Exam Key Points Flashcards
What is religious impulse?
The universal urge to believe in something beyond ourselves
Define atheist.
A person who believes no god exists
Define agnostic.
A person who doubts the existence of a god
Define credo.
A set of beliefs
Define secular.
Concerned with the material world, not religion
Define ahimsa (H).
Doctrine of non-violence toward all living creatures
Define dharma (H).
Personal conduct and righteous living
Describe the cycle of reincarnation. (H)
Samsara is the endless cycle of reincarnation. Hindus believe when you die, you are reborn into another body. The situation in the next life is determined by your karma in the previous life. Karma is the basic belief of cause and effect. Good actions means good next life. Bad actions means bad next life. This cycle continues until Moksha is achieved. Moksha is the liberation from the cycle and being united with Atman (inner-most soul) and Brahman. Liberation can be achieved through knowledge, good deeds and devotion.
What is a guru? (H)
A spiritual teacher or guide who can help one achieve moksha
What are the castes? (H)
Brahmins: priests who make up the highest caste; purist, wisest and most learned
Kshatriyas: warriors; they protect and rule society with strength and courage
Vaishya: merchants and farmers; management and entrepreneurial skills
Sudra: servants; not allowed to study scripture
Untouchables: so low they’re not even a part of the caste system; degraded for “unclean work”
What are the 4 major purposes of living? (H)
Dharma: conducting one’s duties with compassion toward all beings, forbearance absence of jealousy, purity, tranquility, goodness, absence of cruelty, and absence of greed
Artha: earning money by honest means to provide for the family; acquiring wealth and power
Kama: pursuing love and physical pleasures to balance life and sanctify marriage
Moksha: leading the soul toward salvation though honest and moral actions
What is meditation? (B)
A method of calming and training the mind through concentration
Define ascetic (B).
One who practices very strict devotions using severe self-denial (very intense abstinence)
What is nirvana? (B)
A state of supreme realization and enlightenment, an understanding of the truth of life and the freedom from ignorance
This results in the release from the endless cycle of rebirths
Define sangha (B).
The community of Buddhist monks and nuns
Define jataka (B).
Collection of 547 birth stories of the previous lives of the Buddha. Aim is to illustrate morality
What are the four noble truths? (B)
The teachings on these truths are regarded as central to the teachings of Buddhism. They explain the nature of Dukkha (suffering, anxiety, unsatisfactoriness), it’s causes and how it can be overcome.
The truth of the origin of Dukkha. It explains the nature of Dukkha, with the three following aspects: the obvious suffering of physical and mental illness, growing old and dying; the anxiety or stress of trying to hold onto things that are constantly changing; a subtle dissatisfaction for all forms of life due to the fact that all forms of life are changing, and without any inner core or substance
The truth of the cessation of Dukkha. The origin of Dukkha can be known. Commonly explained as craving conditioned by ignorance. On a deeper level, the root cause of Dukkha is identified as ignorance of the true nature of things
That the complete cessation of Dukkha is possible and the path to this cessation is to follow the noble eightfold path
What are the differences between Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism? (B)
Beliefs
T: humans are individuals, key virtue is wisdom, religion is for monks, the ideal being is Arhat, Buddha is a saint
M: humans are involved with others, key virtue is compassion, religion also for lay person, ideal being is Bodhisattva, Buddha is a savior
Practices
T: pray through meditation
M: pray for requests
Scriptures
T: early scriptures in Pali
M: early scriptures in Sanskrit
Who is Allah? (I)
The “supreme God”; humans have the free will to submit to God’s will, a gracious surrendering to the all compassionate all merciful Allah
Define Hadith. (I)
The second source of law for Muslims
What is a mosque? (I)
The Muslim place of worship.
What is the qu’ran? (I)
The holy book of Islam, seen as God’s word and not Muhammad’s word even though Muhammad conveyed it
Compare Shi’ah Muslims and Sunni Muslims (I).
The party of Ali; believe Ali was Muhammad’s chosen successor; believe Imams (Ali and 12 descendants) are the rightful successors of Muhammad; believe the 12th Imam, Mahdi, disappeared and will return to bring justice and righteousness to the world
Make up nearly 85% of Muslims; believe Muhammad did not choose a successor and building consensus within the community is the best way to arrive at a just and equitable society; believe 4 caliphs are the true successors but Mahdi has not been born yet; when Mahdi does come he’ll bring justice and righteousness to the world
What are the five Pillars of Islam faith?
The fundamental constituents of Muslim life
- Shahadah - the profession of faith
- Salat - prayer five times daily
- Zakat - mandatory almsgiving
- Sawm - fasting during the month of Ramadan
- Hajj - the pilgrimage to Mecca which every Muslim should make at least once in their life
What is a rabbi? (J)
A Jewish scholar or teacher, especially of the law; a person appointed as a Jewish religious leader
Define what it is to be kosher (J). What is the chart?
Can: meat - 4, bird - 4, fish - 4
Can’t: meat - 6, bird - 3, fish - 6
Fulfilling the requirements of the Jewish dietary laws of Kashruth
Can eat: ritually slaughtered beef, sheep, goats and deer
Chicken, turkey, quail, geese
Salmon, tuna, carp, herring, cod
Wine or grape juice made under Jewish supervision
Soft cheese and kosher hard cheese
Can’t eat: pork, camel, rabbit, rodents, reptiles, and any animal died of natural causes
Eagle, hawk, vulture
Crab, lobster, octopus, clam, swordfish, sturgeon
Meat with dairy
Any other wine and grape juice
Most hard cheese
What is a synagogue? (J)
The Jewish place of worship
What is the Torah? (J)
A book or scroll containing the Laws of Moses (613 commandments) and the entire belief system of the Jewish faith
What is a prophet? (J)
A person who receives a message from God and delivers that message to God’s people; the message belongs to God with the prophet acting as gods messenger
What is Rosh Hashana? (J)(10)
The festival celebrating the Jewish New Year
A time of reflection and to take stock of your soul; God watches you more closely; repentance, realigning and returning; 2 days long of food, prayer and rituals; new fruits to taste for 1st time in New Year; Shana Tova- Have a good year; connecting through prayer; toss away bread crumbs representing throwing away old mistakes; justice(giving back)
What is Pesach? (J)
The Passover festival in spring commemorating the liberation of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt
What is Hanukkah? (J)
The eight day Festival of Lights, usually in December, commemorating the rededication of the temple
What is Yom Kippur? (J)
The most solemn religious day of the Jewish year, marked by fasting and prayers of repentance
What are saints? (C)
Holy people that Christians venerate; considered to be with God in heaven and can hear prayers
What are apostles? What are disciples? (C)
Followers of Jesus during his public ministry as well as present day
The 12 individuals who were Jesus’ closest followers
What are gospels? What are parables? What are epistles?
G: Story of Jesus’ life and teachings told in the first four books of the Bible’s New Testament
P: Types of short stories often used by Jesus to teach an important truth or lesson in morality
E: Letters written by Christ’s apostles to instruct Churches and individuals about the faith
What is baptism? (C)
Sacrament or action that involves the sprinkling of a person with water or full immersion as a sign of washing away son and entering the church
What is a schism? (C)
A division of the Church into separate groups because of strong differences of opinion
What is a messiah? (C)
A savior, prophesied by the Old Testament, who would lead his people to God; Christians think this is Jesus
What is a rosary? (C)
A string of beads used for devotional prayers by some Christians
Who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation? (C)
Martin Luther who believed the authority within the Catholic church should lie solely within the Bible and not the church traditions or church leaders
Believed salvation came not from a persons actions but from his faith
