| A | B |
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| Abraham | The first patriarch in the Bible. Abraham was asked by God to sacrifice his son, Isaac, and was rewarded for being prepared to do so. He is considered by Jewish people as the father of the Israelites through his son Isaac, and by Muslims as the father of Arab peoples through his son Ishmael. |
| Ahimsa | In Hinduism, it is the principal of non violence against all living things. |
| Analects, The | Collection of moral and social teachings of Confucius, including the concept of the Five Relationships. |
| ancestor worship | Worship given to deceased relatives who are believed to be closer to the Gods, and therefore able to grant favors |
| Animism | The oldest known type of belief system in the world. It is still practiced in a variety of forms in many traditional societies. Animists practice nature worship. They believe that everything in the universe has a spirit. This is exemplified by the practices of the Plains Indians in North America who would praise the spirit of the buffalo that they killed for giving its life to them so that they might survive. Animists also believed that ancestors watch over the living from the spirit world. This belief resulted in ancestor worship as a means of communicating with and showing respect to ancestors. |
| archipelago | A group or chain of islands. |
| Atman | In Hinduism, the human soul. |
| BCE | Date designation meaning Before Common Era, or more than two thousand years ago. |
| Bhagavad Gita | A Hindu holy book where the god Krishna teaches the importance of selflessness, performing religious duties, and of devotion to God. |
| Brahma | Hindu god called the Creator. Brahma is |
| Brahman | In Hinduism, Brahman is the name given to the oneness of the universe. |
| Buddha | Hindu for “enlightened one." See also Siddhartha Gautama. |
| Buddhism | Buddhism developed in India, and is based on many of the core concepts of Hinduism.. Buddhists believe in an endless cycle of reincarnation, or samsara, which is similar to beliefs of Hinduism. However, Buddhists do not believe that deities are responsible for the phenomenon. In addition, the Caste System is rejected by Buddhists who believe instead that one is reincarnated until they can achieve nirvana, best described as spiritual enlightenment |
| calendar | A system for keeping track of time. |
| Caliph | In Islam, the successor to the Prophet Mohammed |
| Caste System | A rigid social class system in Hinduism |
| CE | Date designation meaning Common Era, or the last two thousand years of history. |
| Christ, Jesus | (8-4 BCE- 29? CE) Founder of Christianity. Considered by Christians to be the son of God and the Messiah. He is the central figure in the Christian Religion. |
| Christianity | Currently the most popular religion in the world based on the number of worshippers found throughout the world. While this monotheistic religion developed from Judaism, there are several key differences in its teachings. Christianity was founded by Jesus Christ in the 1st century CE. The Christian holy book is called the Holy Bible. |
| civilization | A society that has a high level of culture and social organization including organized government, job specialization, and a organized belief system. |
