Abrahamic religions | Know your history | Sect ed | Know your terms | Living Islam |
---|---|---|---|---|
What are monotheistic religions?
All three major Abrahamic religions are also known as these type of religions due to their belief in ONE God.
|
Who is Moses?
You can watch the actor Charleton Heston play this man who rescued the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt. And then came the Exodus.
|
What is Protestantism?
The origin of this religious sect can be traced back to 1517 when Martin Luther posted on the Church doors his 95 Theses. The audacity!
|
What is shirk?
This is the only unforgivable sin, according to Islam?
|
What is seal of the prophet?
We are not talking about a carnivorous marine mammal here, we are talking about this phrase sometimes used by Muslims to describe Muhammad's status as the final prophet.
|
What are omniscient, omnipotent, and omnibenevolent?
Despite their differences, all three major Abrahamic religions deem God as possessing these three "omni" attributes.
|
What is "chosen people"?
This label is sometimes used to refer to the Jewish people due to God's promise to Abraham to grant him and his decedents a holy land.
|
What are baptism and eucharist?
Catholics acknowledge seven sacraments: baptism, eucharist, confirmation, marriage, penance, holy order, and healing. Protestants, however, officially acknowledge and practice only these two.
|
What is the Holocaust?
This is the Shoah.
|
What is the Shahada?
To convert to Islam, one simply needs to recite in front of witnesses this prayer in a genuine, wholehearted manner.
|
What is prophet?
This label aptly describes the occupation of figures like Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad. This is not to suggest that they gained financially for their works.
|
Who is Paul the Apostle?
Once a persecutor of Christians, Saul of Tarsus would soon become this man who is perhaps the most important figure to the spread of Christianity in the ancient world post-Jesus?
|
What is Shiite?
Imams are thought to have special powers of interpretation of religious law for the community. At least, so says this sect.
|
What is sole fide?
This Latin term is often associated with the Protestant view of grace due to the Protestant belief that grace comes through "faith alone".
|
What are the shahada, salat, sawm, zakat, and hajj?
These are the five pillars of Islam?
|
What is general revelation?
This is the kind of revelation, according to St. Thomas Aquinas, that is accessible to everyone, regardless of whether they are a prophet.
|
What is Medina?
Formerly known as "Yathrib", this city regularly reaches temperatures over 100 degrees Fahrenheit during the summer months. Phew!
|
What is who would succeed Muhammad?
A historical disagreement over this matter was the origins of the divide between Sunnis and Shittes. Can't they all just get along?
|
What is chet?
This term for sin in Hebrew means "to misfire" (like a slingshot).
|
What is "internal struggle"?
It is a common misconception that "jihad" means violence against non-believers. Actually, the literal definition of "jihad" means this.
|
What is made in the image of God?
If human beings were objects manufactured in a factory, they would be stamped with this phrase to describe the mold in which they were made. (But don't tell Muslims this! They will disagree.)
|
Who is Constantine?
Although often mistakenly thought to be the one who officially made Christianity the religion of the Roman empire, this 4th century emperor made Christianity more accepted in Roman society - all due to a sign of a cross he saw while in battle.
|
What is a "snow-covered pile of dung".
This odd phrase describes the exclusively Protestant belief that the depravity of the recipient of grace is cloaked such that he or she is worthy of salvation. Catholics, of course, would disagree for various reasons.
|
What is shituf?
This term in Judaism is used to describe people who are not strictly monotheist, but not strictly polytheist either. Calling all Christians, calling all Christians.
|
What is the Sunnah?
This body of work is based on the deeds and words of the Prophet Muhammad. It is the second most important source of the Islamic faith. (The first, of course, is the Holy Quran.)
|