Religious Beliefs, REL-SER
Our religious beliefs can affect our lifestyle, our perceptions, and our way of relating to fellow human beings. Is there a higher power (or powers) that governs the universe and judges all of us? Does committing a mortal sin mean the death of a soul, or is there a chance for forgiveness? The answers to such questions differ widely across different religions.
Religious Beliefs Encyclopedia Articles By Title
religion, study of
study of religion, attempt to understand the various aspects of religion, especially through the use of other intellectual......
religions, classification of
classification of religions, the attempt to systematize and bring order to a vast range of knowledge about religious......
religionsgeschichtliche Schule
religionsgeschichtliche Schule, in the study of religion and particularly in the study of biblical literature,......
religious dress
religious dress, any attire, accoutrements, and markings used in religious rituals that may be corporate, domestic,......
religious experience
religious experience, specific experience such as wonder at the infinity of the cosmos, the sense of awe and mystery......
religious order
religious order, in Roman Catholicism, a group of men or women who have professed solemn vows to live together......
religious symbolism and iconography
religious symbolism and iconography, respectively, the basic and often complex artistic forms and gestures used......
religious syncretism
religious syncretism, the fusion of diverse religious beliefs and practices. Instances of religious syncretismâas,......
Ren
Ren, the foundational virtue of Confucianism. It characterizes the bearing and behaviour that a paradigmatic human......
Renaissance
Renaissance, period in European civilization immediately following the Middle Ages and conventionally held to have......
replacement theology
replacement theology, doctrine holding that Christians have replaced the Jewish people as the chosen people of......
responsa
responsa, (âquestions and answersâ), replies made by rabbinic scholars in answer to submitted questions about Jewish......
Rest in Peace? Not for These 7 Unlucky Individuals
Death is usually the end. For these seven people, things only got weirder after they died. list, death, corpse,......
resurrection
resurrection, the rising from the dead of a divine or human being who still retains their own personhood, or individuality,......
revelation
revelation, in religion, the disclosure of divine or sacred reality or purpose to humanity. In the religious view,......
reverend
reverend, the ordinary English prefix of written address to the names of ministers of most Christian denominations.......
revivalism
revivalism, generally, renewed religious fervour within a Christian group, church, or community, but primarily......
riddah
riddah, series of politico-religious uprisings in various parts of Arabia circa 632 ce during the caliphate of......
Rigveda
Rigveda, the oldest of the sacred books of Hinduism, composed in an ancient form of Sanskrit about 1500 bce, in......
rising sun
rising sun, in Egyptian religion, amulet conveying life and resurrection to its wearer. It was made in the shape......
rita
rita, in Indian religion and philosophy, the cosmic order mentioned in the Vedas, the ancient sacred scriptures......
rite of passage
rite of passage, ceremonial event, existing in all historically known societies, that marks the passage from one......
ritual
ritual, the performance of ceremonial acts prescribed by tradition or by sacerdotal decree. Ritual is a specific,......
ritual bath
ritual bath, religious or magic ceremony involving the use of water to immerse or anoint a subjectâs body. The......
roc
roc, gigantic legendary bird, said to carry off elephants and other large beasts for food. It is mentioned in the......
Rogation Days
Rogation Days, in the Roman Catholic Church, festival days devoted to special prayers for crops. They comprise......
Roman Catholic Saints
In Roman Catholicism and certain other Christian faith traditions, a saint is a holy person who is known for his......
Roman Catholicism
Roman Catholicism, Christian religion that has been the decisive spiritual force in the history of Western civilization.......
- Introduction
- Emergence, Beliefs, Practices
- Early Church, Sacraments, Doctrine
- Popular Christianity, Sacraments, Beliefs
- Crusades, Papacy, Doctrine
- Monasticism, Orders, Canons
- Scholasticism, Aquinas, Theology
- Babylonian Captivity, Papal Authority, Schism
- Reformation, Beliefs, Practices
- Reformation, Counter-Reformation, Church
- Reformation, Papacy, Doctrine
- Jansenism, Papal Authority, Grace
- Suppression, Jesuits, Papal
- Pius IX, Papal States, Syllabus Errorum
- Vatican II, Ecumenism, Liturgy
- Roman Catholicism in the United States and Canada
- Hierarchy, Sacraments, Doctrine
- Papal Authority, Medieval Church, Ancient Church
- Clergy, Sacraments, Doctrine
- Monasticism, Clergy, Laity
- Sacraments, Dogma, Liturgy
- Revelation, Dogma, Sacraments
- Dogmas, Doctrines, Beliefs
- Baptism, Sacraments, Faith
- Anointing, Healing, Sacrament
- Paraliturgical Devotions
- Liturgy, Scripture, Sacraments
- Church-State Relations
Roman religion
Roman religion, beliefs and practices of the inhabitants of the Italian peninsula from ancient times until the......
rosary
rosary, (from Latin rosarium, ârose gardenâ), religious exercise in which prayers are recited and counted on a......
Rosh Hashana
Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year holiday, is held every year from 1 to 10 Tishri (falling in September or October)......
Rosh Hashanah
Rosh Hashanah, a major two-day Jewish holiday now accepted as inaugurating the religious New Year on Tishri 1 (September......
rumspringa
rumspringa, a rite of passage and period of growth in adolescence for some Amish youths, during which time they......
Running of the Bulls
Every year from July 6 to July 14, the city of Pamplona in northeastern Spain holds a rollicking festival dedicated......
rusalka
rusalka, in Slavic mythology, lake-dwelling soul of a child who died unbaptized or of a virgin who was drowned......
Sabbatarianism
Sabbatarianism, doctrine of those Christians who believe that the Sabbath (usually on Sundays) should be observed......
Sabbath
Sabbath, (from shavat, âcease,â or âdesistâ), day of holiness and rest observed by Jews from sunset on Friday to......
Sabellianism
Sabellianism, Christian heresy that was a more developed and less naive form of Modalistic Monarchianism (see Monarchianism);......
sacrament
sacrament, religious sign or symbol, especially associated with Christian churches, in which a sacred or spiritual......
sacred
sacred, the power, being, or realm understood by religious persons to be at the core of existence and to have a......
Sacred clown
Sacred clown, ritual or ceremonial figure, in various preliterate and ancient cultures throughout the world, who......
Sacred Heart
Sacred Heart, in Roman Catholicism, the mystical-physical heart of Jesus as an object of devotion. In addition......
sacred kingship
sacred kingship, religious and political concept by which a ruler is seen as an incarnation, manifestation, mediator,......
Sacred Pipe
Sacred Pipe, one of the central ceremonial objects of the Northeast Indians and Plains Indians of North America,......
sacrifice
sacrifice, a religious rite in which an object is offered to a divinity in order to establish, maintain, or restore......
sacrilege
sacrilege, originally, the theft of something sacred; as early as the 1st century bc, however, the Latin term for......
sacristan
sacristan, a sexton (q.v.) or, more commonly, the officer of the church in charge of the sacristy and its contents,......
saddha
saddha, in Buddhism, the religious disposition of a Buddhist. The Theravada branch of Buddhism, which claims to......
sadhana
sadhana, (ârealizationâ), in Hindu and Buddhist Tantrism, spiritual exercise by which the practitioner evokes a......
sadhu and swami
sadhu and swami, in India, a religious ascetic or holy person. The class of sadhus includes renunciants of many......
saint
saint, a holy person who is believed to have a special relationship to the sacred as well as moral perfection or......
saints, communion of
communion of saints, in Christian theology, the fellowship of those united to Jesus Christ in baptism. The phrase......
saivo
saivo, one of the Sami regions of the dead, where the deceased, called saivoolmak, lead happy lives in the saivo......
sakkos
sakkos, outer liturgical vestment worn by bishops of the Eastern Orthodox church. It is a short, close-fitting......
salat
salat, the daily ritual prayer enjoined upon all Muslims as one of the five Pillars of Islam (arkÄn al-IslÄm).......
Salii
Salii, (Latin: âDancersâ), in ancient Italy, a priesthood usually associated with the worship of Mars, the god......
salvation
salvation, in religion, the deliverance of humankind from such fundamentally negative or disabling conditions as......
samadhi
samadhi, in Indian philosophy and religion, and particularly in Hinduism and Buddhism, the highest state of mental......
Samaritan
Samaritan, member of a community, now nearly extinct, that claims to be related by blood to those Israelites of......
Samhain
Samhain, in ancient Celtic religion, a festival marking the end of summer and beginning of winter. It has been......
Sammatīya
Sammatīya, ancient Buddhist school or group of schools in India that held a distinctive theory concerning the pudgala,......
sampo
sampo, mysterious object often referred to in the mythological songs of the Finns, most likely a cosmological pillar......
sampradaya
sampradaya, in Hinduism, a traditional school of religious teaching, transmitted from one teacher to another. From......
samsara
samsara, in Indian philosophy, the central conception of metempsychosis: the soul, finding itself awash in the......
samskara
samskara, any of the personal sacraments traditionally observed at every stage of a Hinduâs life, from the moment......
Samudra Manthana
Samudra Manthana, in Hinduism, one of the central events in the ever-continuing struggle between the devas (gods)......
samÄÊż
samÄÊż, (Arabic: âlisteningâ), the áčąĆ«fÄ« (Muslim mystic) practice of listening to music and chanting to reinforce......
sanatana dharma
sanatana dharma, in Hinduism, term used to denote the âeternalâ or absolute set of duties or religiously ordained......
sanctuary
sanctuary, in religion, a sacred place, set apart from the profane, ordinary world. Originally, sanctuaries were......
Sand painting
Sand painting, type of art that exists in highly developed forms among the Navajo and Pueblo Indians of the American......
sangha
sangha, Buddhist monastic order, traditionally composed of four groups: monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen. The......
sanhedrin
sanhedrin, any of several official Jewish councils in Palestine under Roman rule, to which various political, religious,......
sannyasi
sannyasi, in Hinduism, a religious ascetic who has renounced the world by performing his own funeral and abandoning......
SanterĂa
SanterĂa, the most common name given to a religious tradition of African origin that was developed in Cuba and......
Saracen
Saracen, in the Middle Ages, any personâArab, Turk, or otherâwho professed the religion of IslÄm. Earlier in the......
Sarcophagus
Sarcophagus, stone coffin. The original term is of doubtful meaning. Pliny explains that the word denotes a coffin......
Sarvastivada
Sarvastivada, a school of early Buddhism. A fundamental concept in Buddhist metaphysics is the assumption of the......
Satanism
Satanism, the worship or veneration of Satan, a figure from Christian belief who is also commonly known as the......
sati
sati, South Asian custom in which a wife immolates herself either on the funeral pyre of her dead husband or in......
Satnami sect
Satnami sect, any of several groups in India that have challenged political and religious authority by rallying......
Satori
Satori, in Zen Buddhism of Japan, the inner, intuitive experience of Enlightenment; Satori is said to be unexplainable,......
Satsaáč
g
Satsaáč
g, in Sikhism, âthe assembly of true believers,â a practice that dates back to the first GurĆ« of the religion,......
Saturnalia
Saturnalia, the most popular of Roman festivals. Dedicated to the Roman god Saturn, the festivalâs influence continues......
savora
savora, any of a group of 6th-century-ad Jewish scholars who determined the final internal form of the Babylonian......
sayyid
sayyid, (Arabic: âmaster,â or âlordâ), Arabic title of respect, sometimes restricted, as is the title sharÄ«f, to......
scapegoat
scapegoat, (âgoat for Azazelâ), in the Yom Kippur ritual described in the Torah (Leviticus 16:8â10), goat ritually......
scarab
scarab, in ancient Egyptian religion, important symbol in the form of the dung beetle (Scarabaeus sacer), which......
schism
schism, in Christianity, a break in the unity of the church. Opinions concerning the nature and consequences of......
scripture
scripture, the revered texts, or Holy Writ, of the worldâs religions. Scriptures comprise a large part of the literature......
sea serpent
sea serpent, mythological and legendary marine animal that traditionally resembles an enormous snake. The belief......
Second Coming
Second Coming, in Christianity, the future return of Christ in glory, when it is understood that he will set up......
secular institute
secular institute, in the Roman Catholic church, a society whose members attempt to attain Christian perfection......
seder
seder, religious meal served in Jewish homes on the 15th and 16th of the month of Nisan to commence the festival......
sefirot
sefirot, in the speculations of esoteric Jewish mysticism (Kabbala), the 10 emanations, or powers, by which God......
seide
seide, in Sami religion, idols of wood or stone, either natural or slightly shaped by human hands, worshipped as......
selihoth
selihoth, (âpardonsâ), in Jewish liturgy, penitential prayers originally composed for Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement)......
semi-Arianism
semi-Arianism, a 4th-century Trinitarian heresy in the Christian church. Though it modified the extreme position......
semi-Pelagianism
semi-Pelagianism, in 17th-century theological terminology, the doctrine of an anti-Augustinian movement that flourished......
Sephardi
Sephardi, member or descendant of the Jews who lived in Spain and Portugal from at least the later centuries of......
seraph
seraph, in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic literature, celestial being variously described as having two or three......