Bible

(Christianity)

the collection of sacred writings of the Christian religion, comprising the Old and New Testaments.

Jesus Christ

(Christianity)

the Christian religion, including the Catholic, Protestant, and Eastern Orthodox churches.

New Testament

(Christianity)

the collection of the books of the Bible that were produced by the early Christian church, comprising the Gospels, Acts of the Apostles, the Epistles, and the Revelation of St. John

the Divine.

Jerusalem

(Christianity)

a city in and the capital of Israel: an ancient holy city and a center of pilgrimage for Jews, Christians, and Muslims; divided between Israel and Jordan 1948–67; Jordanian sector annexed by Israel 1967; capital of Israel since 1950.

Holy Trinity

(Christianity)

the God the Father, the Son, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit.

List three holy days

(Christianity)

easter, christmas, and ash wednesday

Pope

(Christianity)

Baptism

(Christianity)

Infidel

(Christianity)

a person who does not accept a particular faith, especially Christianity.

Sacrament

(Christianity)

Ecclesiastical. a visible sign of an inward grace, especially one of the solemn Christian rites considered to have been instituted by Jesus Christ to symbolize or confer grace: the sacraments of the Protestant churches are baptism and the Lord's Supper; the sacraments of the Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox churches are baptism, confirmation, the Eucharist, matrimony, penance, holy orders, and extreme unction.

Orthodox Christianity

(Christianity)

The form of Christianity maintained by the Eastern Orthodox Church. Orthodox means “correct in teaching”; Orthodox Christians consider the Roman Catholic Church and the Protestant churches to be incorrect in some teachings, including the relations between the persons of the Trinity.

Martin Luther

(Christianity)

German theologian and author: leader, in Germany, of the Protestant Reformation.

Torah

(Judaism)

the Pentateuch, being the first of the three Jewish divisions of the Old Testament.

Kasher (Kosher)

(Judaism)

fit or allowed to be eaten or used, according to the dietary or ceremonial laws:

Hebrew

(Judaism)

a member of the Semitic peoples inhabiting ancient Palestine and claiming descent from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; an Israelite.

Bar Mitzvah

(Judaism)

a solemn ceremony held in the synagogue, usually on Saturday morning, to admit as an adult member of the Jewish community a Jewish boy 13 years old who has successfully completed a prescribed course of study in Judaism.

Temple

(Judaism)

(usually initial capital letter) any of the three successive houses of worship in Jerusalem in use by the Jews in Biblical times, the first built by Solomon, the second by Zerubbabel, and the third by Herod.

List three holy days

(Judaism)

Sabbath, Passover, Days of Awe

Rabbi

(Judaism)

the chief religious official of a synagogue, trained usually in a theological seminary and duly ordained, who delivers the sermon at a religious service and performs ritualistic, pastoral, educational, and other functions in and related to his or her capacity as a spiritual leader of Judaism and the Jewish community.

Synagogue

(Judaism)

a Jewish house of worship, often having facilities for religious instruction.

Diaspora

(Judaism)

(usually initial capital letter) the scattering of the Jews to countries outside of Palestine after the Babylonian captivity.

Zionism

(Judaism)

a worldwide Jewish movement that resulted in the establishment and development of the state of Israel.

Zealots

(Judaism)

(initial capital letter) a member of a radical, warlike, ardently patriotic group of Jews in Judea, particularly prominent from a.d. 69 to 81, advocating the violent overthrow of Roman rule and vigorously resisting the efforts of the Romans and their supporters to heathenize the Jews.

Shalom

(Judaism)

peace (used as a word of greeting or farewell).

Koran(Quaran)

(Islam)

the sacred text of Islam, divided into 114 chapters, or suras: revered as the word of God, dictated to Muhammad by the archangel Gabriel, and accepted as the foundation of Islamic law, religion, culture, and politics.

Muhammad

(Islam)

Also, Mohammed, Mahomet. a.d. 570–632, Arab prophet: founder of Islam.

Five Pillars of Islam

(Islam)

Mecca

(Islam)

Also, Makkah, Mekka. a city in and the capital of Hejaz, in W Saudi Arabia: birthplace of Muhammad; spiritual center of Islam.

Allah

(Islam)

the Supreme Being; God.

List three holy days

(Islam)

 ('Id Al-Fitr and 'Id Al-Adha), a month of daytime fasting (Ramadan), and a day of voluntary fasting ('Ashura, also an important Shiite festival).

Mosque

(Islam)

a Muslim temple or place of public worship.

Caliph

(Islam)

a spiritual leader of Islam, claiming succession from Muhammad.

Shari'a

(Islam)

law, seen as deriving from the Koran, hadith, ijmaʿ, and qiyas.

Kafir

(Islam)

 an infidel or unbeliever.

Jihad

(Islam)

a holy war undertaken as a sacred duty by Muslims.

People of the Book

(Islam)

a term used to designate non-Muslim adherents to faiths which have a revealed scripture.The three types of adherents to faiths that the Qur'an mentions as people of the book are the Jews, Sabians and Christians.

Veda

(Hinduism)

Sometimes, Vedas. the entire body of Hindu sacred writings, chief among which are four books, the Rig-Veda, the Sama-Veda, the Atharva-Veda, and the Yajur-Veda.

Dharma

(Hinduism)

essential quality or character, as of the cosmos or one's own nature.

Caste System

(Hinduism)

the rigid Hindu system of hereditary social distinctions based on castes.

Reincarnation

(Hinduism)

the belief that the soul, upon death of the body, comes back to earth in another body or form.

Karma

(Hinduism)

action, seen as bringing upon oneself inevitable results, good or bad, either in this life or in a reincarnation: in Hinduism one of the means of reaching Brahman.

List three holy days

(Hinduism)

Holi, Diwali, Mahashivaratri (Shiva Ratri)

Brahma, Shiva, and Vishnu

(Hinduism)

Within the hindu trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, Brahma is the creator, Vishnu the preserver and Shiva the destroyer.

Namaste

(Hinduism)

a conventional Hindu expression on meeting or parting, used by the speaker usually while holding the palms together vertically in front of the bosom.

Bindi

(Hinduism)

a decorative dot worn in the middle of the forehead, esp by Hindu women

Mahabhuta

(Hinduism)

Guru

(Hinduism)

a preceptor giving personal religious instruction.

Nirvana

(Hinduism)

[also one of the best bands to ever be]

salvation through the union of Atman with Brahma; moksha.

Four Noble Truths

(Buddhism)

the doctrines of Buddha: all life is suffering, the cause of suffering is ignorant desire, this desire can be destroyed, the means to this is the Eightfold Path.

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Siddhartha Gautama

(Buddhism)

Also called Butsu, Gautama, Gautama Buddha. (Prince Siddhāttha or Siddhartha) 566?–c480 b.c, Indian religious leader: founder of Buddhism.

Buddha

(Buddhism)

any of a series of teachers in Buddhism, of whom Gautama was the last, who bring enlightenment and wisdom.

Buddhist Guru

(Buddhism)

spiritual teacher

Dalai Lama

(Buddhism)

(formerly) the ruler and chief monk of Tibet, believed to be a reincarnation of Avalokitesvara and sought for among newborn children after the death of the preceding Dalai Lama.

List three holy days

(Buddhism)

Buddhist New Year ,Vesak (Buddha Day), Sangha Day (Magha Puja Day or Fourfold Assembly Day

Five Hindrances

(Buddhism)

1. Sensory desire (kāmacchanda): the particular type of wanting that seeks for happiness through the five senses of sight, sound, smell, taste and physical feeling.
2. Ill-will (vyāpāda; also spelled byāpāda): all kinds of thought related to wanting to reject, feelings of hostility, resentment, hatred and bitterness.
3. Sloth-torpor (thīna-middha): heaviness of body and dullness of mind which drag one down into disabling inertia and thick depression.
4. Restlessness-worry (uddhacca-kukkucca): the inability to calm the mind.
5. Doubt (vicikicchā): lack of conviction or trust.

Five Deadly Sins

(Buddhism)

1. Do not kill.
2. Do not steal.
3. Do not engage in sexual misconduct.
4. Do not lie.
5. Do not use intoxicants.

Zen

(Buddhism)

a Mahayana movement, introduced into China in the 6th century a.d. and into Japan in the 12th century, that emphasizes enlightenment for the student by the most direct possible means, accepting formal studies and observances only when they form part of such means.

Avidya

(Buddhism)

ignorance of the identity of oneself with Brahman, resulting in imprisonment within the cycle of birth and death.

Stupa

(Buddhism)

a monumental pile of earth or other material, in memory of Buddha or a Buddhist saint, and commemorating some event or marking a sacred spot.

Bodhi

(Buddhism)

supreme knowledge or enlightenment.