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Religion VocabulaRy
tenet – an opinion, doctrine, or principle held as being true by a person especially in an
organization such as a religion
worship – honor paid to a God or religion or anything considered sacred
Hinduism — A family of religious traditions practiced by about 900 million
people around the world.
caste system — A division of social class in India based on ancient Hindu
teachings.
Brahman — The supreme essence or God of Hinduism. Hindus think of
Brahman in many different forms.
Brahma — The world spirit, the Absolute, the chief god of the Hindu faith who is
associated with the creation of all reality. Union with Brahma is seen as the end
goal for all individuals seeking enlightenment within Hinduism.
Vishnu — The preserver god representing divine love who has been incarnated
as Krishna and Rama.
Shiva — The energy force of the Absolute, who is seen as the great cosmic
creator and destroyer
samsara — The Hindu belief in a cycle of life, death and rebirth.
reincarnation — The Hindu belief in rebirth after death.
karma — The Hindu belief that a person’s actions affect what happens to
him or her.
moksha — The Hindu belief in freedom from samsara.
Sanskrit — The Hindu language, originating in 1500 B.C.E., in which the sacred
scriptures are written.
temple — Also known as a mandir, a Hindu place of worship.
puja — Hindu prayer rituals.
shrine — Area of worship in a Hindu home.
Vedas — Ancient Hindu sacred writings.
dharma – living life in an ethical and moral way to fulfill a larger religious or ethical
duty
polythieism – the belief in many gods
Buddhism — A religion based on the life and teachings of Siddhartha
Gautama, the Buddha. This religion is practiced by more than 360 million
Buddhists worldwide.
The Buddha — A title given to Siddhartha Gautama, which means “enlightened
one.”
Buddhist temple – where Buddhists worship their religion
Great Enlightenment — The moment at which Buddhists believe the
Buddha gained wisdom and became free from life’s suffering.
Four Noble Truths — Important teachings of the Buddha, which include
ideas about suffering, its causes and how to end it.
Noble Eightfold Path — Important teachings of the Buddha, which tell his
followers how to end suffering.
dharma — The truth or law of Buddhism.
reincarnation — The Buddhist belief in rebirth after death.
karma — The Buddhist belief that a person’s actions affect what happens to
him or her.
nirvana — The Buddhist belief in a state of being where there is no more suffering
and no more rebirth.
sangha — A community of Buddhists, including monks and nuns.
sutras — Buddhist sacred writings.
Judaism — A religion practiced by about 14 million Jews worldwide. Judaism
is considered to be the first major monotheistic religion.
Jew – a follower of Judaism
monotheism — The belief in one God.
Ten Commandments — According to Jewish belief, God’s laws that were
given to Moses, and which provide Jews with guidelines for living.
Messiah — The Expected One who will free and elevate the Jewish people
to new levels of devotion in practicing God’s law.
Diaspora — The scattering of Jews all over the world.
anti-Semitism — Discrimination most commonly against Jewish people.
Torah — The sacred writings of the Jewish religion.
Talmud — A collection of interpretations of the Torah.
synagogue — Also known as temple or shul, a Jewish place of worship.
Sabbath — A day of rest and worship observed by Jews from Friday evening
to Saturday evening.
cantor — The person who leads songs and prayers at Jewish worship services.
rabbi — Jewish religious leader.
kosher — Following special dietary laws taken from Hebrew scripture.
Islam — A religion practiced by more than one billion Muslims.“Islam”comes
from the Arabic word for surrender.
Muslim — A follower of Islam.
Allah — A word that means “the God” in Arabic.
Muhammad — According to Muslims, a prophet who received the word of
God.
monotheism — Belief in one God.
Pillars of Islam — The five tenets of Islam are profession of faith, prayer,
alms, fasting and pilgrimage.
hijrah — Muhammad’s journey from Mecca to Medina in 622, which marks
the beginning of the Islamic calendar.
mosque — Also known as a masjid, a Muslim place of worship.
shahadah — A statement, recited by Muslims, that states the fundamental
beliefs of Islam.
salah — Daily prayers of Muslims, said five times per day.
zakah — Charity performed by Muslims.
sawm — Fasting. Muslims fast during the month of Ramadan.
hajj — A journey or pilgrimage to Mecca.
Ka’bah — A shrine in Mecca, and one of the holiest places according to the
Islamic faith.
Qur’an — The holy writings of Islam. (Also spelled “Koran”)
Christianity — A religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus.This religion
is practiced by about two billion Christians worldwide.
Jesus — According to Christians, the son of God whose life and teachings
provide the basis for the Christian religion.
monotheism — Belief in one God.
disciples — Devoted followers.
resurrection — The event when Christians believe Jesus rose from the dead.
Protestant Reformation — A religious revolution during the 16th century
that resulted in the founding of Protestantism, a major branch of Christianity.
trinity — The Christian belief that one God is three persons – the Father, Son
and Holy Spirit.
Bible — Christian sacred writings.
sacraments — Special ceremonies performed by some Christians. Baptism is
considered a sacrament by many Christians.