world religions exam (MULTIPLE CHOICE AND MATCHING ONLY)

the concept of a distant High God is usually found in which type of societies?

animistic

what type of religion do hunter gatherer societies usually have?

animistic

what type of religion were the ancient africans, australians, and north american indians?

animistic

in what country did islam begin?

arabia

the american indians are related to what people as evidenced by their religion, shovel shaped incisors and skull shape?

asian

explain fate

an impersonal force that directs all events in the world; your destiny. fate is the second greatest power in the universe

how does the cosmological argument show that pantheism must be false? what attributes of God are evident from the cosmological argument?

cosmological argument: - everything that begins to exist has a cause - the universe began to exist - therefore the universe has a cause * the cause of the universe must be uncaused * nature is identical to the universe (including its physical aspects and laws), thus, nature must have a cause. our natural universe is: time/space/matter * therefore, the cause of the universe must be prior to, other than, and the distinct from nature (supernatural). thus, pantheism is false because it asserts that God is nature. there must be 2 kinds of beings: uncaused and caused. this means everything cannot be the same being

what is mana?

an impersonal substance that resides in everything. it is distributed in the world unevenly. positive contact with it promotes health/prosperity; negative contact brings misfortune

explain the tao

an indefinable force/ substance that underlies everything. all life has evolved from the tao (even the gods). the tao is like water, powerful, yet moldable. the tao controls your fate.

what is the dome of the rock?

an islamic shrine built on the jewish temple mount. muhammad claimed he rode there from mecca on a special horse and then ascended into heaven to learn from past prophets

which religions that we studied believe in samsara or reincarnation?

jainism, buddhism, buddhism, sikhism.

the holiest city of the islamic religion is ____________, (the city muslims pray towards)

mecca

what does the word "tao" mean?

"the way of nature"

why can't there be two infinite beings that exist?

* 1) different- in order for there to be two, the gods would have to differ. the gods would have to be different from each other by which infinite properties one has and which the other lacks. if one lacks an infinite property then it is not infinite 2) same- if they are totally identical, then they collapse into one and there would only be one infinite being. there can be multiple finite (limited) beings, but there cannot be multiple infinite (unlimited) beings. only one infinite being can exist

what are the 4 holy books of mormonism?

* book of mormon * pearl of great price * doctrine and covenants * king james bible

what are the 5 factors of religious development?

* environmental * subsistence * historical/cultural * syncretism * demonic kingdom

what are the logical problems with reincarnation (there can't be an infinite regress of past lives and there couldn't be a standard to judge what kind of being the initial life form would be)

* in buddhism, when was the first desire that condemned all to the cycle of rebirth? * reincarnation is fruitless since I'm punished for past sins I don't even remember committing * how can insects progress morally when they do not grasp universal moral principles? can crickets be immoral?

how does the new world translation translate john 1:1 and john 8:58?

* john 1:1, 14 in the Bible says, "in the beginning was the word, and the word was with God and the word was God...the word became flesh and dwelt among us" HOWEVER, the new world translation mistranslates the text to say "and the word was a god" * in john 8:58 in the bible Jesus claimed to be yahweh, the eternal God "before Abraham was born, I am" HOWEVER the new world translation says "before Abraham came into existence, I have been"

what is the difference between mahayana and buddhism?

* mahayana: this is the syncretized form of buddhism, which is the most popular. it is found in central and east Asia. local gods became manifestations of past buddhas. * theravada buddhism: the true form of buddhism which follows the earliest teachings of siddhartha. it is mainly found in south east asia. they follow buddha's teachings in the triptaka, which was written down 400 years after his death.

what do jehovah's witnesses believe about the trinity?

- they reject the trinity - they believe god the father is the only true God - Jesus is michael the archangel. he is God's first creation and therefore called his "first born son" but he is not actually God the son like traditional Christianity teaches

how could you argue that mormonism is a cult?

1) God/Jesus: not infinite; Jesus was created 2) salvation/afterlife: saved by grace after all we can do-impossible to be saved-you can't do all you can do 3) contradictory/illogical 4) joseph smith was immoral and untrustworthy: women- over 400 wives, weath- gets wealthy off of tithes and book sales, power- mayor, 4,000 men army

what are the 5 aspects of religion?

1) higher power: God (Christianity), Allah (Islam) 2) problem with the world: sin (Christianity), suffering (Islam), ignorance (Buddhism/Hinduism) 3) solution to the problem: Jesus/atonement (Christianity), knowledge (Buddhism), works (Islam) 4) afterlife: heaven/hell (Christianity), reincarnation, Nirvana 5) moral code; do not: * steal * murder * lie * commit adultery

what are the 3 routes that lead to salvation in hinduism?

1) knowledge- reaching moksha by realizing you are brahman through meditation 2) works- reaching moksha by doing good works and performing religious rituals that atone for sins (like sacrifices) 3) devotion- reaching moksha by devoting yourself to a god, which is an aspect of brahman. this is the most popular route to moksha. they say Jesus and Allah lead to brahman too.

what do jehovah's witnesses believe about salvation? how is it obtained and how is it maintained?

1) only jehovah's witnesses can have eternal life 2) in order to be saved, an individual must spend months studying jehovah's witness doctrine. when they are ready, they must stand before the elders of the church in order to undergo an oral test. if they can answer the questions to the satisfaction of the elders, they pass the test and they may be baptized into the one true church, which makes them one of the jehovah's witnesses 3) then, they must maintain their salvation by performing good works. they must participate in door evangelism with another partner. they must turn in a time card to their church every month witha . record of their hours of evangelism. if they fail to evangelize, they may be summoned by their leaders and eventually, they lose their salvation if they do not continue to do good works of evangelism. 4) this doctrine is unbiblical

how does a jain reach salvation or moksha?

1) right knowledge- understand jain philosophy concerning reincarnation and moksha through asceticism, self mortification, non attachment, and abstaining from sin 2) right faith- believe in jain scriptures 3) right conduct- jain commoners follow a slightly different set of rules than the monks * non injury * no lies * commoners: do not steal, monks: do not own possessions * commoners: do not commit adultery, monks: do not have sex * commoners: limit attachments, monks: do not have any attachments (no desires)

what are the 4 noble truths?

1) to live is to suffer; therefore to suffer is to live. life and suffering are identical. this is why they believe to eliminate one is to eliminate another 2) the cause of suffering is desire/caring (attachment or lust) 3) eliminate desire to eliminate suffering, which will enlighten you 5) eliminate desire by following the 8 fold path

what is the 8-fold path?

1) views 2) aspirations 3) speech 4) conduct a. do not kill (different from murder) b. do not steal c. do not commit adultery d. do not lie e. do not get intoxicated (alcohol/drugs) 5) livelihood 6) effort 7) mindfulness 8) meditation

in what year did israel become a nation again after nearly 2000 years of exile?

1948

how many heavens are in mormonism?

3

how many wives does the quran allow men to have?

4

what are the 5 pillars of fait and what are the 5 doctrines of islam?

5 PILLARS OF FAITH 1) creed- there s no god but allah and muhammad is his prophet 2) prayer- pray 5 times a day facing mecca 3) fasting- fast during the daylight hours in the month of ramadan 4) alms- give 2.5% of your income to the poor 5) pilgrimage- visit the holy city of mecca if you can 5 DOCTRINES OF ISLAM 1) monotheism- there is only one God who exists as one person 2) prophets- muslims believe the prophets and apostles of the bible were prophets of islam; they believe there have been 124,000 prophets 3) holy books- the quran, (uncorrupted word of allah) tauret, (allah's law which the jews corrupted) zabur, (the psalms, which are poetry to allah bu the jews corrupted them) and evangel, (the teaching of Jesus, allah's apostle, but the christians corrupted it) 4) intermediary beings- angels (powerful spirits who do not have free will, and jinn (spirits who have free will can be good or evil, and can possess humans. jinn can reproduce, eat dead animals, and may live in jars. muslims believe satan is a jinn) 5) judgement- muslims are judged by their works. if your good outweighs your bad you go to heaven. all non-muslims go to hell 6) fate- all that happens is allah's will. allah may send you to hell if he does not life you; he only forgives those he wants to forgive. you must work to earn his favor. creation comes from his arbitrary will rather than love becase he is not eternally relational

what is the significance of the reforms of akhenaton, the merneptah stela, the tel san stela, and the cyprus cylinder?

AKHENATON * the pharaoh of Egypt from about 1377-1360 BC and was the second born son * he instituted monotheism for the first time ever in Egypt and destroyed monuments to the other gods and banned polytheism MERNEPTAH STELA * a monument set up by pharaoh merneptah in Egypt around 1210 BC * it proves Israel was a country in 1210 BC TEL DAN STELA it proves that king david was a real historical figure CYPRUS CYLINDER * a Persian document stating that all the captives of the Babylon Empire may return to their homeland, which is recorded in Ezra 1 * it proves that the Persians allowed the Jews to return to Israel after the Babylonian Exile

what do muslims believe about Jesus that you would agree with and what would you disagree with?

CHRISTIANS AND MUSLIMS AGREE * Jesus was born of a virgin and lived a sinless life * Jesus performed miracles * Jesus was a prophet * Jesus was the messiah CHRISTIANS AND MUSLIMS DISAGREE * Jesus was not and did not claim to be God or the son of God * Jesus was not crucified * Jesus did not rise from the dead * Jesus and his disciples were muslim

what is the cosmological argument, the teleological argument, the anthropic principle, irreducible complexity, specified complexity, and the moral argument?

COSMOLOGICAL 1) everything that begins to exist has a cause 2) the universe began to exist 3) the universe has a cause * everyone is an actual being and a potential being, who was born of two actual and potential beings. at some point, there had to have been a pure actual being to start off the chain reaction. * if you look in space with a spectroscope you see red light which means that the universe is expanding which means it had to start somewhere TELEOLOGICAL 1) everything that has a design has a designer 2) the universe has a design 3) the universe has a designer MORAL 1) if there is a moral law then there is a moral law giver 2) there is a moral law 3) there is a moral law giver *reveals that God must have moral perfection, which means he must be holy, omnibenevolent, righteous, and just. As the source of goodness itself and the purposes and moral laws for humans, this being must be infinitely good. *God must be a person because these attributes can only be present with a MIND. ANTHROPIC the universe is finely tuned in order to sustain life. slight changes would destroy life. this implies purposeful and intentional design IRREDUCIBLE COMPLEXITY * cells and organs contain interdependent parts that must exist simultaneously for life to survive * all irreducibly complex machines have a designer. living cells are irreducibly complex machines; therefore, they must have a designer

what is predicted in psalm 22, isaiah 53, jeremiah 31:31-34, and daniel 9:24-26?

JEREMIAH -there is a new covenant ISAIAH -the Messiah will die/died for our sins PSALM -the Messiah will be/was crucified DANIEL -predicted the date of the Messiah's death

what is the difference between monotheism, polytheism, pantheism, and animism?

MONOTHEISM the belief that there is one infinite and eternal God that created time, space, and matter. the primary monotheistic religions of today are Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. often referred to as "theism" POLYTHEISM * the belief in many finite gods. the natural universe is eternal. the gods evolved from nature from a spiritual substance and then ordered the universe * may have begun under Nimrod at Babel. Babel divided God, so God divided Babel. Nimrod's rebellion may have been mythologized into the story of the Babylonian storm-God, Marduk, who rose to power by killing the parent gods, as did other storm-gods in other myths (like in Greek mythology) PANTHEISM the word means "all is god." God is a divine impersonal force that is "in" everything because they believe that God is everything. God is the universe ANIMISM "anima" means alive/live. it is the belief that a living spirit dwells in objects of nature such as trees, rocks, or animals. most animist societies believe that a high god created the universe and appointed lesser spirits in nature to help humans

the babylonian god Marduk might be connected to which historical figure?

Nimrod's rebellion may have been mythologized into the story of the Babylonian storm-God, Marduk, who rose to power by killing the parent gods, as did other storm-gods in other myths (like in Greek mythology)

what is the difference between the shi'ites and the sunnis?

SHI'ITES believe that only muhammad's blood relatives should lead the islamic world. they use the term imam rather than caliph for the ruler of the islamic state, and they believe ali, muhammad's cousin, was the first imam. the shi'ites believe the first 12 imams were prophets like muhammad and one day the 12th imam will return and rule the world; most shi'ites are found in iraq and iran SUNNIS 80% of muslims are sunni. they believe the community should elect the caliph and only follow muhammad's teachings.

what are some other logical problems with the eastern religions?

THESE QUESTIONS ARE LEFT UNANSWERED * who am i and what value do i have? * where did i come from? * what is my purpose and why am i here? DIVINE AUTHORITY * neither buddha, mahavira, confucius, nor lao-tzu claimed to have revelations from a god. should their sayings be considered authoritative or true if they spoke by their own opinion about spiritual things and could not appeal to rational argumentation or to supernatural verification (miracles)? only special revelation (from God) can inform us about the afterlife and the correct salvation plan. also, the holy books for jainism, buddhism, and shintoism were written centuries after the events

what do mormons call their church?

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

what is yin and yang?

YIN - female - evil - passive - dark - descending - cold YANG - male - good - active - light - ascending - hot

what were the analects of confucius?

a book of confucius' sayings written by his disciples seventy years after his death. his sayings are considered to be divinely authoritative. most of his sayings teach how to have good relationships with people. people must submit to leaders and leaders must rule justly which follows the moral law of li.

what is the definition of a cult?

a group that has broken away from Biblical christianity by denying fundamental doctrines. all religions have cults. a cult is simply a group broken away from its mother religion because it denies doctrines that are essential to the religion.

what do sikhs believe about God, salvation, and the afterlife?

a mixture of islam and hinduism. it was founded by nanak in india. his motto was "there is no muslim, there is no hindu." he taught that there was one God called sat nam. people are reincarnated until they are righteous enough to be absorbed into sat nam. repeating his name deletes sins. there are about 25 million sikhs in the world

what is a mosque?

a place of prayer, sort of like an islamic church or synagogue

who is the dalai lama?

a reincarnated bodhisattva who must be found again every time he dies. dalai lamas have led tibetan buddhism since the 1300s AD. to find the next dalai lama the monks use divination to find his location. they find male toddlers born after his death and present items to him, some of which were possessions of the previous dalai lama. if the boy chooses former possessions, this is the sign he is the reincarnated dalai lama

what is a "kami"?

a spirit. gods, humans, and some natural objects have a kami.

what type of religion did large agricultural societies in ancient times have?

agricultural societies will have farming gods; if people live near a sea they may have a sea god; if they live where corn (or maize) grows, they may have a corn god

in egyptian religion, what happens to an individual whose heart is heavy with sin and outweighs the feather of truth?

ammut (the devourer of the dead/goddess) eats your soul and annihilates people from existence

what are the beliefs of the nation of islam?

an african american sect of islam that began in 1930. wali farad muhammad claimed to be allah as a man. he taught that africans were allah's chosen rice and white people were satan's chosen race. wali farad disappeared in 1934 and his disciple, elijah muhammad continued his ministry. malcolm x converted to the NOI in prison and was later killed by the NOI for converting to the suni sect of islam. today, louis farrakhan and the black panther party are part of the nation of islam. ironically, the hadith teaches that muhammad owned a black slave

what is magic?

an attempt to harness mana in order to alter one's fate to a desired outcome. magic is the greatest power in the universe since it controls the fate and the gods

what ceremonies take place in the mormon temple?

baptism for the dead and celestial marriages

what is wicca?

belief system that centers around worshipping gods, goddesses, and nature. magic is used to alter fate; also practices divination (witchcraft)

after world war 1, who ruled over the land of palestine?

britain, france, russia, and the USA (the allies) (the british took it though)

Gods do not play an important role in which eastern religion?

buddhism, jainism, sikhism, taoism and confucianism

which eastern religion has a set of moral principles and religion guidelines that other eastern religions borrow?

buddhism/hinduism

what is the religion of japan?

buddhism/shintoism

what is a caliph?

caliph means successor. caliphs were the leaders of the islamic world, sort of like imperial popes; isis claims to be the new caliphate

who was the founder of the jehovah's witnesses?

charles russell

who was confucius and what did he believe?

confucius was a teacher of moral philosophy, politics, and history at a university in ancient china. his students became government leaders and implemented his teachings after his death. confucius was lated elevated to a sage, which is a human with divine wisdom that can answer your prayers. confucius was not a religious teacher. however, he taught to venerate ancestors and use divination to learn the future. he also taught that there was a moral law called li that must be obeyed for society to operate

what archaeological discovery contained copies of the old testament books that date up to 200 years before Christ?

dead sea scrolls

what were dinosaurs called before 1841?

dinosaurs are large lizards that were called dragons until 1841. many ancient nations drew them and wrote about them

astrology is a type of _____________ using the stars

divination

reading form the book of the dead to alter one's judgement in ancient egypt is an example of ______________

divination

what does the term "kami-kazi" literally mean?

divine/spirit wind

how does a buddhist reach nirvana?

following the 8 fold path and believing the 4 noble truths

how do mormons obtain salvation?

general salvation: Jesus' debts pays for the guilt of all sins and made it possible for everyone to earn his/her salvation individual salvation: only members of the LDS church can atone for personal sins, which comes from good works and abstaining from sins.

what did shintoism teach about their emperor?

he was divine/related to the sun goddess

what is the primary religion of india?

hinduism

what religions started in india?

hinduism, buddhism, jainism, sikhism

which religions believe in the law of karma?

hinduism, buddhism, jainism, sikhism

what is exaltation?

humans can become gods and create their own planets for their children

why must God be triune and not unitarian? (logical reasons)

if you say that God is unitarian that is limiting His form and negating the existence of the other persons

what are the beliefs of the bahai faith? what type of religion are they and which religion did they break away from?

in 1844 a shi'ite muslim named mirza ali muhammad claimed to be the 12th imam. he taught that all religions have a kernel of truth. his disciple mirza husan ali claimed to be allah. the bahai faith believes that all of the following were prophets of their religion: adam, moses, krishnah, buddha, zoroaster, Jesus, muhammad, and now baha'ullah. they are pantheistic and believe good works make you closer to God in the afterlife. there are about 10 million bahais in the world today

real archaeology proves that the american indians are related to what people group? how do we know this?

in the 1800's, many still speculated where the american indians came from. many thought they could be lost tribes of israel. we now know they are of mongoloid descent, not semetic (israelite) as evidenced by the bone structure, shovel shaped incisors, language, religion, and culture that is modeled after east asian societies.

who are the 3 gods of the hindu trimurti, the most important gods from the upanishad period?

indra, varuna, and agni

what religion is the most common religion in the middle east today?

islam

sikhism is the syncretized product of what 2 religions?

islam and hinduism

what is the fallacy of the false conversion? how do the 4 noble truths commit this fallacy?

it is a logical fallacy whereby the argument switches the subject and predicate of a statement. siddhartha committed this fallacy when he taught that to live is to suffer; therefore, to suffer is to live. thus, eliminating suffering will eliminate living. * counterexamples: a hammer is a tool, there fore a tool is a hammer

what is the bhagavad-gita about?

it is the most read of all hindu scriptures. it is about the reluctance of arjuna, a military general, to kill his his fellow hindus in battle. the god krishna appears to arjuna and tells him it is his duty to fight since he is in the warrior caste. krishna also tells him that he may obtian salvation through devotion (bhakti) to him.

what is jihad?

jihad means to "struggle" as in to struggle for the defense of islam. once a nation belongs to the house of submission, it may never return to non-muslim hands without a fight (like israel.) jihad can also refer to the inward struggle to submit to allah in all things

who is the founder of the mormon church?

joseph smith jr.

what is the religion of israel?

judaism

what universal law of retribution will punish or reward all actions from past and present lives?

karma

who is the founder of taoism?

lao tzu

what is the tao te ching?

lao tzu's written down teachings, it means "the way and it's power". the tao te ching is the holy book of taoism and it is the second most translated book in the world (second to the Bible)

in the old testament what did God tell the Jews to do to atone for sins?

make sacrifices (animals)

who was nimrod?

may be the creator of polytheism, as many nations have mythologized him for his defiance to the high God

what is feng shui? what is chi?

means "mind water" and is a chinese philosophy of anture related to taoism. it teaches that energy called chi flows through nature. harmony and prosperity comes if chi flows smoothly. obstructing chi creates negative energy.

who is jesus according to the jehovah's witnesses?

michael the archangel

what is the mishnah and what is the talmud?

mishnar: commentary on the torah talmud: commentaries on the mishnah

how do jews obtain salvation today and how is it different from their views of salvation in old testament times?

modern Jews believe salvation is by faith and works. obedience to the torah grants salvation. Jews used to believe that salvation was by faith alone (as stated in genesis 15:6)

how is allah morally deficient?

morality is what "ought" to be done towards others; it's whats "good" for others. love is to will the good of a person. since the moral law giver is the source of goodness and love, then he is goodness and love and must have it infinitely. allah does not give love and goodness infinitely, therefore he is not God.

how is the mormon Jesus different from the Jesus of the Bible? how is God the father different from mormonism?

mormons: Jesus is heavenly father's first born son and our oldest brother. Jesus earned godhood in the pre-existence state and heavenly father elected him to be the savior of earth. our brother, lucifer, fought Jesus for this position. lucifer and his followers were not allowed to become humans. Jesus' followers would be born with white skin and neutral observers would be born with black skin. heavenly father had sex with mary to create the body of Jesus. * the cult will always lower the status of Jesus. they will teach that he was just an angel, a prophet, an enlightened man, a finite god, or an exalted man. they will teach that he is not the 2nd person of the trinity, who is both fully god and fully man or that he is infinite and eternal in his divine nature.

who wrote the torah?

moses

who was the founder of islam?

muhammad

who was the founder of Sikhism? where was it founded? when was it founded?

nanak, india, in 1469

what is the name of the jehovah's witness translation of the Bible?

new world translation of the Holy Scriptures

what is nirvana?

nirvana is the area where there is no earth, water, fire, and air; it is not the region of infinite space nor that of infinite consciousness; is is not the region of nothing at all nor the border between distinguishing and not distinguishing...

did muhammad confirm his ministry with any acts of God such as prophecy or miracles?

no

did taoism originally believe in gods?

no

what is divination?

observing objects of nature to learn one's fate

what was believed to be the most powerful force in polytheistic and animistic religion?

other gods

what is a bodhisattva?

people who have postponed nirvana to help others. they are worshipped like gods because man is designed to worship a higher power.

what type of religion did the babylonians, egyptians, and greeks have?

polytheistic

what is necromancy?

praying to or trying to contact the dead

what is the 1st and 2nd estate?

preexistence: the first estate - heavenly father created our spirits through celestial sex with his wives and we dwelt in heaven with them earth: the second estate - heavenly father blanked our minds and sent us to earth to be tested

what is the collection of muhammad's sayings and deeds and is considered 2nd authority to the quran?

quran/koran

what is the problem in the world in buddhism?

rebirth because of desire, which results in suffering

a practice that appeases the gods, feeds them, or atones for sins

ritual

to which state did brigham young lead the mormons?

salt lake city Utah

how do muslims gain salvation?

salvation in islam- is human dependent, not God dependent. more glory goes to God when our salvation is dependent upon and centered on God's provision and activity rather than humanity's activity. vague, ambiguous and inconsistent. there is a works based salvation plan; and it is unjust for a good deed to cancel out a bad deed. saving a life does not cancel out the sin of murder

what religion started in china?

shintoism

how did joseph smith come to possess the book of abraham?

smith bought a mummy from an artifact salesman in 1835 and the mummy was wrapped in papyrus with hieroglyphic writing, smith interpreted it with his seer stones and found it was actually written by Abraham when he was in egypt 4000 years ago.

what is the canopy theory?

some believe a canopy of water/vapor/ice used to exist above the sky which affected the earth's environment. genesis indicates that before the flood it did not rain, humans were vegetarians, and people lived longer.

what is a jinn?

spirits who have free will can be good or evil, and can possess humans. jinn can reproduce, eat dead animals, and may live in jars. muslims believe satan is a jinn

which religion is the religion of star wars?

taoism

who was moroni?

the angel that appeared to smith and told him the location of the golden plates

what is monism?

the belief that there is only one being that exists

what is the 1 ching and which religion lives according to it?

the confucian book of divination. 1 ching means "book of changes"

why do we find stories of a great flood from ancient societies all over the world?

the flood affected everyone and was told through generations to different people groups

who is siddhartha guatama?

the founder of buddhism. he was born into the ruler caste in India. one day, he saw the "four passing signs;" an old man, a sick man, a dead man, and an ascetic monk, which made him contemplate the meaning of life. when he was 29 he left his wife and son to seek religious truth as an ascetic monk. he learned from hindu gurus and then gained 5 of his own disciples. he starved himself until all the hair fell off his body. he became so weak that he fell into a river one day and he could not save himself. his disciples had to rescue him. he decided that self mortification was not the route to moksha. then he decided he would sit under a fig tree until he reached moksha. he reached moksha the moment he discovered the 4 noble truths, which brought him enlightenment. after he reached enlightenment, he started eating again and taught his disciples how to attain enlightenment. he taught against the extremes of materialism and asceticism and emphasized the middle path. he died from food poisoning at 80.

who was mahavira?

the founder of jainism. he was born into the ruler caste in India. he left his wife and daughter to seek religious truth when he was 30 years old. he believed he could reach moksha by stopping the in-flow of karmic merit and by atoning for current karmic merit. so, he neglected all his possessions (even clothes), ate only discarded vegetables, didn't talk for 12 years, and walked with a broom to sweep away bugs to prevent killing them. all killing builds karmic merit. he constantly beat himself with a whip, he pulled the hair out of his beard and head, and he laid out in the sun and slept in the cold. today, some jain monks with acquire 2nd degree sun burns, jump in thorn bushes, and stare at the sun until they become blind to eliminate karmic merit (only jain monks do these things). after 12 years, he claimed to reach moksha and then he taught others hot to reach moksha for the next 30 years. when he was 72 he starved himself to death.

what is an atman?

the individual soul in every living creature that "separated" from brahman long ago. your atman is brahman. the separation is an illusion. we are not really separated. you are brahman.

what is an imam?

the leader of prayers in the mosque. imams are like pastors

what is syncretism?

the mixing of religions. it is when a society adopts gods or beliefs from other societies as their own

what are 2 possible eternal destinations for righteous jehovah's witnesses?

the new heaven and the new earth

what is brahman according to hindu philosophy?

the one being of reality. everything is brahman. brahman is the only being that exists; all is brahman.

what is the role of self-mutilation in jainism?

the problem is that our soul (jiva) is attached to matter because our sins and we are punished through reincarnation. the answer is to be released from the cycle of rebirth by abstaining from sin and punishing ourselves by self mortification and asceticism or strict discipline. when nirvana is reached, you keep your identity; jains do not believe in brahma.

what is the ka'aba?

the square shrine in mecca around the meteorite worshipped by arabs. 360 gods are worshipped in the shrine, and each god has an idol. muslims say mecca was eden and the meteorite fell there after adam's sin

what is the book of mormon about? who were the nephites and the lamanites?

the story of how lehi left jerusalem and landed in central america and his family became the american indians. * the righteous followed nephi and were called the nephites and had white skin. they recorded God's revelations on brass plates. * the unrighteous followed laman and were called the lamanites. they were cursed with black skin.

who is amaterasu?

the sun-goddess and matron deity of japan

what do jews call their bible?

the torah

what hindu writings date between 1500 BC-900 BC, have polytheistic myths about the feats of the gods and goddesses such as indra, varuna, and agni, and contain instructions for magic and sacrifices?

the vedas

what is the meaning of the word "islam"?

the word islam is related to the arabic word, "salam" which means "peace"; the idea is that if you submit to allah you will have peace with God and men

which hindu scriptures give a pantheistic interpretation to the vedas?

upanishads

what is a thirthankara and why were they added to the jain religion?

these are saints in jainism that help you reach moksha. twenty three thirthankara's preceded mahavira, who is the 24th thirthankara. this doctrine was later invented to make jainism seem more ancient, and because man is designed to worship or rely on a higher power.

what do jehovah's witnesses believe about the holy spirit?

they believe the holy spirit is not a person. they call him "it" and "God's active force"

why don't jews practice animal sacrifices today?

they cannot make sacrifices to atone for sins anymore because they do not have a temple. the romans destroyed the temple in 70 AD

what doctrines must be denied in order to be labeled as a cult?

they reject the doctrine of the trinity and salvation by grace

why do Christians consider jehovah's witnesses to be a cult?

they reject the doctrine of the trinity and salvation by grace; they have many failed predictions of the end of the world

what is the primary purpose of the temple in judaism?

to make sacrifices to atone for sins

what is the goal of a hindu? (think of their view of life and salvation)

to reach moksha and avoid being reborn

how many times has the temple in jerusalem been destroyed?

twice

what do jehovah's witnesses believe about hell?

unbelievers will be resurrected in their new bodies and then thrown into hell, or the lake of fire. however, their punishment is not eternal. eventually, their bodies burn up and they cease to exist.

did all ancient societies practice sacrifice?

yes