1/8/19

There are four basic Vedic texts in use by Hindus.

Give a brief description of each, including how many hymns are in each.

1. Rig-Veda: for recitation, 1,017 hymns
2. Sama-Veda: for chanting, 1,549 hymns
3. Yajur-Veda: for liturgy, 1,028
4. Atharva-Veda: named after a group of priests, 730 hymns

https://www.ancient.eu/The_Vedas/

Do some independent research, and in your own words
describe the practice of indulgences.
Why do you think this made Martin Luther object to indulgences?
Please note where your research led you.

Indulgences is when members of the Catholic church would pay or donate money to the church in order to get their loved ones out of purgatory. Since there was no way to know whether they were in purgatory or not, you had to take the priest's word for it and he would tell you how much you have to pay. Martin Luther objected this practice for a few reasons. First, there was no mention of purgatory in the Bible. But at this time, many people couldn't speak or read the language in which the Bible was written, because the Catholic church read from a Latin translation. Each person interpreted it however their priest did, because he was the only one educated in that language. Another reason he didn't agree with indulgences was because, like I said, they took the priest's word on how much they owe. There was a lot of corruption in the Catholic church at the time, and many priests just wanted money.

(no source, learned all in confirmation class ^^)

The Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca is called the Hajj.
Describe the details of the Hajj, and include a photo of a Hajj in your blog.

The Hajj happens during the last month of the Islamic year, and all Muslims are supposed to go at least once in their life unless they physically or financially can't. The Hajj is a trip to Mecca, a crucial city for the Islamic religion, located in Saudi Arabia. The Hajj is the fifth of the pillars of Islam. If someone is unable to take this trip, a relative or friend can be appointed to go in their place.

source: https://www.britannica.com/topic/hajj

picture: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/08/qatar-accuses-saudi-arabia-blocking-access-hajj-180818082236829.html