World Religions Documents

. . . He who, being of weak faculties [abilities], develops the wisdom of the first path with a dull insight is reborn seven times at most; after seven rebirths in states of bliss he will make an end of misery: he who develops it with medium faculties and insight is a roamer; after two or three rebirths he will make an end of misery: he who develops it with keen faculties and insight takes root but once, only one human birth will he pass through and make an end of misery. . . .

Which belief system is described in this passage?

• Buddhism

• Christianity

• Islam

• Shinto

. . . Muslims, Christians, and Jews lived together in peace. Because several Christian and Jewish prophets, including Adam, Abraham, and Moses, are named in the Qur’an and because the Jewish Torah and Christian gospels are recognized as revelations from Allah, the Muslim rulers called Christians and Jews “people of the Book” and permitted them much religious and personal freedom. Jews, especially, enjoyed many liberties, and many Jews distinguished themselves in science, the arts, and government. Convivencia, a Spanish word meaning “living together,” helped make tenth-century al-Andalus the most civilized country in Europe. . . . —

What is the main idea of this passage?

• The Torah and the Bible were rejected in Muslim Spain.

• Arabs, Jews, and Christians shared houses and places of worship in Muslim Spain.

• Religious tolerance in Muslim Spain encouraged the growth of a rich and diverse culture.

• Spain was troubled by deep-rooted religious conflicts

• Jerusalem, by virtue of the number and diversity of people who have held it sacred, may be considered the most holy city in the world. To the Jewish people it is Ir Ha-Kodesh (the Holy City), the Biblical Zion, the City of David, the site of Solomon's Temple, and the eternal capital of the Israelite nation. To Christians it is where the young Jesus impressed the sages at the Jewish Temple, where he spent the last days of his ministry, and where the Last Supper, the Crucifixion and the Resurrection took place. Also greatly venerated by the Muslims, it is where the prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven. While highly charged with intense religious devotion and visited by countless pilgrims and sages, Jerusalem has also been ravaged by thirty centuries of warfare and strife. It is a place of beauty and divinity, mystery and paradox; a sacred site which no modern spiritual seeker should fail to experience.

What is one reason that Jerusalem is important to the Christians?

Jerusalem, by virtue of the number and diversity of people who have held it sacred, may be considered the most holy city in the world. To the Jewish people it is Ir Ha-Kodesh (the Holy City), the Biblical Zion, the City of David, the site of Solomon's Temple, and the eternal capital of the Israelite nation. To Christians it is where the young Jesus impressed the sages at the Jewish Temple, where he spent the last days of his ministry, and where the Last Supper, the Crucifixion and the Resurrection took place. Also greatly venerated by the Muslims, it is where the prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven. While highly charged with intense religious devotion and visited by countless pilgrims and sages, Jerusalem has also been ravaged by thirty centuries of warfare and strife. It is a place of beauty and divinity, mystery and paradox; a sacred site which no modern spiritual seeker should fail to experience.

For Christians, Jesus is a central figure. Who is the central figure for Muslims?

Muslims primarily worship in which of the following regions?

• North and South America

• Australia and Oceania

• North Africa, Southwest and Central Asia

• East Asia

Which of the following statements are true about the graph?

• Islam is the third largest religion
• Hinduism population is larger than Islam
• Christianity is not largely practiced
• Buddhism is the least practiced religion