RSSGlossary
Glossary of Terms: A
Acharya
Any spiritual leader or guide in Hinduism and Jainism; referred initially to the teacher who first taught a student sacred literature or the Veda, but later became an honorific term for a person of spiritual accomplishment or learning.
Adhan
"Announcement," the Muslim call to Friday public worship and to the five daily prayers; proclaimed by the muezzin from a minaret
Aga Khan
Title of imams (spiritual leaders) of the Nizari Ismailite sect of the Shiite Muslims
Ahmadiyah
Modern Islamic sect, founded in India in 1889 by Ghulam Ahmad; he claimed to be the mahdi (end of times figure); Claimed the Christian West is the Antichrist
Al-Aqsa Mosque
Famous mosque near the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem; visited by Muhammad during his Night Journey
Al-Azhar
Prominent university in Cairo; world center for Islamic and Arabic learning
Ali
Son-in-law of Muhammad and the fourth caliph (600-661 CE)
Alim
Commonly used singular form for ulama (law and theology)
Allah
Arabic for God; the one and only Islamic God
Amir
Lit. “commander”; Leader or nobleman; in religious usage, refers to Amir al-Muminin, “commander of the faithful”
Anabaptist
Member of a radical movement of the 16th-century Protestant Reformation; taught that adults should undergo a second baptism (which was a capital crime at the time); believed in the separation of the church and state
Anglican
From the Latin Anglicana ecclesia, “the English church”; faith and practices of the international Anglican Communion; known by different names, e.g., Episcopal Church in the U.S.
Animism
Concept that souls or spirits inhabit natural objects (such as rivers, streams, mountains, and plants); occurs in some sects of Hinduism and other religions.
Ankh
ancient Egyptian hieroglyph meaning "life," appearing as a cross with a loop at the top end
Anthropomorphism
Tendency to ascribe human characteristics or other human features to God
Apocalyptic
Type of religious view or writing which focuses on the end of the world; books of Daniel and Revelation are often seen as examples
Apologetics
Intellectual defense of the truth of the Christian religion; often uses theology and philosophy in justification
Apostasy
Total rejection of Christianity by a person who previously had belonged to and believed in the faith
Apostle
“Person sent” (Greek); one of the 12 disciples chosen by Jesus Christ; term also applied to others who converted after Jesus’ death, such as Paul
Apostles' Creed
Statement of faith used in Roman Catholic, Anglican, and some Protestant churches
Apostolic era
Period from Christ's resurrection until the death of the last apostle (c. 90)
Apostolic Succession
The theory of lineage of bishops extending in an unbroken line of authority all the way back to the first apostles
Arianism
Early Christian heresy, first proposed in the 4th century by Arius; affirms that Christ is not truly divine, but a created being
Arkan al-Islam
See Five Pillars
Arti
In Hinduism and Jainism, a ritual honoring a god or other person; the worshiper waves a lighted lamp in front of the honoree's image and chants a prayer.
Ashura
Islamic fast day on the tenth of the month Muharram; according to legend, the day on which Noah left the ark; Has different meanings among Sunni and Shiites.
Atonement
“Atonement”: process by which a person is reconciled with God; in Christianity, this is made possible through Christ’s death and resurrection
Audit
in Scientology, a form of counseling as a means of ridding oneself of "engrams" (mental aberrations)
Augsburg Confession
The 28 articles that constitute the basic confession of faith of the Lutheran churches, presented in Augsburg, Germany in 1530
Autocephalous
An Eastern Orthodox term designating the independence of one branch of the Orthodox community; an independent monastery
Avatar
"Descent" (Sanskrit); in Hinduism, the incarnation of a god in human or animal shape in order to overcome a particular evil in the world; term most often refers to the god Vishnu's ten different forms.
Awen
sacred symbol of many Druid (ancient Celtic) traditions, representing descending light ("Three Rays of Light" or "Three Pillars of Wisdom")
Ayatollah
"Sign of God," an honorific title conferred on leading Shiite religious scholars, especially in Iran and Iraq
Ayurvedic
class of writings about medicine and belonging to the Hindu sacred literature called "Upavedas"
