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Jahannam:
A Muslim term for Hell -- the eternal
dwelling place after death for evil persons. |
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Janna:
A Muslim term for Paradise, which is similar to
the Christian concept of Heaven. |
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Jainism:
This is the oldest ascetic religious tradition.
It was founded in the sixth century BCE by Mahavira
(599-527 BCE). Its 4 million followers are located
mainly in India. They believe in karma, in reincarnation,
and in avoiding violence. Janists limit earthly
attachments. |
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JEDP:
See documentary hypothesis. |
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Jehovah:
A name for the God of the Hebrew Scriptures,
transliterated from YHWH. |
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Jehovah's
Witnesses: Originally a American Fundamentalist
Christian denomination organized by Charles Taze
Russell during the 1870s, it has since spread
worldwide. Members are expected to volunteer significant
amounts of time to proselytize in their communities
by going door-to-door. Their practice of pacifism
resulted in clashes with the American and Canadian
government during World War II. This resulted
in many court decisions that made major contributions
to the definition of religious freedom in the
two countries. Their German members were heavily
persecuted during the Nazi Holocaust; thousands
were exterminated. |
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Jerusalem:
The "holy city" in Israel. The Temple
of David and Temple of Solomon was located there;
Yeshua was crucified there. Muhammed was taken
up to Paradise from there. |
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Jesus:
The name, in English, of the founder of Christianity.
As a newborn, Jesus was given the name Yehoshua,
which means "God Salvation."
In 1st century Palestine, he was probably
known as Yeshua of Nazareth.
Yeshua is translated as Iesous in Greek,
Iesus in Latin, and Jesus in English.
Most Christians consider Jesus to be the second
person of the Trinity, along with God the Father
and the Holy Spirit. |
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Jesus
Only Movement: The belief that Jesus sequentially
took three forms. First, he was God; then he was
the Son; finally, he became the Holy Spirit. They
reject the concept of the Trinity as believed
by almost all other Christians. Synonym for "Oneness
theology." |
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Jewish
Star: (a.k.a. Star of David, Magen David, Shield
of David: A six-pointed symmetrical star
symbol of Judaism. |
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Jihad:
A striving for perfection, frequently used within
Islam. Usually, the term
refers to an internal struggle that a person has
with their imperfections. The term is also used
to refer to a defensive war. Some radical Fundamentalist
Muslims and the Western media often interpret
the term as a synonym for an aggressive "holy
war." |
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Jinn
(plural Jinni): A Muslim term which, according
to the Qur'an, refers to a species of invisible,
intelligent beings created by God who are different
from humans. They, along with humans, will be
judged in the future and attain either heaven
or hell, depending upon their good and bad deeds
on earth. Among some Muslims, some Jinni are viewed
as evil supernatural beings who can take either
human or animal form, and can possess humans. |
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Jnana:
A Sanskrit term used in Buddhism to refer to higher
knowledge and wisdom. |
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Judaism:
A world religion whose name comes from the
patriarch Judah. |
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Judaizers:
A term used in the Christian Scriptures to refer
to various Jewish Christian groups. |
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Jewish
Christianx: One part of the early Christian
movement who opposed Paul's teachings. They regarded
themselves to be a reform group within Judaism.
They followed Jewish laws concerning circumcision
and diet, regarded Jesus as a prophet who was
not divine, rejected the virgin
birth and tried to follow his teachings. |
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Judaism:
This is often regarded as the earliest monotheistic
religion. The Christian religion was founded by
Jews -- mainly by Yeshua of Nazareth (aka Jesus
Christ) and Paul of Tarsus. It currently has 20
million followers, and is the original Abrahamic
religions. The Roman army drove Jews out of Palestine
and scattered them throughout the known world.
Only in 1948 CE was a Jewish
state recreated in Israel. |
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Judaism,
Messianic: A conservative Christian religion
which blends Jewish tradition and ceremonies with
Fundamentalist Christian theological beliefs. |
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Jews,
Completed: A term used by conservative Christians
to refer to Jews who have embraced Messianic Judaism
-- a blend of Jewish tradition and ceremonies
with Fundamentalist Christian theological beliefs
about Jesus Christ, salvation, Heaven, Hell, etc.
Considered a derogatory term by most Jews who
hold to the historical Jewish faith. |
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Judges:
In the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) these
were political and religious leaders selected
for their leadership abilities, to lead the ancient
Hebrews in the era before they were ruled by kings. |
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Justification:
A Christian term that
refers to the forgiveness and total elimination
of a believer's sin on the grounds of Jesus' righteousness
and shed blood at his crucifixion. An individual
is "justified" when "they are
brought into right standing and into a right relationship
with" God. To most Protestants, this
is a direct action initiated by God on the individual.
Many also believe that, once a person is justified,
they are saved forever. To Roman Catholics, it
is a byproduct of the sacraments; one loses justification
by committing a mortal sin; one is able to regain
it through the sacraments. |
