Religious Beliefs, TOD-WHA
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
Today in HistoryâJanuary 13: The King, the Gold, the Kingdom in Revolt
âThat none from henceforth shall use to multiply gold or silver, nor use the craft of multiplication; and if any......
Today in HistoryâJanuary 9: The Trial of âJoan the Maidâ Begins
The only medieval trial recorded with painstaking accuracy began on this day in 1431, when 19-year-old Joan of......
Today in HistoryâMay 4: When Buddhist Scripture Was Written on 729 Giant Tablets
On this day in 1868, the Kuthodaw Pagoda in Mandalay, Myanmar, was completed. Inside and around it was a book unlike......
Today in HistoryâOctober 9: Roger Williams Banished for âNewe & Dangerous Opinionsâ
Today in 1635, the Massachusetts Bay Colony banished a dangerous, radical thinker. His crime? Preaching an idea......
tohorah
tohorah, in Judaism, the system of ritual purity practiced by Israel. Purity (tohorah) and uncleanness (tumÊŸah)......
Tonalpohualli
Tonalpohualli, 260-day sacred almanac of many ancient Mesoamerican cultures, including the Maya, Mixtec, and Aztec.......
tonsure
tonsure, in various religions, a ceremony of initiation in which hair is clipped from the head as part of the ritual......
Too Good to Rot? Saints with Incorrupt Bodies
If youâve ever explored a Roman Catholic basilica or cathedral in Europe, it is possible you may have encountered......
torii
torii, symbolic gateway marking the entrance to the sacred precincts of a ShintĆ shrine in Japan. The torii, which......
Tosafot
Tosafot, (Hebrew: âadditionsâ), critical remarks and notes on selective passages of the Talmud that were written......
Tosefta
Tosefta, (Aramaic: Supplement, or Addition), a collection of oral traditions related to Jewish oral law. In form......
Totem pole
Totem pole, carved and painted log, mounted vertically, constructed by the Native Americans of the Northwest Coast......
Totemism
Totemism, system of belief in which humans are said to have kinship or a mystical relationship with a spirit-being,......
tradition criticism
tradition criticism, in the study of biblical literature, method of criticism of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament)......
traditional Latin mass
The traditional Latin mass is the Roman Catholic liturgical rite that was promulgated by Pope Pius V in 1570 and......
traditionalist Catholicism
In 2026 the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX), a Roman Catholic priestly society with about half a million adherentsâin......
Transcendental Meditation
Transcendental Meditation, technique of meditation in which practitioners mentally repeat a special Sanskrit word......
Transfiguration
Transfiguration, in the New Testament, the occasion upon which Jesus Christ took three of his disciples, Peter,......
Transfiguration, Feast of the
Feast of the Transfiguration, Christian commemoration of the occasion upon which Jesus Christ took three of his......
transubstantiation
transubstantiation, in Christianity, the change by which the substance (though not the appearance) of the bread......
Tree of life
Tree of life, a widespread archetype common to many religions, mythologies, and folktales. The tree of life is......
trikaya
trikaya, (Sanskrit: âthree bodiesâ), in MahÄyÄna Buddhism, the concept of the three bodies, or modes of being,......
Trinity
Trinity, in Christian doctrine, the unity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as three persons in one Godhead. The......
Triratna
Triratna, in Buddhism the Triratna comprises the Buddha, the dharma (doctrine, or teaching), and the sangha (the......
triregnum
triregnum, triple crown that was either worn by or carried in front of the popeâthe leader of the Roman Catholic......
trisvabhava
trisvabhava, in Buddhism, the states of the real existence that appear to a person according to his stage of understanding.......
triumph
triumph, a ritual procession that was the highest honour bestowed upon a victorious general in the ancient Roman......
triĆikáčŁÄ
triĆikáčŁÄ, in Buddhism, the three types of learning required of those who seek to attain enlightenment. The threefold......
trusteeism
trusteeism, in Roman Catholicism, a controversy concerning lay control of parish administration in the late 18th......
tsumi
tsumi, in the ShintĆ religion of Japan, a state of defilement or impurity resulting from the commission of unnatural......
Tu BiShvat
Tu BiShvat, minor Jewish festival considered to be the new year of trees. It occurs on the 15th of Shevaáč (falling......
Tu bâAv
Tu bâAv, minor Jewish holiday popularly associated with love and marriage. It falls on the 15th day, a full moon......
Tuatha DĂ© Danann
Tuatha DĂ© Danann, (Gaelic: âPeople of the Goddess Danuâ), in Celtic mythology, a race inhabiting Ireland before......
two natures of Christ
two natures of Christ, in Christianity, the doctrine stating that Jesus, through the Incarnation, became fully......
Types of Yoga
Yoga is the ancient Indian philosophy of uniting the mind and body for the goal of spiritual release. What exactly......
tzaddiq
tzaddiq, one who embodies the religious ideals of Judaism. In the Bible, a tzaddiq is a just or righteous man (Genesis......
Táșżt
Táșżt, celebration of the Lunar New Year in Vietnam. The holiday likely has its origins in the observance of the......
U Thong style
U Thong style, one of the canonical styles for Buddha icons developed in Thailand (Siam) in the southern capital......
Ugadi
Ugadi, Hindu festival celebrating the new year in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Karnataka.......
ujigami
ujigami, in the ShintĆ religion of Japan, the tutelary deity of a village or geographic area. The meaning of ujigami......
Uli figure
Uli figure, wooden statue of a type carved in the villages of northern and central New Ireland, Papua New Guinea,......
Ultramontanism
Ultramontanism, (from Medieval Latin ultramontanus, âbeyond the mountainsâ), in Roman Catholicism, a strong emphasis......
undine
undine, mythological figure of European tradition, a water nymph who becomes human when she falls in love with......
unicorn
unicorn, mythological animal resembling a horse or a goat with a single horn on its forehead. The unicorn appeared......
Unitarianism and Universalism
Unitarianism and Universalism, liberal religious movements that have merged in the United States. In previous centuries......
Universalism
Universalism, belief in the salvation of all souls. Although Universalism has appeared at various times in Christian......
upanayana
upanayana, Hindu ritual of initiation, restricted to the three upper varnas, or social classes, that marks the......
upasaka
upasaka, lay devotee of the Gautama Buddha. The term correctly refers to any Buddhist who is not a member of a......
upasampada
upasampada, Buddhist rite of higher ordination, by which a novice becomes a monk, or bhikhu (Pali: bhikkhu; Sanskrit:......
uposatha
uposatha, fortnightly meetings of the Buddhist monastic assembly, at the times of the full moon and the new moon,......
ushabti figure
ushabti figure, any of the small statuettes made of wood, stone, or faience that are often found in large numbers......
ushpizin
ushpizin, (Aramaic: âvisitorsâ), according to the Jewish Kabbalistic book the Sefer ha-zohar (âBook of Splendourâ),......
uáčŁĆ«l al-fiqh
uáčŁĆ«l al-fiqh, the sources of Islamic law and the discipline dedicated to elucidating them and their relationship......
vahana
vahana, in Hindu mythology, the creature that serves as the vehicle, or âcarrier,â and as the sign of a particular......
Vaikhanasa
Vaikhanasa, member of a South Indian minority group within Vaishnavism, a form of Hinduism characterized by devotion......
Vailala Madness
Vailala Madness, cargo cult of the Papua area (now Papua New Guinea) that began in 1919. This movement was based......
vairagin
vairagin, in Hinduism, a religious ascetic who worships principally one or another form of the god Vishnu. Vairagins......
Vaishnava-Sahajiya
Vaishnava-Sahajiya, member of an esoteric Hindu movement centred in Bengal that sought religious experience through......
Vaishnavism
Vaishnavism, one of the major forms of modern Hinduism, characterized by devotion to the god Vishnu and his incarnations......
vajra
vajra, five-pronged ritual object extensively employed in Tibetan Buddhist ceremonies. It is the symbol of the......
Vajrayana
Vajrayana, form of Tantric Buddhism that developed in India and neighbouring countries, notably Tibet. Vajrayana,......
Vallabhacharya
Vallabhacharya, school of Hinduism prominent among the merchant class of northern and western India. Its members......
vampire
vampire, in popular legend, a creature, often fanged, that preys upon humans, generally by consuming their blood.......
Vasant Panchami
Vasant Panchami, Hindu festival that celebrates the onset of spring in India. The term vasant means âspringâ in......
vassa
vassa, the Buddhist monastic retreat observed primarily in Buddhist communities in Southeast Asia during the three-month......
vaáčsa
vaáčsa, particular class of Buddhist literature that in many ways resembles conventional Western histories. The......
Veda
Veda, a collection of poems or hymns composed in archaic Sanskrit by Indo-European-speaking peoples who lived in......
Vedic chant
Vedic chant, religious chant of India, the expression of hymns from the Vedas, the ancient scriptures of Hinduism.......
Vedic religion
Vedic religion, the religion of the ancient Indo-European-speaking peoples who entered India about 1500 bce from......
velÄyat-e faqÄ«h
velÄyat-e faqÄ«h, concept in Twelver ShiÊżi Islamic thought stating, in its most general form, that a ShiÊżi faqÄ«h......
venerable
venerable, title or respectful form of address, used from early times in Europe, especially for certain clergy......
venial sin
venial sin, in Roman Catholic theology, a sin that is relatively slight or that is committed without full reflection......
Vesak
Vesak, a festival of utmost significance in Buddhism, particularly in Theravada Buddhism, that commemorates the......
vespers
vespers, evening prayer of thanksgiving and praise in Roman Catholic and certain other Christian liturgies. Vespers......
Vestal Virgins
Vestal Virgins, in Roman religion, six priestesses, representing the daughters of the royal house, who tended the......
vicar
vicar, (from Latin vicarius, âsubstituteâ), an official acting in some special way for a superior, primarily an......
Vijayadashami
Vijayadashami, final day of the 10-day Indian festival Durga Puja, which celebrates the descent of goddess Durga......
vijñapti-karman
vijñapti-karman, (Sanskrit: âmanifest activityâ), in Buddhist philosophy, a kind of action that manifests itself......
Virgin Birth
Virgin Birth, doctrine of traditional Christianity that Jesus Christ had no natural father but was conceived by......
Virgin Mary, Presentation of the
Presentation of the Virgin Mary, feast celebrated in the Roman Catholic and Eastern churches on November 21. It......
Virtue
Virtue, in philosophy, the conformity of life and conduct with the principles of morality. (Read Peter Singerâs......
Vishu
Vishu, spring festival observed by Malayali Hindus in Kerala and in adjacent areas of Tamil Nadu, India. Vishu......
Vision quest
Vision quest, supernatural experience in which an individual seeks to interact with a guardian spirit, usually......
Vodou
Vodou, a traditional Afro-Haitian religion. Vodou represents a syncretism of the West African Vodun religion and......
vodyanoy
vodyanoy, in Slavic mythology, the water spirit. The vodyanoy is essentially an evil and vindictive spirit, a bogeyman......
voladores, juego de los
juego de los voladores, (Spanish: âgame of the fliersâ), ritual dance of Mexico, possibly originating among the......
vorĆĄud
vorĆĄud, among the Finno-Ugric Udmurt (Votyak) people, a family spirit, literally âluck protectorâ; the term also......
vow
vow, sacred voluntary promise to dedicate oneself or members of oneâs family or community to a special obligation......
vratya
vratya, wandering ascetic, member of either an ethnic group or a sect, located principally in the Magadha (Bihar)......
vÀki
vÀki, supernatural power believed by the Baltic Finns to reside in those natural sites, objects, and animals that......
vĂšvĂš
vĂšvĂš, in Haitian Vodou, geometrical drawings that represent the lwa (spirits). The production of vĂšvĂš is a tradition......
Wakan
Wakan, among various American Indian groups, a great spiritual power of supernatural origin belonging to some natural......
wake
wake, watch or vigil held over the body of a dead person before burial and sometimes accompanied by festivity;......
Walpurgis Night
Walpurgis Night, a traditional holiday celebrated on April 30 in northern Europe and Scandinavia. In Sweden typical......
wandering bishop
wandering bishop, in Christianity, a bishop without authority or without recognition in any major Christian church.......
waqf
waqf, in Islamic law, a charitable endowment held in trust. In the formal process of establishing a waqf, the donor......
Watch Night
Watch Night, Christian religious service held on New Yearâs Eve and associated, in many African American churches,......
Western Indian bronze
Western Indian bronze, any of a style of metal sculpture that flourished in India during the 6th to the 12th century......
What Do Cardinals and Popes Wear?
Representing centuries of ecclesiastical tradition, the religious dress worn by clergy and consecrated religious......
What Does the Catholic Church Say About Immigration?
In November 2025 a group of Roman Catholics gathered outside a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention......