1b+HSC+Exam+Questions+&+Answers

= Religion & Non Religion Continued =

=Glossary =
 * < **Astrology** ||< I s based on the principal that the reading of the stars in conjunction with the time of birth to predict a person’s individual traits and anticipate the future course of their lives. The instrument used to determine these predictions is called a horoscope. ||
 * < **Crystals** ||< The belief that the mystical properties of crystals have a healing or energising power. ||
 * < Feng shui ||< I s the belief that the strategic placement of furniture and possessions can lead to greater harmony and well being in life. It originated in Taoism. ||
 * < **Magnetic field therapy** ||< Belief that magnets can invigorate and re-establish energy levels in the human body by utilising the meridians and poles of magnetic energy. ||
 * < New age religion ||< An umbrella term to cover a wide range of spiritual beliefs and practices aiming to foster individual fulfilment in the form of personal happiness, health and meaning in life. ||
 * < **Numerology** ||< Is the belief that certain numbers and patterns of numbers hold the key to understanding human existence. ||
 * < **Palmistry** ||< The belief that the study of the individual patterns of lines on a person’s hand can reveal that person’s future. ||
 * < **Secularism** ||< The belief that religion should not interfere with or be integrated into the public affairs of a society. The increasing pluralism and materialism of society alongside society’s increasing individualism and dissatisfaction with traditional religions are major reasons for secularisation. ||
 * < **Tai chi** ||< Is used by people as forms of gentle exercise, meditation and relaxation. It is believed that such use of tai chi will lead to a healthier more peaceful life. T ai chi however, in its pure form is part of the Tao religion; many people however practice it without reference to its broader religious context. ||
 * < **Tarot cards** ||< A fortune teller uses a set of cards to reveal deaths, misfortunes, virtues and vices about a particular individual. ||
 * < **Transcendental meditation** ||< is a technique of mediation that is believed to enable a person to move beyond or transcend their present existence to make contact with another plane of existence. ||
 * < **Yoga** ||< Is used by people as forms of gentle exercise, meditation and relaxation. It is believed that use of yoga will lead to a healthier more peaceful life. Yoga however, in its pure form is part of the Hindu r eligion; many people however practice it without reference to its broader religious context. ||

  =Glossary = 
 * < **Animism** ||< Doctrine of souls used by Sir Edward Burnett Tylor to posit the notion that all natural objects, whether they are animate or inanimate have a spirit or a soul that exists separately of its physical being. These spirits are believed to be responsible for the activities of the natural world. ||
 * < ****Caliph**** ||< The male successor of the Prophet Muhammad, who leads the Islamic community. ||
 * < **Crusades** ||< Religious military expeditions undertaken by European Christians, which took place between the 11 th and 13 th century CE. It began as a campaign to claim back the Holy Land from the Muslims. ||
 * < **Deism** ||< A form of monotheism that affirms the belief in the oneness of god but rejects the notion that god is an active agent in human history. ||
 * < ****Gentile**** ||< A non-Jewish person . ||
 * < **Great Schism** ||< The event which separated Christianity in 1054, into Western Christianity and Eastern Orthodoxy. ||
 * < **Hard polytheism** ||< Doctrine which conceptualizes the idea that each individual god is a distinct and separate entity from other gods. This doctrine can be contrasted with soft polytheism, which is the notion that whilst there are many gods, all these gods represent different facets of a single god or unitary reality. ||
 * < ****Jesus movement**** ||< Period within the early Christian community lasting from approximately 30 to 60 CE that saw itself as a sect within Judaism and is characterised by its eschatological vision, lack of infrastructure and gender inclusive nature. ||
 * < ****Jewish Diaspora**** ||< The community of Jews that live outside of Israel. ||
 * < **Mahayana Buddhism** ||< One of the major strands of Buddhism, distinguishable by its belief in universalism, compassion, enlightened wisdom and liberation (salvation). Found mainly in Japan, Korea, Mongolia, Tibet, Vietnam, and in some parts of India and Russia. Mahayana Buddhism can be contrasted to Theravada Buddhism, which is a more conservative form of Buddhism. ||
 * < **Monotheism** ||< Belief that there is only one god. ||
 * < **Original monotheism** ||< Term coined by Wilhelm Schmidt as a proposed theory of religion . Schmidt used this term to describe the idea of monotheism as being the first form of religion, which over time was replaced by polytheism. Schmidt argues that i t was only later that monotheism was revived. ||
 * < **Ottoman Empire** ||< Turkish Empire which existed from the end of the 13 th century to the end of World War 1. At the peak of its power, the Ottoman Empire stretched from Anatolia, to North Africa, to the Middle East and to south Eastern Europe. ||
 * < **Pantheism** ||< A particular variant of monotheism which states that the universe is equivalent to god. ||
 * < **Pantheon** ||< The gods of a particular religion or people. ||
 * < **Polytheism** ||< Belief in and worship of multiple gods or deities. ||
 * < **Reformation** ||< 16th century European movement which resulted in the split of Western Christianity, into two major camps, Catholicism and Protestantism. the Reformation was the result of attempts to reform the Roman Catholic Church. ||
 * < **Renaissance** ||< Cultural movement which began in 14th century Europe which witnessed the rediscovery of the writings of philosophers from classical antiquity, and resulted in a revival o f learning, art and science. ||
 * < **Shaman** ||< Priests who possess great spiritual powers and are given the task of undertaking rituals in animistic cultures. ||
 * < **Shiite Muslim** ||< A major branch of Islam which affirms the belief in Ali and his descendants as the legitimate heirs of Muhammad. They reject the legitimacy of the first three caliphs as the successors of Muhammad. ||
 * < **Smartha philosophy** ||< Philosophy upheld by a particular strand of Hinduism, that upholds the supremacy of the Vedas. One of the beliefs of Smartism is that the different deities, are in essence, one dimension or facet of a greater unitary reality, known as Brahman. ||
 * < **Soft polytheism** ||< Doctrine that asserts the belief in many gods, but r ejects the hard polytheistic notion that these gods are separate and distinct entities. S oft polytheists believe that these different gods represent facets of a single god or unitary reality. ||
 * < **Sunni Muslim** ||< A major branch of Islam which accepts the first four caliphs as the rightful and legitimate heirs of Muhammad. ||
 * < **Theravada Buddhism** ||< A more conservative strand of Buddhism, compared to Mahayana Buddhism which attempt s to teach the Buddha’s original and authentic ideas. The major centres of Theravada Buddhism are Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Sri Lanka and Thailand. ||
 * < **Ur-monotheism** ||< also known as original monotheism (see above). ||
 * < **Zionism** ||< Political movement and philosophy which is aimed at achieving the establishment of a Jewish home state in Israel. The land of Israel is important because the Jewish kingdom and nation grew out of the land of Israel, originally known as Canaan. ||
 * < **Zoroastrianism** ||< An ancient Persian religion founded by Zoroaster (also known as Zarathustra) . It is one of the earliest known monotheistic religions. Followers worship the god, Ahura Mazda who is involved in a constant cosmic struggle with an evil spirit. ||