APHuG Ch.6 Religions Vocabulary

Animism, e.g. The Yoruba of Nigeria believe that all things have a life force, thus they are animists.

A type of religion in which spirits play an important role in regulating daily life. Practitioners believe that spirits are present in animals, plants, and other natural forces, and also take the form of souls of their ancestors.

Cosmogony, eg., According to Taoism (Daoism) the universe is made of two forces, Yin and Yang to achieve balance.

A set of religious beliefs concerning the origin of the universe.

Religion, e.g., Islam

A system of beliefs shared by a group with objects for devotion, rituals for worship and a code of ethics

Mormonism

A term used to describe religious, ideological, and cultural aspects of the various denominations of the Latter Day Saint movement. It is practiced around the world, but is concentrated in Utah. Founders, Joseph Smith and Brigham Young

Religious Exclave, e.g., the Dearborn, MI Muslims

An area of religious prevalence surrounded by the prevalence of another faith.

Religious Enclave, e.g., although Britain is largely Protestant, the Irish Catholics maintain an important minority

An area where a religion maintains an important minority. A Christian Church in India

Solstice, eg., A major holiday in some pagan religions is the winter solstice, December 21 or 22 in the Northern Hemisphere. (shortest day, longest night of the year)

An astronomical event that happens twice each year, when the tilt of the Earth's axis is most inclined toward or away from the Sun, causing the Sun's apparent position in the sky to reach it most northernmost or southernmost extreme, and resulting i the shortest and longest days of the year.

Secularism, e.g, US Government

An indifference to religion and a belief that religion should be excluded from civic affairs and public education.

Missionary, eg., Mormons actively participate in missionary causes as part of their teachings from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

An individual who helps to diffuse a universalizing religion.

Landscapes of the dead, e.g., cemetery

The certain areas where people have commonly been buried

Caste, eg., The Brahman are considered to be of high caste

The class or distinct hereditary order into which a Hindu is assigned, according to religious law

Sacred Space, e.g., mosque

The place where religious figures and congregations meet to perform religious ceremonies.

Religious Cultural Hearth, e.g., Mecca

The point of origin for a religion. For example, Southern Saudi Arabia around Mecca for Islam, Jerusalem/Bethlehem for Christianity and Northeast India for Buddhism.

Branch of a religion, e.g, Roman Catholicism

a large and fundamental division within a religion, such as Sunni and Shia

Shiite, e.g, the smaller branch of Islam, 16% of all Muslims

a member of the branch of Islam that regards Ali as the legitimate successor to Mohammed and rejects the first three caliphs

Theocracy, e.g, Iran (pictured)

a system of government in which priests rule in the name of God or a god.

Shamanism, e.g., Tuvan Shamanism

an animistic religion of northern Asia and parts of North America having the belief that the mediation between the visible and the spirit worlds is effected by shamans

Interfaith Boundaries, e.g., The Bosphorus strait between Turkey and Europe provides the interfaith boundary for Islam and Christianity

boundaries between the world's major faiths

Religious Conflict, e.g., intifada

intolerance against another's religious beliefs or practices, usually resulting in war, i.e. Israel-Palestine, Roman Takeovers, Muslim conquests, and the Crusades

Religious Toponymy, e.g., St. Paul, MN

names for places that are derived from religions

Tribal Religion, e.g, Yoruba tribal religion

special forms of ethnic religions distinguished by their small size, unique identity with localized culture groups not absorbed into modern society, and close ties to nature

Sharia Law, e.g., the Law which governs Yemen

the code of law derived from the Koran and from the teachings and example of Mohammed

Hinduism, e.g., Hinduism is polymorphic monotheistic.

the modern name for the major ethnic religion of India

Pilgrimage, e.g., the Hajj

A journey to a place considered sacred for religious purposes.

Fundamentalism, eg., On Fridays fundamentalist Catholics will only eat fish, if they chose to eat meat and will take communion at Mass. (2nd example)

(same as other) Literal interpretation and strict adherence to basic principles of a religion (or a religious branch, denomination, or sect).

Branch of religion, e.g., The Catholic Church is a branch of the religion of Christianity

A large and fundamental division within a religion

Judaism, e.g., the original religion of the Jewish ethnicity

A religion with a belief in one god. It originated with Abraham and the Hebrew people. Yahweh was responsible for the world and everything within it. They preserved their early history in the Old Testament.

Muslim Population, e.g, India has one of the highest Muslim Populations on Earth

1.3 billion people, predominant religion in the Middle East, half of of those people live in Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and India

Taoism, e.g., a philosophy-religion (like Buddhism and Confucianism) primarily practiced in China (also referred to as Daoism)

A Chinese philosophy in which people live a simple life in harmony with nature. "The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step." -Lao Tzu

Sikhism, e.g, the monotheistic Punjabi faith

A belief system which blends Hindu traditions with Islamic monotheistic traditions. Based in India and Pakistan.

Syncretism, e.g, the blending of Shinto and Buddhism

A blending of two or more religious traditions

Sunni, e.g, 83% of Muslims are Sunni

A branch of Islam whose members acknowledge the first four caliphs as the rightful successors of Muhammad.

Denomination, e.g. One branch of Protestantism is Methodism

A division of a branch that unites a number of local congregations in a single legal and administrative body.

Pagan, eg., The ancient Greeks believed in the power and worshipping to the Olympians, such as Zeus and Athena

A follower of a polytheistic religion, such as the Greeks and Romans, who had multiple gods with human forms. The term is currently used to refer to beliefs that originated with religions that predate Christianity and Islam.

Buddhism, e.g., Jan believes that she reincarnates until she achieves perfect wisdom, thus she is a Buddhist

A major religion that emerged in the 500s BC. This religion urged people to seek enlightenment through meditation and its founder was Siddhartha Gautama. He taught through the followings of the Eightfold Path (which he describes as right views, right aspirations, right speech, right conduct, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right contemplation).

Friar, eg., In Romeo and Juliet, Friar Lawrence is a man of science but is also part of the catholic religious order.

A member of any of certain religious orders of men, especially the four mendicant orders of Catholicism (Augustinians, Carmelites, Dominicans, and Franciscans).

Islam, e.g, the most recent of the three Abrahamic religions

A monotheistic religion based on the belief that there is one God, Allah, and that Muhammad was Allah's prophet. This religion's hearth is the ancient city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Muhammad.

Christianity, e.g., Christianity differs from Islam and Judaism because they believe that Jesus is God.

A monotheistic system of beliefs and practices based on the Old Testament and the teachings of Jesus as embodied in the New Testament and emphasizing the role of Jesus as savior. This religion, includes the Catholic, Protestant, and Eastern Orthodox churches.

Zionism, e.g., Since Ethan was a Zionist, he moved to Israel (pictured: a Jewish settlement in Palestine)

A movement founded in the 1890s to promote the establishment of a Jewish homeland in Palestine.

Confucianism, e.g., "It is easy to hate and it is difficult to love. This is how the whole scheme of things works. All good things are difficult to achieve; and bad things are very easy to get." -Confucius

A philosophy that adheres to the teachings of a Chinese philosopher. It shows the way to ensure a stable government and an orderly society in the present world and stresses a moral code of conduct. This belief system is syncretic, it can be blended with other faiths.

Hajj, e.g., In order to fulfill the fifth pillar of Islam, Samir went on the hajj. (multiple spellings of this term exist)

A pilgrimage to Mecca, performed as a duty by Muslims as part of the 5 Pillars of Faith.

Sect, e.g., Jehovah Witness & Seventh Day Adventists are just two examples of Christian Sects.

A relatively small group that has broken away from an established denomination.

Hierarchical Religion, eg., Roman Catholicism is structured with the Pope as the highest authority with graduating levels of authority below.

A religion in which a central authority exercise a high degree of control.

Proselytic religion, e.g, Christianity

A religion that actively seeks converts an has the goal of converting humankind

Universalizing Religion, e.g., Christianity

A religion that attempts to appeal to all people, not just those living in a particular location.

Jainism, e.g., Mr. Mitra believes in Hinduism but also in nonviolence to all living things, thus he is a Jainist.

A religion that branched off from Hinduism and was founded by Mahavira; its belief is that everything has a soul, and its purpose was to cleanse the soul. Some were extreme aesthetics.

Autonomous Religion, e.g., Gateway Church in Southlake, TX is a nondenominational church

A religion that does not have a central authority but shares ideas and cooperates informally

Ethnic Religion, e.g., Hinduism is very specific to the Indian region and people, and thus is an ethnic religion.

A religion that is particular to one, culturally distinct, group of people. Unlike universalizing religions, adherents of this type of religion do not actively seek converts through evangelism or missionary work. Religious holidays are often based on seasonal, rather than historical, events.

Humanism, eg., Kurt Vonnegut, author of Harrison Bergeron, Slaughterhouse Five, etc... was a famous humanist

An outlook or system of thought attaching prime importance to humans rather than divine or supernatural matters. Humanist beliefs stress the potential value and goodness of human beings, emphasize common human needs, and seek solely rational ways of solving human problems.

monotheism, e.g., Islam

Belief in one God.

Polytheism, e.g., Greek Paganism

Belief in or worship of more than one god.

Atheism, e.g., Benjamin Franklin , founding father of the United States was a well known atheist

Belief that God does NOT exist

Agnosticism, e.g., Charlie Chaplin the famous silent screen actor was known for his agnostic beliefs

Belief that nothing can be known about whether God exists

Reincarnation, e.g., Jan is a Buddhist, thus she believes in reincarnation

Belief that the individual soul is reborn in a different form after death

religious architecture, e.g., Wren's St. Paul Cathedral

Christians: early churches modeled after roman basilicas. Muslims: mosques organized around central courtyard. Hindus: temples have small dimly lit interior room where shrines rest, sometimes pool for ritual baths. Buddhists & Shintoists: tall towers in series of tiers, balconies, and slanting roofs

Ghetto, eg., During history Jews have been forced into Ghettos, especially by the Nazis during WWII.

During the Middle Ages, a neighborhood in a city set up by law to be inhabited only by Jews; now used to denote a section of a city in which members of any minority group live because of social, legal, or economic pressure.

Evangelical, e.g., Mark evangelized throughout Egypt, contributing to the growth of Christianity

Emphasizing the authority of scripture; an adjective used to identify certain Protestant groups

Fundamentalism, e.g., Saudi Arabia is very fundamentalist, it follows Sharia Law precisely

Literal interpretation and strict adherence to basic principles of a religion (or a religious branch, denomination, or sect).

Zoroastrianism, e.g, the ethnic religion of Iran

Persian religion founded by Zoroaster; taught that humans had the freedom to choose between right and wrong, and that goodness would triumph in the end

Shintoism, e.g., the ethnic religion of Japan

Religion located in Japan and related to Buddhism. Shintoism focuses particularly on nature and ancestor worship.