    • Severely emphasize divine immanence 

    • Dont believe in a distinct god

    • Takes away transcendence of god 

• Divine transcendence: theological term that emphasizes God’s “otherness” “out worldlyness” and independence against universe

  • He transcends his creation

• Some religions try to balance out divine transcndence with Divine Immanence: idea that God is existing in and throughout the world 

Nontheistic religions: no belief in a god (sometimes believe in divine beings)

Atheism: reject the existence of any sort of God / dieties 

Transtheistic: belief in divine or semidivine beings without insisting on a relevant god

• God is nonessential to religion 

Nostra Aetate and the Second Vatican Council:

***An understanding of the main thrust of Nostra Aetate and details about when and with which pope/council it is associated 

Vatican II/ Second Vatican Council:

• An effort to bring church up to date with modernity 

• Most revent of 21 ecumiencial councils of Catholic Church

• Called by Pope John XXIII (23)

  • Motivated by idea of aggiornamento (“updating” or “bringing up to date”)

  • Wanted Church to engage in dialogue with modern world to make its message more relevant to members 

  • Proclaimed Nostra Aetate in 1965

Nostra Aetate: “In our time” “signs of the times”

• Theological significance: present more inclusive stance to other religions

  • Recognize and respect possibility that holines adn truth can be found in other religions contexts

• Practical recs: more dialogue and collaboration with members of CHurch adn other religions 

• Impact: widespread influence on CHurhc as insittution and members of the world 

SUMMERY (1):

• As time passes, society is drawn closer together 

• In response to these modern changes, the CHurch feels like she has to reconsider her reliationship with other religions

  • To do this, she thinks about what humans have in common

1. Origin and community of people

2. Final goal

3. Share destiny

• Men expect religions to answer questions on life 

SUMMERY  (2):

• In response to these questions, people try to answer with divine power to explain why they came to be 

  • Religion offer humans ease

• Text accepts that there are diff religions who try to answer questions through different beliefs and rituals

• “The Catholic Church rejects nothing that is true and holy and these religions” = Church accepts that other religions hold beliefs that are true to them

  • Respect

• Church encourages follwoeres to communicate adn collaborate with followers of other religions

  • “They recognize, preserve, adn promote the good things… found among these men ”

TERMS: 

• Empathy: capacity for seeing things from another POV 

  • One of the methodological approaches

• Mysticism: religious experiences characterized by uniting whith divine through inward contemplation 

  • Emphasize Divine Immanence and pursue personal and direct union with divine through meditation, contemplation, and other spiritual practices 

  • Hinduism: individual becomes one with ultimate reality thorugh inward contemplation 

There will be NO potential extended response option from this unit

Unit Two: Hinduism

Development of Hinduism and characteristics of the religion (see Hinduism topics page on Blackbaud)

Brahman and Atman: 

• Brahman: eternal essense of reality and the source of universe, beyond the reach of human perception and thought

  • Basis of monism

  • Outward sense

• Atman: the eternal self

  • Upanishads identify it with Brahman 

  • The soul that gets reincarnated from one body to the next

  • Inward sense

Development:

• Formed over long period of time wiht many incorporated religious expresions adn tradition 

Vedic Period (3000 - 800 BCE)

• Vedas: Hinduism’s oldest sacred textS (4 texts)

  • Contain hymns, prayers, and instructions for ritual worship, primarily used by priests

  • Rig Veda: (part of Vedas) Hinduism’s oldest sacred text (collection of 1017 sanskrit hymns composed about 1500 BC or earlier)

  • Used by priests to carry out rituals 

• World maintenance: Ritual and role of priests

• Upanishads: (800 BCE) “world transcendence”

  • Collection of 200+ texts composed between 900 and 200 BCE

  • Philosophical texts were major concepts emerge

  • Hindu texts that explore questions of meaning and purpose, develops many of the important Hindu phjilosophical concepts 

  • Provide commentary ont eh Vedas

  • Teach MONISM: doctrine that reality is ulatimely made of up one essence (Brahman)

    • Theological anthropology: humans are not a body with a soul, but a soul that holds a body (atman: self)

• 800 BCE: “world transcendence”

  • People started asking more questions → religion

  • Shift in focus from Vedas → upanishads

    • More philosophical 

Characteristics:

• All encompassing (A way of life)

• Inclusivity: Pluralism: hinduism is tolerant of other religions

• Diversity – Polytheistic:

  • Freely worship any god/ goddess

  • About 330 million

  • “God is one but men call him by many names” - Rig Veda

• Unique:

  • Doenst conform to many patterns and norms seen with other religions:

    • No founder

    • No identifiable historical beginning

    • No common language (use sanskrit)

    • No uniform doctrine

      • Diversity 

    • No single religious organization/ authority

    • No obligatory common worship 

      • Individual diety worship 

Hindu cosmology: 

• Cosmology: nature of universe

• Cyclical: 

  • Things go in and out of existence (reincarnation)

• Samsara: wheel of rebirth or reincarnation 

  • Atman goes through this process; atman takes on diff forms from life to life until liberation 

  • Atman wants to get OUT of samsarah → moksha 

• Moksha (“release”): liberation or release of individual self (atman) from bondage of samsarah 

  • One of four major goals in life 

• Dharma (ethical duty): standard by which actions are judged as good or bad

  • Duty in community → greater good

  • Depends on individual (gender, age, caste)

  • One of four goals in life 

• Karma (“action”): moral law of cause and efect of actions

  • Determines nature of one’s reincarnation 

    • Soul creates its own destiny 

  • Violate dharma → bad karma 

  • Follow dharma → good karma 

    • Dharma determines nature of karma

The four main divisions of caste

• Caste system: traditional division of Hindu society into categories

• Varna (“color”): class 

1. Brahmin: highest class (priests)

2. Kshatriya: 2nd highest (warriors and admin)

3. Vaishya: 3rd (producers)

4. Shudra: 4th (servants and laborers)

5. Outcastes/ Dalits: “untouchables”

• Outsdie caste system 

• Gandhi worked on behalf of outcastes – called them “harijan”: god’s children

  • Worked as social reformer to improve lives of harijan and help them find place in society 

The four stages of Hindu life

1. Student: starts at puberty and is marked by initiation ritual (until marriage)

   1. Usually males 

   2. Students study vedas adn other sacred literature  → emphasis on growth 

2. House holder: begins at marriage

   1. Worldy tasks of careers, raising family

   2. Women involved

   3. Engagement in society and service

3. Forest Dweller: begins at birth of first grandchild

   1. Obligation for family is done → fam is independent and career is ending

   2. Focus on FAITH

      1. Retreat from worldy bonds to engage in spiritual quest

   3. Women can be involved

4. Sannyasin: wandering ascetic who advance to highest stage of life – optional

   1. Forest dwellers who are ready to return to sciety but remain detached from pleasures adn distractions 

   2. Women can achieve too

   3. Married couples live apart from each other 

   4. Ascetic: one who renounces physical pleasures and worldy attachments for spiritual advancement 

The four goals of Hindu life (EXTENDED RESPONSE )

1. Kama: pleasure, especially one of sensual love

• Has to be ethical and conform to dharma (consensual/ not exploitive)

2. Artha: material success and social prestige

• Wealth, goods, houses, cars, other material wants

• Dharma of householder is to provide for the fam

• Has to be pursued ethically

3. Dharma: doing one’s duty out of sense of joy rather than obligation

4. Moksha: liberation from cycle of samsara

• Ultimate goal (other 3 are pursuits of householder bc they tie to the world)

Three paths of liberation (3 MARGAS)  ( MAYBE EXTENDED RESPONCE QUESTION)

THE MARGAS: each follows one main human tendency (active, learn, or eternal connection)

• Not mutually exclusive

Problem??: being stuck in teh cycle of samsara

1. Karma Marga (“the path of works”) (For the active): 1/3 Hindu paths to salvation

• Emphasis performing right actions according to dharma

  • You want to do dharma bc its GOOD not bc you have to 

  • Doing things with right motivation 

  • Try to decrease maya of self 

• Samsara results from SELFISH desires

  • Based on intention 

• All actions should be taken in service to sultimate

• Gandhi was influential modern advocate of this path

2. Jnana Marga (“the path of knowledge”) (For the philosophical):

• Emphaisze knowing the true nature of reality through learning and meditation

• Samsara results from IGNORANCE of one’s true self

• Uses intellectual and meditative practices to gain awareness of oneness of reality (monism) and understand teh illusory nature of the world and all things in it  (maya)

• KINDA exclusive to Brahmin caste bc its most difficult and philosophical path 

• Vedanta: system of Hindu philosophy and one appreach within jnana marga: all reality is essentially Brahman

  • Maya: cosmic illusion brought about by divine creative power – the world and beings within it are made of this 

3. Bhakti Marga (“path of devotion”) (For the emotional): most popular of 3 Hindu paths

• Emphasize loving devotion to one’s chosen god/goddesses to transcend selfishness and egoism

  • Human-divine relationship

• Samsara results from separation from divine source

• Aspects of Bhakti

  • Pilgrimage

  • Cow veneration

  • Worship of dieties – puja

  • Holidays and festivals – Diwali and Holi

Three main gods of Hinduism

• Hindu trimurti and avatars

• Generally…

  • Multiple arms: symbolize divinity and influence

  • Blue skin: other worldliness

  • Hindu gods/ goddesses are depicted with specific symbol

• Deities: are little points of contact wiht the divine 

TRIMURTI:

1. Brahma: the creator

4 heads 4 arms

2. Vishnu: the perseverer

• Reincarnated 9 times → has alot of avatars

  • Avatar: an incarnation or living embodiment of a deity (usually of Vishnu), who is sent ot the earth to accomplish a divine purpose 

    • ex) Krishna and Rama

• Vaishnavism: hindu sect

• Known as protector in struggle btween good and evil

• Perseverer of world order

• RAMA: 7th avatar of Vishnu

  • Central figure in Ramayana(epic story)

  • Symbol of righteousness and wise governing

• KRISHNA: 8th avatar of Vishnu

  • Portrayed as mischievous child or young vow herder with flute

  • Main figure of most popular Hindu sacred text: the Bhagavad Gita (Song of the Lord)

    • Section of epic poem: Mahabharata (Krishna teaches Arjuna about bhakti marga and reincarnation and atman )

    • Hinduism’s most popular sacred text

  • Symbol of joy, freedom, and love 

(4 arms, blue, snake)

3. Shiva: the destroyer/ transformer

• Considered most powerful god and destroyer of illusions (maya)

• Shaivism: hindu sect

• SHIVA NATARAJA: symbol of Shiva (“Lord of the Dance”) (representation of Shiva with fire and standing on demon head) (represents end of this cycle of time )

• LINGAM: symbol of Shiva (aniconic(not figural/literal) symbol usually found in shrines/temples dedicated to Shiva)

(often naked, matted hair, blue skin, third eye, trident )

Puja (see Hinduism topics page on Blackbaud)

• Puja: act of ritual worship

  • Big aspect of bhakti marga

• Worship takes place in home, roadside shrines, and temples 

  • Rituals appeal to all senses

  • Emphasis on visual 

Gandhi

• Social and political reformer (began activism in 1900s)

  • Stood up to oppression wiht nonviolence and civil diobedience

  • Renamed the “untouchable/Dalits ” = Harijan (“children of god)

    • 1898: indian gov forbade outcastes discrimination 

  • Leading figure in India’s independence from Great Britian → Partition in 1947

    • Around WWI

    • PAKISTAN was partitioned to create Muslim homeland 

  • Worked towards peace between Hindus and Muslims 

• Known as “the great-souled one”

• Supporter of Karma marga

• Shot in 1948

Women in Hinduism

• Sati: traditional practice of burning a widow on husbands funeral

  • Outlawed in 1829

  • Part of women’s dharma 

• Women’s dharma: submissive to men 

Hindu-Muslim relations

• Very close contact throughout history → fighting adn conflict

• Gandhi tried to resolve

• Hinduism and Islam did NOT influence each other religiously 

Hindu Holidays: Holi & Diwali (see Hinduism topics page on Blackbaud)

HOLI:

• “Festival of Colors”

• Celebrated beginnnign of spring and represents the coming back of color to the world

• 2 day celebration 

  • Day 1: people gather around bonfires to sing and dance to relinquish negative thoughts and habits

  • Day 2: public celebration where people throw gulas (colored power) → people come in white and leave with color (represents solidarity and camraderie)

• Spiritual significance

  • Remembrance of gods

• Message of goodness, renewal, devotion → vibrant and joyful 

• Bonfire: celebrates story of Prahlada (prince dedicated to Vishnu)

  • Aunt opposed his faith and made him sit in bonfire – vishnu protected him from burning 

  • Colors: mark Prahlada’s bonfire and colors associated with spring / break barriers between diff classes (age, wealth, caste, gender )

DIWALI:

• “Festival of Lights” 

• Celebrated late fall and commmemmorates victory of forces of light over darkness

• Biggest and most important holiday 

  • Marks last harvest before winter 

  • Light all over nation (fireworks, street lights)

  • Dipas: candle decorations

• About sharing (neighbors share food, fams go to temples, nice clothes, eat nice food)

• Practices: 

  • Go to temple and practice puja

  • Colored sand into lotus shape 

  • Worship of Lakshmi (goddess of wealth, fortune, prosperity)

What the Om symbol is and what Namaste means 

Om/ Aum symbol: symbolize universe and ultimate reality 

Namaste: “I bow to you”

• Used as greeting

Possible extended response topics: the three margas, the four goals of Hindu life

Unit Three: Buddhism

THe Buddha 

BUDDHA’S YOUTH AND SPIRITUAL SEARCH extended responce (papmpered to awakened)

• Family and upbringing: was a price of a royal family and indulgence

  • Born in India (563 BCE)

    • Prophetic density: holy man/ conqueror of world   → dad wanted him to be universal king so shielded him alot 

    • Kshatriya 

  • Lived a life of sensory indulgence adn excess in the palace (AN EXTREME)\

  • Father wanted to protect him from the world bc a prophet 

• Four Passing Sights:

1. Old man: impermanence

2. Diseased man : suffering

3. Corpse: inevitabilty of death 

   1. First three exposed him to realities of the human condition 

4. Holy man/ religious ascetic: gave Gautama hope in finding a way to transcend world of suffering and achieve peace

• The Great Going Forth:

  • Age: 29

    • Had son adn wife

  • Left to search for answers (how to live in happiness when yk your gonna die) to suffering and find a path to peace 

    • Ex of choosing spiritual fulfillmet over material

  • Importnat in his life becuase showed his final commitment to spiritual fulfillment 

  • Spent next 6 years as a spiritual seeker

    • Joined group of 5 mendicants (beggars) who lived as aecetic

      • Live life of extreme discipline adn renounced all indulgences (bro starved)

    • Asceticism: lifestyle marked by extreme disciplin, self denial, and renunciation of indulgence (sensory and bodily indulgences). Usually for religious reasons

      • Often include strict fasting and physical deprevation

• THE MIDDLE WAY:

  • Teachign that rejectspleasures of sensual indulgence adn self0denialand ascetitisim, focusing on practica approach to spiritual attainment 

  • A middle between a life of indulgence and asceticism = middle way 

    • Indulgence: life as prince

    • Asceticism: life as asceticism 

  • After experiences two extremes, he realized taht none of them worked

  • Need healthy body to have healthy mind 

• BODI TREE:

  • Sits under bodi tree and attains enlightenment

  • Decides to stay on earth and teach others 

  • Finds his 5 mendicants and they become his first followers (start of Sangha)

    • Travels for 45 years teaching 

• 3 Jewels of Buddhism:

1. Buddha: the person adn example

2. Dharma: teachings of the Buddha/ his wisdom

3. Sangha: community of monks and nuns

• When person takes refuge in the 3 jewels, thye make a formal commitment to Buddhism adn officially becomes Buddhist 

• Buddhist Iconography: 

  • LAKSHANAS:

    • Urna: tuft of hair or third eye between his eyebrows (spiritual insight)

    • Ushnisha: bump on top of the head (attainment of enlightenment)

  • MUDRAS: 

    • Bhumisparsa mudra: earth witness his worthiness to become Buddha after Mara tormented him 

  • Other symbols 

    • Elongated ears: remind us that Buddha was once a prince and his ears are long bc of all the jwlery he wore 

• Terms ab iconographsy

• Lakshanas: special bodily features

  • Symbolize his spiritual character

  • Outer reflection is just as perfect as his inside 

• Mudras: hand positions

• Asana: stylized pose

DHARMA:

Dharma: the teachings of the Buddha (1 of 3 jewels of Buddhism )

• Born of insight gained thorugh a profound meditative expreince: able to be attained by humans

  • Not divine revelation

  • Need lots of insight 

Three Marks of Existence:

• Anatta: “no-self” “not-self”

  • Denial of a permanent self/no ultimate reality of the self that endures beyond the present moment 

    • Your self is something that changes, its never the same, so should not get attached to it 

  • Self is a process

  • Anatta → “no” “self”

• Anicca: 

  • Idea of imprermenance

  • All existent things are in a sontate state of change

  • Humans link their happiness to things they desire, but everything will change

• Dukkha:

  • Suffering

  • Arises from tanha: selfish craving

  • Lack of contentmentcna be physical or psychological (mindset that causes suffering)

    • Suffering is brought by misunderstanding anatta/ anicca

Karma and dependent origination’s role 

• Buddhist karma:

  • Karma: any intentional action

    • Things a person chooses to say or do 

  • Believes that all actions have consequences but unlike hinduism, leads to concept of dependent origination (one more step)

• Dependent origination: notion that every action can impact overall future (butterfly effect)

  • Because all life are interconnected

  • Non-linear adn complex

    • Both immediate and longterm

  • Every moment is conditioned by a previous one

Buddhist morality adn the Five Precepts:

•  Buddhism emphasizes INTENTION:

  • Focus: examining how mind/perception conditions one’s epxiereinces of reality

  • Understanding the intereonncetedness of all things and how one’s actions matter (dependent origination)

• 5 Precepts: (mindfulness trainings)

1. Do not take life – suffering cuased by destruction of life/plants/animals/minerals

2. No not take what is not given – exploitation, social injsutics, stealing, oppression

3. Do not engage in sensuous misconduct – sexual misconduct

4. Do not use false speech – unmindful speech and inability to lsiten to others 

5. Do not use intoxicants – suffering is caused by unmineful consumption that damage health

Four Noble Truths: a method for ending suffering (statement, cause, end, solution ) extended responce 

1. To live is to experience suffering

2. Suffering is caused by desire –(tanha) → asks us to ove without clinging or trying to possess

3. Suffering can be brought to cessation

4. The solution to suffering is the Noble Eightfold Path 

• Central teahigns of buddhism

• Tanha: selfish desire for personal fulfillment 

  • Craving is the problem, not the thing we crave

  • Nature of attachment is bad 

The Noble Eightfold Path  (VISCLEMM)(vicky is so cute like even my meds) extended response 

• WISDOM TRAINING: fully understanding the teachings of Buddha and purifying oneself fo the effects of the 3 poisons and cultivating generosity and insights

• MORALITY TRAINING: conducting oneself in speech and behavior with the goal of movign oneself towards greater truthfulness and selflessness

• CONCENTRATION TRAINING: cultivating the mental disciplin needed to fullly udnerstand and live out the Buddhist path adn ultimately to awaken to the world as it is (nirvana)

WISDOM TRAININGS

1. Right views - understanding of dharma, nature of existence, and 4 noble truhts

2. Right intenitons - purifying one;s motivations of the 3 poisons

MORALITY TRAINING 

3. Right speech - truth and charity in speech 

4. Right conduct - how to act in the world (5 precepts)

5. Right livelihood - working in jobs that help society 

CONCENTRAITON TARINING 

6. Right effort - hard work and discipline (hub)

7. Right mindfulness - present moment, wider impact 

8. Right meditation - techniques to aclm mind and align it to goals, focus and concentraiton 

NIRVANA: “extinguish”

• Ultimate goal of all Buddhists

  • Extinction of desire adn sense of individual selfhood → release from samsarah 

• Rather than being reborn, the life energy of arhat is snuffed out like a candel

• indescribable bliss 

  • Cessation of suffering and is joyful 

• Follow 8 fold path to reach nirvana 

• Arhat: one who reaches nirvana

• Enlightenment = nirvana 

  • Humans need teachings to reach 

___________________________________________________________

BUDDHISM VS. HINDUISM:

What aspects of Hinduism did Gautama reject:

• Privileges of brahmin class

  • Isntead of philosophical, ones should look inward

  • Sacrificial rituals to gods were useless

• Reject hindu class system

• Allow women to join sangha (nuns)

• Accept all people 

Possible extended response topics: The Four Noble Truths & Noble Eightfold Path, The life story of Siddhartha Gautama (his journey from pampered prince to “awakened” one [Buddha])

Unit Four: Judaism

JUDAISM STUDY GUIDE

Format: The test includes multiple choice, matching, true/false, fill-in-the-blank, and short answer questions.

IMPORTANT INTRO?? OTHER INFORMATION (literally textbook notes)

• Covenant: an agreement established long ago between God and the ancient Israelites that designates teh Jews as God’s CHosen People, with special rights and responsibilities.

  • First through Abraham, then through Moses (on MT. Sinai)

  • Promise Moses tha tif hte Israelites keep the covenant by obeying the Law (Torah) they will be God’s “treasured possession” “kingdom of priests and a holy nation” → chosen poeple

• Judaism (some people claim) is the living IN the Jews of the past and WITH the Jews of the present 

  • Interprtation of th ehistoyr of the Jews

  • The sanctification of life of present Jews(making life holy)

CENTRAL TEACHINGS OF JEWS:

• Torah: (“instruction”): the revelation of God’s will to the poeple - the divine Law

  • Encompasses all written and oral (explanation of written) law (1/2 def)

  • Torah = Pentateuch: the first five books of the Bible are called the Torah (2/2 def)

    • Revealed directly by God to Moses 

    • Are the primary statement of religious laws of Judaism 

  • “Law”

  • Torah sets forth the Law which guides proper human conduct 

  • Contains 613 laws

    • 10 Commandments most famous (Book of Exodus and Deuteronomy)

• The Written Torah: The Hebrew Bible (Tanakh)

  • Contains 3 major parts: TNK → Tanakh

1. The Torah (Torah)

   1. Pentateuch

   2. Revealed by God to Moses (regarded as Torah’s author) (in Mt. Sinai)

   3. 613 laws, including 10 Commandmetnts 

   4. Every synagogue has Torah in the ark

   5. Jews dont believe in the NT

2. The Prophets (Nevi’im)

   1. Books that include both historical accounts and proclamations of the will of God spoken by prophets

   2. Prophets: “one who speaks for”  → called to speak proclamations of will of God

   3. Prophets tried to keep Isreale on its religious course 

   4. Jeremiah

3. The Writings (Ketuvim)

   1. Contribute to overall richness of the Bible 

   2. Composed much later than the rest of the Tanakh

   3. Diverse in form:

• ex) poetry, literature, short stories, historical accounts, etc…

• Tanakh = Bible

• Oral Torah → written Torah

• Rabbi: teacher of Torah or leader of Jewish worship

  • Written Torah 

    • Mishnah: oral → written important text

      • 200 AD

      • Teachigns of teh rabbis of past four centuries 

    • Talumd: “study” “knowledge” central pillar of Judaism  – expands and explains the Mishnah – 

      • Interpretaitons of God’s will 

      • Oral and written 

      • 5th century CE

• BELIEF ON GOD:

  • Monotheistic 

  • A personal being, intimately involved in teh welfare of humans and rest of the created world

  • BUT is also transcendent of creation and infinitely powerful, all-knowing, and beyond limites of space and time 

  • Shema: “hear” Judaism’s most basic theological statement “Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God , the Lord alone” (Deuteronomy 6:4, Tanakh)

    • Basically talks about monotheism of God 

      • A radical statement during the time where neighbors were polytheistic 

    • Declares the uniqueness of Isrealite to God relationship

    • Recited twice a day (morning adn evening prayers)

HISTORY AND TIMELINE (Dates) (Theological/religioius movements) (Medieval and Modern)

• Why is history important??

  • Judaism centers around the covenant between God and the Jewish people 

  • Adherents beleive God is directly invovled in guiding and caring for creations (providential) → history is an account of God’s will manifested in irl events 

    • Why Judaism is considered interpreation of histoyr 

  • Jewish community is important bc their history ties them together

CLASSICAL JUDAISM: (1st Cent AD - 7th)

• 66 AD: Jewish War – Jews in Palestine initiated war to overcome Roman rulers → ROME WON

• 70 AD: Romans destroyed the 2nd Temple in Jerusalem

  • Pharisees 

• 135 AD/CE: DISAPORA: Jews exiled from Jerusalem

  • Diaspora: situation of Jews livign away from their ancestral homeland 

  • Babylonian Exile 

• 200 AD: Mishnah was written 

MEDIEVAL PERIOD: (8TH - MID 18TH CENTURY) (ALL YEARS IN AD/CE)

• 2000 - 1500: High Middle/Medieval Ages: Jews in Europe

  • Occupation/ living restrictions

    • No land ownership

    • Ghettos 

  • Christian Anti-Judaism:

    • Religious ferver and economic jealousy

    • Accused jews of blood libel 

    • Socially marginalized Jews

    • DEICIDE: idea that Jews are responsible for the death of Jesus

    • Supersessionism: theological claim that Christians have replaced the Jews as God’s poeple bc Jews rejected Jesus 

1. NT fulfilled the OT

2. Church reaplceds Jews

3. Judaism is out of date

• CATHOLIC CHURCH’S RESPONSE TO ANTI-JUDAISM IN MEDIEVAL PERIOD 

  • Condemned violence

  • Forbade forced conversions

  • Prohibited interference with worship

  • Nostra Aetate: (Second Vatican Counncil, Pope John 23rd) (1965)

    •  Stresesed shared patrimony and common roots of Judaisma dn Christianity

    • Advocate respect and encourage dialogue by sharing theological and Biblical studies

    • REJECTED CHARGE OF DEICIDE

    • Called for accuracy in Christian biblical interpretationa dn education of Jews

      • Jews are not refected by God

    • Denounced all anti-Semitism 

• 1600: estalisehd thriving community nown for Torah study → HASIDISM

  • Kabbalah: idea that God can best be known with love 

MODERN JUDAISM: (ENGLIGHTENMENT )

• 18th CENTUY/ 1700 : ENLIGHTENMENT → Hasidism/Zionism/ Holocaust/ state/ Denominations

  • Rise to new social theorys about equality

  • Monarchies → government 

• Kabbalah: Jewish Mysticism

  • WHILE Jewish philosophy emphasize reason

  • Jewish Mysticism (Kabbalah) teaches that God can best be known with the heart, through love 

    • Emphasize immanence of God 

  • Zohar: famous Kababalah text

• JEWISH EMANCIPATION:

  • Restrictive laws were abolished and Jews were given equal political and civil rights

    • Aducation

    • Own property

    • Hold publci office

    • Occupations and socital participation 

• ANTI-SEMITISM: hostility towards Jews adn Judaism

  • Still, discrimination against Jews 

  • Idea htat they were infereior race 

  • Zionism: Movement in late 19th C. committed to re-establishment of Jewish homeland 

    • Response to anti-semitism

    • 1948: state of israel formed 

  • The Holocaust/ Shoah: “mass desstruction” “calamity”: systematic persecutionadn extermination of Jews by Nazis from 1933-1945

    • Result of Nazism 

    • Resutled in global support of Zionism → established state of Israel in 1948

• MODERN INSTITUIONAL DIVISOINS: EXTENDED RESPONSE 

  • Enlightenment lead to different branches and divisions within traditional Judaism

  • ORTHODOX JUDAISM:

    • Traditional religious beliefs and practices

    • God dictated the Torah directly to Moses on Mt. Sinai 

      • Torah is followed strictly (dietary laws, Sabbath, gender, Hebrew)

    • Haredi: Ultra Orthodox

  • REFORM JUDAISM:

    • Enlightenment → freedom → reform

    • Watned a modern view to fit in wtithe the world (Hebrew → english )

    • More personal choice/ freedom

      • Torah is “divinely inspired”, rather than actual word 

      • Message more important than laws themselves

      • Religious practices are a menu of opportunity 

    • Social justice (community service)

    • Women treated more equal 

  • CONSERVATIVE JUDAISM: 

    • Reform → conservative

      • Thoguth taht reform jews went too far – threw out too many rituals

    • Torah was given by God to Jews to interpret hHis owrd in teh context of history and contemporary society 

    • Change should be taken slowly and guided by Jewish law 

    • Women and english are accepted 

REST OF INFORMATION (RITUALS, PRACTICES, RITES OF PASSAGES, HOLIDAYS)

JEWISH LIFE:

• LIFE IS SANCTIFIED THROUGH DAY TO DAY OBSERVANCEs of commandments (mizvoth)

• Emphasize orthopraxy over orthodoxy

  • Orthopraxy: emphasis of right PRACTICE

  • Orthodoxy: emphasis of right DOCTRINE

• PRAYER: 

  • Main form of daily worship

  • Obligatory for adult males (over 13)

• RITUAL OBJECTS: 

  • Tallit: prayer shawl (tzizit: knotted fringes)

  • Kipah: head covering (“Yarmulke” in Yiddish)

  • Tefillin: small bozes containing scripture passages

• CENTERS OF LIFE:

  • SYNAGOGUE: 

    • Center of Jewish prayer, study, fellowship

    • Sefer Torah: The Torah scroll stored in the ark 

    • Prayer services led by rabbis

    • Bismah: elevated platform in a synagogue holding the reading table (where sefer torah is placed)

      • Used for reading and chanting

  • HOME:

    • Center of social life and often worship 

    • Usually has mezuzah: parchment inscribed with religious texts in a case in doorpost

    • KOSHER!: “proper”

      • Many hosueholds eat based on kashrut laws: strict dietary adn food preparation rules 

        • Kosher land animals must have cloven hooves and chew their cud (cows, sheep, goats, deer)

          • NON kosher land: pigs, rabbits, bears, camels, dogs, forces

        • Kosher water animals must have scales and fins (most fish)

          • NON kosher water: shellfish (shrimp, lobster, clam), water mammals

        • Scavenger/ predatory birds are NON kosher 

          • Domestic birds are: chickens, turkey, eese, duck , pigeon

        • Meat and dairy are NOT KOSHER

        • Grape products from Non-jewish sources are NON kosher 

        • Reptiles, amphibians, insects, worms are NON KOSHER

          • Locusts are 

      • Three categories: Meat, Dairy, Pareve (fish)

RITES OF PASSAGE: Ritual events marking life’s major changes 

• INITIATION RITES: coming of age celebrations at time a person takes on religious responsibilities of an adult

  • BOYS: Brit Milan: “covenant of circumcision”

    • 8th day after birth (home or synagogue)

    • Ritual of circumcision: 

      • Physical mark of covenant

      • Sign of entrance into community

      • Commanded in Genesis

  • GIRLS: Brit Bat: “the daughter’s covenant”

    • Sabbath service soon after birth

    • Rite of Welcoming to the Community and Naming

• COMING OF AGE RITUALS:

  • Bar Mitzvah: “son of the commandment”

    • Near 13th birthday

  • Bat Mitzvah: “daugheter of the commandment”

    • Near 12th birthday

  • Marks transition to adult status

• MARRIAGE:

  • Rituals include…

    • Standing under a huppah: canopy/tent like strucutre symbolizign the openness and hospitality of Abraham – symbol of God’s presence at wedding and household beign established by couple 

  • The Seven Blessings 

  • Groom breaks glass under foot → reminder of destruction of the 2nd Temple 

• DEATH AND MOURNING:

  • Major idea that humans should leave and come into the world through eh same way 

  • Bodies of deceased are buried in the GROUND 

    • Preferabily in same day as death

    • No cremation

    • No public display of boyd

    • No embalming

  • After burial, family enteres shiva: 7 day period of mourning

    • Recite the kaddish: prayer of mourning 

FREAKIGN HOLIDAYYYAYYSYSYAYYSYAYASSA: EXTENDED RESPONCE 

• Jewish holidays are based on the lunar new year

• Holidays start the sundownfo the day before 

SABBATH: (SHABBAT) “Day of Rest”

• DAY OF REST → inspired by God resting on teh 7th day of Creation

  • Decreed by one of 10 commandments  

• AVOID WORK: (melachah)

  • Calling someone, driving, turning on lights

• Sunset on friday - sunset on saturday      +   weekly 

• Worship adn celebration

  • Torah study and Sabbath services 

HIGH HOLY DAYS: DAYS OF AWE: 10 day period of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur 

• Rosh Hashanah is when Book of Life is written and on Yom Kippur is sealed

• ROSH HASHANAH: “beginnning of year”

  • Start of Days of Awe

  • Occurs early fall for 2 days 

  • Festival of new year (solomn adn celebratory )

    • Reflection and beginning

  • Shofar: ram’s horn, is blown 

  • Sweet foods

• YOM KIPPUR: “Day of Atonement”

  • 10th day of new year/ conclusion of Days of Awe

  • Deeply personal adn solemn

    • Emphasize repentance through confession of sin

    • Through prayer and fasting

  • Synagogue hosts services that honor the dead(Yizkor)

  • Ends with and break fast meal after sundown 

  • Usually wear white clothing for purity 

PILGRIMAGE FESTIVALS: (Sukkot, Passover, Shavuot)

• SUKKOT: Festival of Booths/ Feast of Tabernacles:

  • 7 day span - 5 days after Yom Kippur

  • BEFORE TEMPLE DESTRUCTION: celebrated the harvest

  • Communnity commemorates the 40 years spent wandering the desert (after exodus)

  • Families build a sukkah (temporary dwelling hut) that will be used for eating and entertainment

    • Reminder that ancestors dwelled in huts while wandering the desert 

• PASSOVER: (Pesach)

  • 8 day holiday  in SPRING

  • Celebrates God freeing the Israelite from slavery in Egypt (EXODUS)

    • Israelites under egypt control → God sends down teh 10 plauges → 10th one: i will kill your first born son by sending the angel of death to pass over your houses unless you mark it with blood of lamb → finally got PHaroh to free His poele 

  • Seder: traditional meal 

    • Haggadah: text of the story of passover

  • Matzah: unleavened bread

    • Avoid bread or leavened food 

    • Reminder that ancestors had no time for bread to rise 

• SHAVUOT: Pentecost or Festival of weeks

  • 7 weeks after first night of passover – en spring 

  • The giving of the Torah

    • Should stay up studyign the torah 

    • Eat dairy foods 

  • Book of Ruth 

MINOR HOLIDAYS:

• HANUKKAH: “dedication” Festival of Lights

  • 8 day – late fall/ early winter

  • Commemorates Jewish recapture adn rededication of Temple in Jerusalem in 164 BCE

    • Successful revolt against the Greeks 

    • To celebrate, jews needed to light the Temple’s menorah but only had enough oil for one day

    • MIRACULOUSLY, it lasted for the entire 8 days 

  • Light the menorah 

  • Dreidel, fried foods, jelly doughnuts 

• PURIM: “lots”

  • Celebrated late winter 

  • Book of Esther

  • Celebration of the escape from genocide of Jews described in Book of Esther

    • Jews were living in Persia

    • HERO: Esther adn her cousin Mordecai

    • VILLAIN: Haman (advisor to the King Ahasuerus)

    • Esther was gonna join the kings harem

    • Haman hated mordecai bc he refused to bow down to him so Haman wanted to destroy teh Jewish people

    • Mordecai persuaded Esther to speak to the king on behalf of Jewish poepl

      • Esther fasted for 3 days, THEN ratted Haman out ot the king 

    • Jews were saved, Haman and 10 sons were hanged 

  • TRIANGULAR PASTRIES (hamantashen)

    • And other foods with things hidden inside

    • Alcohol

  • Graggers: noisemakers

TERMS

• Mekhitza: divider that separates mena dn women in Orthodox services

Possible extended response topics: Jewish holidays/holy days; Modern institutional divisions of Judaism

Unit Five: Islam

Qur’an (1rst foundation)

• Qur’an: (“recitation” “reading”)Primary sacred text and Islam’s earthly center

  • Direct words of Allah

  • Revealed to Muhammad through archangel Gabriel  (started from Night of Power and Excellence 610)

• Divided into 114 suras (chapters)

• Written in Arabic → only “correct” version of the Qur’an

• Took 22 years to complete 

• Islam: “submission”

• Muslim: “one who submits”

Prophet Muhammad (MAYBE EXTENDED TOPIC (LIFE OF MUHAMMAD))

• Islam is monotheistic → Muhammad is strictly human 

  • Most perfect human tho

  • He is illiterate – production of Qur’an was miracle

• Believed to e the Seal of the Prophets – final prophet who revleaed the will of Allah fully and eternally 

  • Other prophets: Moses, Abraham, Jesus

• BG:

  • Bron in 570 AD into powerful tribe in Mecca 

    • Polytheistic

    • Illiterate society

    • Tribal culture 

  • Orphaned and raised by uncle in caravan business (driver)

  • Khadija: his wife - first convert to Islam 

• Night of Power and Excellence:

  • AD 610 in Mount Hira

  • Archangel Gabriel appeared and told Muhammad to “Recite!”

  • Start of Muhammad’s prophetic career

  • Goes home and tells Khadija→ first convert

• Tried to spread msg but Mecca was polytheistic, his teachings were monotheistic – bro was hated so migrated

  • Allah: the one God 

• 621 AD /CE: Ascension to Heaven: one night, Muhammad got transported from mecca to Jerusalem and ascended with Archangel Gabriel through 7 heavens 

  • A miracle

• 622 AD: Migration of teh Community to Yathrib (Hijra)

  • Name change: Yathrib → Medina 

  • Start of new calendar (622 AD → AH 1)

• 630 AD: Islamic forces conquer Mecca

  • Clear out Ka’ba/Kaaba and dedicate it to Allah

• 632 AD: Muhammad dies

Sunna

• Sunna: “custom””tradition”) Written teachings and actions of Muhammad

  • Traditions adn practices of the Prophet Muhammad  → a model for Muslims

  • Divine revelations that God delivered through Muhammad 

• Documented in the hadith (records of Muhammad’s teachings, deeds, adn sayings according to his friends)

Primary Beliefs/Iman (see Islam topics page on Blackbaud)

• Teachings are based on teh Qur’an and Sunna

• Islam is diverse in beliefs but have same central teachings

Primary beliefs

• Monotheism: Allah (“the God”)

  • Transcendent yet personal 

  • Not associated with any human qualities 

• Prophets:

  • Start with Adam, end with Muhammad 

  • Reveals Allah’s divine will and connects Allah to human history 

• Theological Anthropology:

  • Humans are essentially good but forget this

    • Caused by the Fall in Garden of Eden

  • Day of Judgement: day where humans stand before Allah, who decides their destiny 

    • Preceded by the Coming of Mahdi: savior figure

• Cosmology: 

  • Natural word is good bc it was created by Allah

  • A form of revelation of God’s will → Cosmic Qur’an

  • Science is good 

Four Foundations:  (MAYBE EXTENDED TOPIC)

1. Qur’an

2. Prophet Muhammad

3. Iman: 6 major articles of Islamic faith

4. Umma: Muslim community 

• Transcends differences (race, ethnicity, language, culture) and is based soley on religion 

  • ALL muslims

• Shari’ra (divine law): the divine law encompassing all and setting forth in detail how Muslims are to live 

  • Unites muslims

  • Drawn from Qur’an and Sunna 

  • Sets forth how to practice Islam (to submit to Allah)

6 IMANS:

1. Oneness of God: absolute oneness of God (Tawhid)

• Monotheism 

• Divine unity: God’s internal nature is unndivided (God has no offspring, gender, body)

• Can't be understood but there are 99 names to try and describe Him 

2. Angels of God: angels

• Angels: unseen beings created by God to carry out His orders in the world and spread His message to human

• ex) angel Jibril/ Gabriel 

3. Books of God: other sacred texts

• Before Prophet Muhammad, God revleaed his message to other messengers → stored as books or scriptures

• Moses- Torah

• David- Psalms

• Abraham- Scrolls

• But Qur’an is the final revelation and only book in its og form 

4. Prophets of God: prophets

• God guides humanity adn reveals divine will through prophets

• Provides connection between Allah and history 

  • ex) Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus

  • Muhammad is the final prophet: seal of the prophets

5. Day of Judgement:

• Muslims believe in final judgement and life after death 

• Judged based on actions in life and how they followed God’s guidance

6. Divine decree:

• Muslims believe in divine destiny set by God for all htings 

• Everything occurs under will of Allah

• Free will exists still 

Five Pillars  (MAYBE EXTENDED TOPIC)

• Religious and ethical requirments for Muslims 

  • Provides basic framework for life 

  • Directions for living righteously

• First: describes monotheism and prophet, stresses belief/creed (orthodoxy)

• Last 4: demonstrates practice (orthopraxy)

1. FIRST PILLAR: The Shahada

• “There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is his messenger”

• Central confession of faith

  • Strict monotheism of Islam 

  • Unique role of Muhammad as the final prophet

• Stresses belief/ creed → orthodoxy

2. SECOND PILLAR: Salat (prayer)

• 5 times a day

• Facing Mecca (Ka’ba / Kaaba)

• Start with reciting Sura 1: Al Fatiha (the opening)

• Wudhu: ritual wasshing

  • Precedes prayer

• Ritual movements: bowing and prostrating (full body experience)

  • On a rug

• Unites umma (community of believers)

• Friday afternoons: Muslims gather in mosque (house of worship) for the Jummah (communal) prayer

  • Prayers led by an imam (“leader” of friday worship service who directs prayers and delivers sermon)

3. THIRD PILLAR: Zakat (wealth sharing)

• Giving of 2.5% of wealth to benefit the poor 

  • Additional tithe (zakat al-fitr) often given at end of Ramadan (on Eid al-Fitr)

• Considered type of worship

  • Independent of charitable giving (expected anyway)

• Focus on self purification adn freeing oneself from egotism, greed, and love of money  (tempers greed)

• Stress reliance on God and idea that all things come from God

4. FOURTH PILLAR: Sawm (fasting)

• Muslims fast during month of Ramadan (month the Qur’an was first revealed to Muhammad)

• Abstain from food, drink, smoking, sex 

  • from sunrise to sunset → break daily fast through Iftar (meal)

  • Based on islamic lunar calendar

• Avoid evid deeds and thoughts

• Teaches self dicipline, obedience to God, appreciation for Qur’an, and for fellowship of other believers 

• Festival to celebrate end of Ramadan (Eid al-Fitr)

5. FIFTH PILLAR: Hajj (Pilgrimage to Mecca)

• During last month of year (Dhil-Hijja)

  • Hajj is pilgrimage, Hijra is migration

• Requirement for ALL MUSLIMS (if ur financially and physically able)

• Strengthens bonds of Umma

• Hajjis (pilgrims): wear write clothes (Ihram)

• Official hajj rituals take about 5-6 days, but pilgrimage last up to 15 days

• Centers around holy sites, specifically the Ka’ba/Kaaba (stone building in courtyard of Great Mosque in Mecca believed to have been built by Abraham ) (sacred center of the world )

• Ritual acts:

  • Circling of the Ka’ba

    • Believed to have been built by Abraham

    • Regarded as the naval of the earth adn geographical center 

• Eid al-Adha: ab ten days after month of conclusion of pilgraimge

The two “Eids” (see Islam topics page on Blackbaud)

1. Eid al-Fitr: “Festival of Breaking the Fast”

• Festival to celebrate teh end of Ramadan

  • Celebrates end of fasting and thankfulness to God for self control during previous month 

• First Eid: celebrated in 624 by Prophet Muhammad 

• Celebrations: Dressing up, decorating home, visiting mosque, and celebratory meals with fam and friends

• Time of forgiveness and making amends

• Iftar: daily meal that breaks fasting

2. Eid al-Adha: “Festival of the Sacrifice”

• 3 day festival celebrated at end of the Hajj

• History: God trested Abraham’s faith by asking him to sacrifice his son, then awarded hs willingness by not letting him actually kill his son 

  • Commemorates Prophet Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son for God

• Muslims sacrifice an animal(sheep or goat), then share it wight poor to symbolize willingness to give their wealth to less fortunate

• Celebrated with prayer services, visiting with fam and friends, and gift giving 

Hijab (see Islam topics page on Blackbaud)

• “Partition” “barrier”

• “To cover” “veil”

• Refers to idea of modesty in dress and behavior in general, but mainly seen in form of the headscarf

  • Applies to men adn women 

• In Islam, its not oppressive or negative

  • Some interpret it as oppressive practice 

  • Some, is a way to embrace own traditional heritage 

• Myth: not ALL muslim women are forced to wear it 

  • Some countries enforce, some ban, some dont care

Jihad

• Jihad: “To struggle” “excertion”

  • Definition: Refers to individual spiritual struggle against anything that prevents from venerating Allah and acting in accordance with divine

    • Spiritual concept ab personal struggle to be a better Muslim 

  • Socially: refers to preservation of the order Allah willed for world

    • Defense of Ilam 

  • Controversial: sometimes referred to armed struggle “holy war” – baseless bc no Qur’an mention

    • Sometimes, extremists misuse this word to justify violent/ terrorest crimes 

• Principle that applies to all life - sometimes regarded as 6th pillar 

AFTER MUHAMMAD: Shi’ism and Sufism

• After Muhammad’s death in 632, umma argued over who should lead the community 

  • Shi’a (Shi’ism): believed leadership should remain in Muhammad’s  family 

    • Ali: Muhammad’s cousin and son-in-law was prophet’s true successor - died in 661 

    • Battle of Karbala in 680: Shi’a asked Ali’s son (Husayn) to fight for control of comunity → Husayn failed and was killed by Sunni rivals 

      • MARKED DEFINITIVE BREAK BETWEEN TWO FACTIONS

    • Minority in Muslims, majority in Iraq and Iran 

    • Revered Imams as true earthly authority

      • All descended from Muhammad through his daughter Fatima and Ali (Muhammads cousin )

• 
  

  • Sunni (Sunnism): believed any trustworthy elder from community could lead community 

    • Majority 

    • Deosnt have to be from Muhammad’s bloodline

• Early Islamic community was guided by caliphs (“successors”: leaders): military and political leaders of teh Muslim community who succeeded Muhammad after his death 

  • Dynastic structure 

  • Muhammad father in law: Abu Bakr was first caliph

Sufism

Sufism: Islamic Mysticism

• Mysticism: religious experiences characterized by uniting whith divine through inward contemplation 

  • Idea that Allah is IN the worshipper

  • Stresses immanence or closeness of Allah (more than transcendence of Him)

• Mystical expression of Islam that draws its members from both Sunni and Shi’a

• NOT a historical division in Islam 

• Organized into different orders, each with specific order or group led by a shayk (master and teachers)

• Al-fana: main goal: “extinction” eliminating sense of separation from God and experiencing personal union with Allah 

Possible extended response topics: the Five Pillars, the Four Foundations, Life of Muhammad