Founders & Origins
This prince left his palace to seek an end to dukkha (suffering), a journey that led to his enlightenment under a Bodhi tree.
Who is Siddhartha Gautama?
This is the collective name for the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, also known as the "Five Books of Moses.
What is the Torah?
This is the specific name for the mandatory almsgiving or charity in Islam, one of the Five Pillars.
What is Zakat?
This T-shaped cross with a loop at the top is an ancient Egyptian symbol for "life," later used by Coptic Christians.
What is an Ankh?
This Greek term refers to the "scattering" of the Jewish people away from their ancestral homeland.
What is the Diaspora?
This term describes the 16th-century movement in Western Christianity that challenged the Pope's authority and led to the creation of the Lutheran and Reformed churches.
What is the Protestant Reformation?
This "Oral Torah" is a massive collection of Jewish law and tradition, consisting of the Mishnah and the Gemara.
What is the Talmud?
In Hinduism, this term refers to one's "duty" or "righteous path" in life based on their station and stage of life
What is Dharma
This "niche" in the wall of a mosque indicates the Qibla, or the direction of Mecca for prayer.
What is a Mihrab?
This is the theological term for the belief that God knows all things—past, present, and future.
What is Omniscience?
In Islam, this year marks the Hijra—the Prophet Muhammad's migration from Mecca to Medina, which also marks the start of the Islamic calendar.
What is 622 CE?
This Buddhist "Triple Basket" is the standard collection of scriptures in the Theravada tradition, written in the Pali language.
What is the Pali Canon (or Tripitaka)?
This Jewish ritual, occurring eight days after birth, symbolizes the covenant between God and the people of Israel.
What is Brit Milah (Circumcision)?
This nine-branched candelabra is used specifically during the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah.
What is a Hanukkiah (or Menorah)?
This 1054 AD event permanently split the Christian world into the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox branches.
What is the Great Schism (or East-West Schism)?
This group of "Rightly Guided" leaders took over the Islamic community immediately following the death of Muhammad.
Who are the Rashidun Caliphs?
This 700-verse Hindu scripture, part of the epic Mahabharata, features a dialogue between Prince Arjuna and the god Krishna.
What is the Bhagavad Gita?
In Roman Catholicism, these are the seven "outward signs of inward grace," including Confirmation and the Anointing of the Sick
What are the Sacraments?
This 8-spoked symbol represents the teachings of the Buddha and the path to ending suffering.
What is the Dharma Wheel (Dharmachakra)?
This mystical branch of Islam seeks a direct, personal experience of God through practices like poetry and "whirling."
What is Sufism?
This Persian prophet founded one of the world's oldest monotheistic religions, which deeply influenced Judaism's concepts of heaven, hell, and the final judgment.
Who is Zoroaster (or Zarathustra)?
These philosophical Hindu texts, meaning "to sit down near," explore the nature of reality and the relationship between Atman and Brahman.
: What are the Upanishads?
This Jain and Hindu principle of non-violence toward all living things is a core ethical practice
What is Ahimsa?
These "five Ks" (including uncut hair and a steel bracelet) are the outward symbols of faith for initiated members of this religion.
What is Sikhism?
This Hindu concept refers to the total liberation from the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth (Samsara).
What is Moksha?