| A | B |
|---|
| Religion | A system of belief that explains where we come from, a value system on how to live our lives, and an explanation about where we go when we die. |
| Polytheism | Belief in many gods. |
| Monotheism | Belief in one god. |
| Animism | Religious belief that holds all thing, living and non-living, have a spirit. |
| Zoroastrianism | A religion and philosophy based on the teachings of prophet Zoroaster; founded some time before the 6th century BC in Iran. |
| Judaism | The religion, philosophy, and way of life of the Jews. |
| Old Testament | The collection of books that forms the first of the two-part Christian Bible. related to early Jewish texts. |
| Torah | The sacred text of Judaism. |
| Mishna and Talmud | A religion and philosophy based on the teachings of prophet Zoroaster; founded some time before the 6th century BC in Iran. |
| Ten Commandments | A list of religious and moral laws spoken by God to the people of Israel; given to Moses. |
| Diaspora | Associated with the destruction of the Second Temple and aftermath of Roman occupation of Judea in the 1st and 2nd centuries AD. |
| Christianity | A monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as presented in the New Testament. |
| New Testament | The second major division of the Christian Bible; contains the teachings of Jesus. |
| Messiah | The expected savior of the Jews who would deliver Israel from foreign bondage and restore the glories of its golden age. |
| Sermon on the Mount | Associated with the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. |
| Islam | An Arabic religion spread by the Prophet Muhammad. |
| Koran | The sacred text of Islam. |
| Muslim | A person who practices the Islamic religion. |
| Mecca | The holiest city of Islam; location of the sacred Kaaba shrine and Great Mosque. |
| Medina | The second most holy city in the Islamic religion where Muhammad lived before returning to capture Mecca; also known as Yathrib. |
| Kaaba | A cube-shaped building in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, and is the most sacred site in Islam. |
| 5 Pillars of Islam | Faith, Prayer, Charity, Fasting, Pilgrimage. |
| Hejira | The emigration of Muhammad and his followers to the city of Medina in 622. |
| Ramadan | 9th month of the Islamic calendar. |
| Pilgrimage | Hajj; a pilgrimage that occurs during the Islamic 9th month to the holy city of Mecca. |
| Caliph | Title of the leaders of the Islamic faith that followed the death of the prophet Muhammad. |
| muezzin | A chosen person at an Islamic mosque who leads the call to prayer. |
| mosque | An Islamic house of worship. |
| Hinduism | The predominant religious tradition of India. |
| Vedas | The most ancient sacred writings of Hinduism; hymns, legends, and religious rituals. |
| Upanishads | A ancient Hindu text containing a philosophical description of the universe. |
| reincarnation | A hindu belief in the rebirth of the soul.. |
| cycles of rebirth | Part of the Hindu belief in reincarnation. |
| Brahman | Hindu belief in a single supreme force. |
| caste system | A social system with limited social mobility in India. |
| ashima | Hindu belief in non-violence. |
| Buddhism | Religion and philosophy founded by Sidartha Gautama (Buddha). |
| Four Noble Truths | Buddhism; Suffering is universal: everyone suffers from pain, sickness, and death; The cause of suffering is desire – for material wealth and long life; the only way to end suffering is to crush desire. try to achieve nirvana – the condition of wanting nothing; The way to end desire is to follow the Noble Eightfold Path: a guide to right conduct. |
| “the middle path” | Sidartha Gautama's advice for practitioners of Buddhism. |
| Noble Eight Fold Path | A guide to right conduct in Buddhism. |
| dharma | Buddhism; one's moral duty. |
| karma | Buddhism; effects of a person's actions that determine his destiny in his next incarnation. |
| moksha | Buddhism; separate one's soul from the physical body. |
| nirvana | Buddhism; a state of absolute nothingness. |
| Hinayana (Therevada) | A school of Buddhist thought which spread to Southeast Asia. |
| Mahayana | A school of Buddhist thought which spread to East Asia. |
| Bodhi Tree | The tree under which Sidartha Gautama achieved enlightenment. |
| Abraham | Founder of Judaism. |
| Yahweh | Hebrew word for God. |
| Moses | Judaic prophet who received and delivered the 10 Commandments. |
| Jesus of Nazareth | Teacher and object of worship in Christianity. |
| God | Monotheistic deity of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. |
| Paul the Apostle (Paul of Tarsus) | Founder of Christianity; helped spread the religion beyond Jewish communities. |
| Muhammad | Founder os Islam. |
| Allah | Arabic word for God. |
| Khadija | Wife of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. |
| Angel Gabriel | Came to Muhammad in a vision during "The Night Journey." |
| Abu Bakr | First Caliph after the death of Muhammad 632-634. |
| Siddhartha Gautama | The Buddha; founder of Buddhism. |
| Brahma | Hinduism; the Creator of the Universe, Indestructible, Supreme Ruler, and Source of All Knowledge. |
| Vishnu | Hinduism; the Preserver of All Existence |
| Siva | Hinduism; the Destroyer of the Universe – so it could be reborn again |
