the first of the Old Testament patriarchs and the father of Isaac; according to Genesis, God promised to give Abraham's family (the Hebrews) the land of Canaan (the Promised Land); God tested Abraham by asking him to sacrifice his son

any Christian religion that believes the second coming of Christ is imminent

a religious orientation of doubt

a Buddhist and Hindu and especially Jainist doctrine holding that all forms of life are sacred and urging the avoidance of violence

Muslim name for the one and only God

an American follower of the Mennonite religion

an orthodox Anabaptist sect separated from the Mennonites in late 17th century; settled chiefly in southeastern Pennsylvania

spiritual being attendant upon God

the faith and doctrine and practice of the Anglican Church

a religion founded in Iran in 1863

the sacred writings of the Christian religions

a senior member of the Christian clergy

the religious beliefs of ancient India as prescribed in the sacred Vedas and Brahmanas and Upanishads

founder of Buddhism; worshipped as a god (c 563-483 BC)

the teaching of Buddha that life is permeated with suffering caused by desire, that suffering ceases when desire ceases, and that enlightenment obtained through right conduct and wisdom and meditation releases one from desire and suffering and rebirth

the theological system of John Calvin and his followers emphasizing omnipotence of God and salvation by grace alone

religious system based on teachings of Mary Baker Eddy emphasizing spiritual healing

a monotheistic system of beliefs and practices based on the Old Testament and the teachings of Jesus as embodied in the New Testament and emphasizing the role of Jesus as savior

beliefs and practices of Conservative Jews

the act of executing by a method widespread in the ancient world; the victim's hands and feet are bound or nailed to a cross

chief lama and once ruler of Tibet

basic principles of the cosmos

denoting or governed by or relating to a bishop or bishops

a Christian sacrament commemorating the Last Supper by consecrating bread and wine

stresses the importance of personal conversion and faith as the means of salvation

a religious orientation advocating gnosis as the way to release a person's spiritual element; considered heresy by Christian churches

conforming to dietary laws

a religious sect founded in the United States in 1966

a body of religious and philosophical beliefs and cultural practices native to India and based on a caste system; it is characterized by a belief in reincarnation, by a belief in a supreme being of many forms and natures, by the view that opposing theories are aspects of one eternal truth, and by a desire for liberation from earthly evils

religion founded in the 6th century BC as a revolt against Hinduism; emphasizes asceticism and immortality and transmigration of the soul; denies existence of a perfect or supreme being

a teacher and prophet born in Bethlehem and active in Nazareth; his life and sermons form the basis for Christianity (circa 4 BC - AD 29)

a holy struggle by a Muslim for a moral or political goal

the monotheistic religion of the Jews having its spiritual and ethical principles embodied chiefly in the Torah and in the Talmud

worship of Krishna the 8th avatar of Vishnu

(New Testament) day at the end of time following Armageddon when God will decree the fates of all individual humans according to the good and evil of their earthly lives

teachings of Martin Luther emphasizing the cardinal doctrine of justification by faith alone

one of two great schools of Buddhist doctrine emphasizing a common search for universal salvation especially through faith alone; the dominant religion of China and Tibet and Japan

the mother of Jesus

joint capital of Saudi Arabia

system of beliefs and practices including belief in scriptural authority; plain dress; adult baptism; foot washing; restriction of marriage to members of the group

the religious beliefs and practices of Methodists characterized by concern with social welfare and public morals

a group of person living under a religious rule

a male religious living in a cloister and devoting himself to contemplation and prayer and work

the doctrines and practices of the Mormon Church based on the Book of Mormon

(Old Testament) the Hebrew prophet who led the Israelites from Egypt across the Red sea on a journey known as the Exodus; Moses received the Ten Commandments from God on Mount Sinai

the Arab prophet who, according to Islam, was the last messenger of Allah (570-632)

a believer in or follower of Islam

a woman religious

beliefs and practices of a Judaic sect that strictly observes Mosaic law

the principles and practices of Pentecostal religious groups

the head of the Roman Catholic Church

the doctrines and practices of the Presbyterian Church: based in Calvinism

the theological system of any of the churches of western Christendom that separated from the Roman Catholic Church during the Reformation

the beliefs and practices characteristic of Puritans

a Christian sect founded by George Fox about 1660

the sacred writings of Islam revealed by God to the prophet Muhammad during his life at Mecca and Medina

the ninth month of the Islamic calendar

a religious cult based on a belief that Ras Tafari (Haile Selassie) is the Messiah and that Africa (especially Ethiopia) is the Promised Land

beliefs and practices of Reform Jews

the beliefs and practices of the Catholic Church based in Rome

a day of rest and worship: Sunday for most Christians

a person who has died and has been canonized

a Hindu sect worshiping Shakti

the code of law derived from the Koran and from the teachings and example of Mohammed

one of the two main branches of orthodox Islam

the ancient indigenous religion of Japan lacking formal dogma; characterized by a veneration of nature spirits and of ancestors

a Hindu sect worshiping Shiva

founder of Buddhism; worshipped as a god (c 563-483 BC)

the doctrines of a monotheistic religion founded in northern India in the 16th century by Guru Nanak and combining elements of Hinduism and Islam

Islamic mysticism

one of the two main branches of orthodox Islam

a council convened to discuss ecclesiastical business

the collection of ancient rabbinic writings on Jewish law and tradition (the Mishna and the Gemara) that constitute the basis of religious authority in Orthodox Judaism

philosophical system developed by Lao-tzu and Chuang-tzu advocating a simple honest life and noninterference with the course of natural events

the biblical commandments of Moses

one of two great schools of Buddhist doctrine emphasizing personal salvation through your own efforts; a conservative form of Buddhism that adheres to Pali scriptures and the non-theistic ideal of self purification to nirvana; the dominant religion of Sri Lanka (Ceylon) and Myanmar (Burma) and Thailand and Laos and Cambodia

a Buddhist doctrine that includes elements from India that are not Buddhist and elements of preexisting shamanism

(Judaism) the scroll of parchment on which the first five books of the Hebrew Scripture is written; is used in a synagogue during services

the Roman Catholic doctrine that the whole substance of the bread and the wine changes into the substance of the body and blood of Christ when consecrated in the Eucharist

Christian doctrine stressing belief in the Trinity

the union of the Father and Son and Holy Ghost in one Godhead

Christian doctrine that stresses individual freedom of belief and rejects the Trinity

belongs to lowest social and ritual class in India

(from the Sanskrit word for `knowledge') any of the most ancient sacred writings of Hinduism written in early Sanskrit; traditionally believed to comprise the Samhitas, the Brahmanas, the Aranyakas, and the Upanishads

the polytheistic nature religion of modern witchcraft whose central deity is a mother goddess; claims origins in pre-Christian pagan religions of western Europe

a name for the God of the Old Testament as transliterated from the Hebrew consonants YHVH

school of Mahayana Buddhism asserting that enlightenment can come through meditation and intuition rather than faith; China and Japan

system of religion founded in Persia in the 6th century BC by Zoroaster; set forth in the Zend-Avesta; based on concept of struggle between light (good) and dark (evil)