1. The first of the four basic Vedic texts in use today is Rig-Veda, and it is used for recitation. The second is the Sama-Veda, which is used for chanting. The third is Yajur-Veda, and its purpose is to be used in liturgies. The third and final text is Atharva-Veda, which is named after a group of priests, and is used for magical incantations.
2. Indulgences were used to forgive a major sin, or to "help" a person get into heaven from purgatory. Indulgences could be paid for, and also be given to a person if they do enough good deeds. Martin Luther rejected the idea of Indulgences, because he believed that only God could forgive a major sin, or let a person move on to heaven from purgatory. My research led me to various websites that were full of useless information, but I eventually stumbled upon a website with good information.
3. Hajj is a pilgrimage to the Holy city of Mecca that every adult muslim has to make within their life at least once. This pilgrimage is a crucial step in the Five Pillars of Islam. The pilgrimage starts when a muslim is around six miles away from the holy city. The person enters a state of holiness and puts on different clothes. Once the pilgrim enters Mecca, they walk several times around a shrine, kiss a black stone, pray twice, and then run several times between to provinces. The next step is to visit holy places outside of Mecca, and sacrifice an animal. Then, they throw seven stones at three pillars. Finally, the pilgrim returns to Mecca and does a farewell ritual.
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