We won't be tested on Mencius, Hsun Tzu, ren, or yi.
Know these vocabulary terms across different religions: sacred, profane, ascetic, mystical, secular, fundamentalism
Christianity
Note that Jewish society at the time of Jesus was under political oppression from the Roman Empire. The following concepts (probably derived from Zoroastrianism) had become part of Judaism: the afterlife, the coming of a Messiah, and the spiritual struggle of good and evil. Know the basics of Jesus' career: how he was preceded by John the Baptist, traveled and preached, modified Jews' understanding of the Law through his famous Sermon on the Mount, and was opposed by traditionalists like the Pharisees and Sadducees, leading to his crucifixion.
Understand the role of the Gospels of the New Testament, and which are called the synoptic Gospels due to their similarity (Matthew, Mark, Luk) and that John is different, far more conceptual and even mystical.
Paul was the major disseminator of Christianity throughtout the Mediterranean world and broadened Jesus' message to include Gentiles. Understand two major points that Paul set forth in the Book of Romans:
Abraham was an example of why Gentiles could now be part of the Jewish tradition, since he was a Gentile himself, chosen by God on the strength of his faith and obedience. Any Gentile could do the same.
Christians were not to participate in political struggles, like revolting against the Roman Empire.
Recognize that the split in the Roman Empire also led to a split between the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church; that the Catholic Church suffered from corruption and too much worldly power in the Middle Ages in Western Europe (including the sale of indulgences and charging pilgrims to see relics), leading to the Protestant Reformation begun by Martin Luther in Germany in 1517.
Have an idea which countries are predominantly Protestant (United States, England), Catholic (Spain, France, Italy, Latin America), and Eastern Orthodox (Greece, Russia, and the Middle Eastern Chrstian minorities, including Egypt and Ethiopia).
Islam
Know the Five Pillars of Islam
The Muslim creed: "There is no god by God, and Mohammed is His Prophet." (shahadah)
Prayer five times a day (salah)
regular giving of charity, or tithing (zakat)
fasting during the month of Ramadan (sawm)
Making a pilgrimage to Mecca (if possible) during one's life (Hajj)
Understand the many implications of the Muslim insistence on the Oneness of God; major violations (shirk) include:
idol worship and polytheism
elevating any human being (including any of the honored prophets from the Jewish tradition, Jesus, Mary, or Mohammed himself) to the place that only God should have
God being split in any way; Jesus cannot be considered hsi son, nor can God be seen as the Trinity of Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
This is of special interest to me because in my Western Culture and Values I'm writing a paper on how the West misrepresents Islam in literature like The Song of Roland, which has the Muslim ruler hate God and worship Mohammad and Apollo.
Know kufr as the sin of ingratitude and forgetfulness of God (its most severe form being atheism).
Mohammed lived from 570-632 CE. Know the basic outline of the life of Mohammed and the struggles of the early Muslims. Identify the flight from Mecca to Medina as the hejirah. The Muslim calendar begins with this event.
Understand the difference between Sunni and Shi'a Islam
Sunni, making up 85-90% of the world population of Muslims, is mainstream, traditionalist--supported practical caliphs not of Mohammed's descent; extremist group Al Queda is Sunni, according to Jeff Liss.
The Shi'a, making up 10-15% of the world population of Muslims, is the majority in Iran, Iraq, Bahrain, Azerbaijan. They believed in 'Ali and that his line should have succeeded as caliph; the line of Imams and the Messiah-like return of the Imam as Mahdi. (That's something I'd better review!) Shi'a centers on charismatic leadership and--even more than most of Islam--the fight against oppression. (Really?)
Confucianism/Taoism
Know the difference between yin and yang and how to identify pairs of principles or natural forces and be able to apply the same logic to pairs not listed here.
Yin: dark; in the shade Yang: light, in the sun
passive or yielding active or aggressive
female male
wet/cold/water dry/hot/fire
Understand that there are three aspects to Taoism: Literary Taoism (including the important text Dao De Jing by Lao Zi); an Organized Taoism with a hierarchy of priests and temples largely destroyed along with all religious life during the Cultural Revolution in mainland China; and Longevity Taoism, in which theories of qi circulation in the body and the basis of Chinese medcine sometims ventured into practices of black magic and alchemy to prolong life.
See Confucius as a figure who, instead of creating a tradition, tried to collect and promote preexisting classics and li (rituals) for the good of society. he emphasized the importance of society relationships such as ruler-subject, parent-child, husband-wife, older sibling-younger sibling, and the relationships between friends. This had a religious and spiritual element as well since children owed their parents filial piety and cared for them even after death (known as ancestor worship).
