World Religion

Kaba

("cube") a pre-islamic cubed building in mecca believed by muslims to have been built by Abraham. It is the center of the Muslim Pilgrimage

Mihrab

(Islam) a niche in the wall of a mosque that indicates the direction of Mecca

Imam

(Islam) the man who leads prayers in a mosque

Sunna

(Islam) the way of life prescribed as normative for Muslims on the basis of the teachings and practices of Muhammad and interpretations of the Koran

Two Great commandments

1- Love God with all your heart and soul. 2-Love your neighbor as yourself.

The Holy Spirit

Holy Trinity

Main teachings of Jesus

Jesus preached the belief in one God, the God of the Jews. He also upheld the 10 commandmens, stressed love for god and compassion for other people. He offered his followers a forgiving God who was the loving father of all people, rich and poor, Jew and non-Jew. People who were humble, merciful, and unselfish would be rewarded with eternal life.

Apocalypticism

The belief that the world will soon come to an end; this belief usually includes the notion of a great battle, final judgment, and reward of the good.

Eastern Orthodox Church

one of the three major branches of christianity, the eastern orthodox church, together with the roman catholic church, a second of the three major branches of christianity, arose out of the roman empire by empereor diocletian into four governemtal regions: two western regions centered in rome and two eastern regions centered in constantinople

The Five Pillars

1. only one god 2. pray five times a day, 3. fast during Romadan, 4. alms to the poor 5. Pilgrimage to Mecca

God the Father

1st person of the Holy Trinity; Creator; continuing presence in our lives; God is the origin of everything and he has authority over everything he has created; faith in God's fatherly care for all his children; we witness to the fact that he is the Father of his only begotten Son

The Trinity

3 Aspects of God: Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit

Prayer

5 times a day

Fasting during Ramadan

9th month of the Muslim calendar; refrain from food, drink, tobacco, and sex during daylight hours during this month. Date changes by 11 days each year. Exceptions include sick and pregnant people.

Paul

A Jew from the Greek city of Tarsus in Anatolia, he initially persecuted the followers of Jesus but, after receiving a revelation on the road to Syrian Damascus, became a Christian. Taking advantage of his Hellenized background and Roman citizenship, he traveled throughout Syria-Palestine, Anatolia, and Greece, preaching the new religion and establishing churches. Finding his greatest success among pagans ("gentiles"), he began the process by which Christianity separated from Judaism.

inquisition

A Roman Catholic tribunal for investigating and prosecuting charges of heresy - especially the one active in Spain during the 1400s.

Muslim

A follower of Islam, means "one who has submitted"

Sermon on the Mount

A part of the Gospel according to Matthew in which Jesus preaches important moral teachings, including the Beatitudes.

Hajj

A pilgrimage to Mecca, performed as a duty by muslims

Jesus Christ

A teacher and prophet whose life and teachings form the basis of Christianity. Christians believe Jesus to be Son of God.

monasticism

A way of life in which men and women withdraw from the rest of the world in order to devote themselves to their faith

Ancestry of Islam

Abraham

Sufism

An Islamic mystical tradition that desired a personal union with God--divine love through intuition rather than through rational deduction and study of the shari'a. Followed an ascetic routine (denial of physical desire to gain a spiritual goal), dedicating themselves to fasting, prayer, meditation on the Qur'an, and the avoidance of sin.

Jesus' birth

Born in Bethlehem; studied carpentry and Judaism

Council of Trent

Called by Pope Paul III to reform the church and secure reconciliation with the Protestants. Lutherans and Calvinists did not attend.

Medina

City in western Arabia to which the Prophet Muhammad and his followers emigrated in 622 to escape persecution in Mecca. (p. 231)

Abu Bakr

Companion of 1st muslim leader after Muhammad. Regarded by Sunni's as the 1st caliph and rightful succesor. The Shi'ah regard him as a traitor of Muhammad. Known as best interpretter of dreams following Muhammad's death.

Four parts of the New Testament

Gospels, Acts of the Apostles, Epistles, Revelation

Peter

In Luke who is recorded as going to see the empty tomb for himself? He is the one who denied 3 times that he knew Jesus.

John Calvin

John Calvin was responsible for founding Calvinism, which was reformed Catholicism. He writes about it in "Institutes of a Christian Religion" published in 1536. He believed God was all knowing and everyone was predestined for heaven or hell.

Ninety-five Theses

Martin Luther's criticisms of the Catholic church arguing against indulgences and for a direct relationship to God.

Mosque

Muslim house of worship

Allah

Muslim name for the one and only God

Dome of the Rock

Muslim shrine containing the rock from which Mohammad is believed to have risen to heaven; Jews believe Abraham prepared to sacrifice his son Isaac on the rock

Apostle

One of the 12 closest followers of Jesus, chosen by him to help him teach

Major groups hostile to Jesus

Pharisees and Roman Rulers

Protestant Reformation

Religious reform movement within the Latin Christian Church beginning in 1519. It resulted in the 'protesters' forming several new Christian denominations, including the Lutheran and Reformed Churches and the Church of England. (p. 446)

Constantine

Roman emperor (r. 312-337). After reuniting the Roman Empire, he moved the capital to Constantinople and made Christianity a favored religion. (p.159)

Sacraments

Sacred rituals performed by the Catholic church. There are seven: baptism, confirmation, marriage, communion, penance, holy order (that is, becoming a priest), and extreme unction (words spoken at the death bed).

Dispute between Peter and Paul

Their disagreement was due to the fact that Peter was treating the Jewish people around him differently than the Gentiles(with more deference). Paul correctly pointed out to him that God is no respecter of persons. As believers in God/Jesus/Holy Spirit it would be nice if we all agreed on every point but it is an unrealistic thought because we are , after all, human. I think that Jesus has compassion on those of us that manage to mess up although we are doing our earthly best to follow Him. Peace to you

Roman church

This powerful religion exerted considerable control over European society during the Middle Ages. It prompted some to challenge its doctrines during the protestant Reformation where it began losing power.

Martin Luther

a German monk who became one of the most famous critics of the Roman Catholic Chruch. In 1517, he wrote 95 theses, or statements of belief attacking the church practices.

Sunni

a branch of Islam whose members acknowledge the first four caliphs as the rightful successors of Muhammad

Bishop

a clergyman having spiritual and administrative authority

Canon

a collection of books accepted as holy scripture especially the books of the Bible recognized by any Christian church as genuine and inspired

Jihad

a holy struggle or striving by a Muslim for a moral or spiritual or political goal

The Creed

a result of the Council of Nicaea. Established that the Son is coeternal with God. God is eternally Father and Son. The Father and Son are full God and share the same substance.

Crusades

a series of military expeditions in the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries by Westrn European Christians to reclain control of the Holy Lands from the Muslims

Orthodox

adhering to the traditional and established, especially in religion

Usury

an exorbitant or unlawful rate of interest

Heresy

an opinion different from accepted belief; the denial of an idea that is generally held sacred

Taj Mahal

beautiful mausoleum at Agra built by the Mogul emperor Shah Jahan (completed in 1649) in memory of his favorite wife

Counterreformation

catholic church's attempt to stop the protestant movement and to Strengthen the Catholic Church

Dietary restrictions

certain foods are taboo (e.g., Jews, Muslims, Jains, Hindus, Seventh Day Adventists)

Life after death

heaven or hell

Augustine

influential church father and theologian; Bishop of Hippo; champion of Christian doctrine against various heresies and very important in the long-term development of Christian thought on such issues as predestination

Mt Hira

location of night of authority when angel gabriel visited muhammad when he was 40 years old

Sura

one of the sections (or chapters) in the Koran

Almsgiving

the act of giving money or material goods to anyone who is needy

Caliph

the civil and religious leader of a Muslim state considered to be a representative of Allah on earth

Sharia

the code of law derived from the Koran and from the teachings and example of Mohammed

Mecca

the holiest city of Islam; Muhammad's birthplace

Pope

the leader of the Roman Catholic Church

Nicene Creed

the most widely-accepted statement of Christian faith, the Nicene Creed was first adopted at the Council of Nicaea in A.D. 325.

Islam

the religion of Muslims collectively which governs their civilization and way of life; "submission"

Indulgence

the remission by the pope of the temporal punishment in purgatory that is still due for sins even after absolution

Qur'an

the sacred writings of Islam revealed by God to the prophet Muhammad during his life at Mecca and Medina

Shi'ite

the smaller of the two main divisions of Islam; represent the Persian variation of Islam and believe in the infallibility and divine right to authority of the Imams, descendants of Ali