This glossary contains definitions of some terms that are often used in discussions of religious beliefs and practices. Examples of their use may be found on other pages of this website.
Agnostic - An agnostic is a person who believes that the existence of gods or other supernatural beings can't be proved or disproved. Most agnostics also doubt that anyone can have ultimate knowledge about how or why the universe was created.
Ascetic - This is someone who practices self-denial for religious reasons. Most ascetics follow strict rules and live very austerely, often fasting or praying for long periods of time. Some live alone as hermits, and others take up residence in monasteries or convents.
Atheist - An atheist is an individual who denies the existence of gods or any other divine beings. Atheists often criticize religions on the grounds that they are illogical and contain weird beliefs. They are particularly critical of common religious concepts such as souls, salvation, revelation, prophecy, heaven and hell, supernatural spirits, and re-incarnation. Many atheists in the United States have strong anti-Christian feelings.
Crusades - The Crusades were a series of military campaigns undertaken by European Christians during the Middle Ages. The main purpose of the initial crusades was to capture the Holy Lands of the East from the Muslims, but many of the participants were also intent on plundering the conquered areas, and considerable loot were brought back to Europe. Other crusades were later waged against against Jews, Orthodox Christians, Mongols, and heretical sects such as Cathars, Hussites, and Waldensians.
Cult - A cult is a small religious group whose members have very unorthodox beliefs, customs, and practices. Such a group usually originates as a small sect within a major religion, but it may be based on distortions of the mainstream faith as well as weird elements of its own. Many cults are directed by one or two charismatic leaders who imagine themselves to be founders of an important new movement within the society. Members of doomsday cults believe that the world is about to be destroyed, or that civilization is about to collapse, but often think that they will be able to escape to a place of safety.
Devil's Mark - A Devil's Mark is an odd-looking mole, wart, or skin blemish that was used in attempts to identify witches during the period of the witch hunts. At that time many Christians believed that Satan put a special mark on the skin of witches as a sign of their loyalty to him. This mark was thought to be insensitive to pain. As a result, when the examiners of a suspected witch found an odd-looking mole or blemish on her body, they would would insert a long pin into it or touch it with a hot branding iron to test its sensitivity to pain. But regardless of the outcome of the test, the suspect would usually be tortured and then burned alive.
Devil Worship - Worship of the Devil is based on the belief that Satan is the real ruler of the world. Many people have noticed that evil individuals frequently come out ahead of good people, and they attribute this to the Devil's powers. Contrary to popular belief, most modern Wiccans do not worship Satan and doubt that he even exists.
Faith Healing - Faith healing is the supernatural curing of disease or infirmity through divine intervention. According to those who perform these cures, a very strong faith in God is required before it can take place. Prayer, meditation, and relics are sometimes used to assist the process. Many faith healers claim that they have cured people who came to them after modern medical techniques and practices had failed. But most skeptics and atheists believe that all purported faith healings are either imagined or faked.
Gods and Goddesses - These are divine beings of a supernatural nature that inhabit the invisible spiritual world, but have the power to affect what happens in the natural world. Usually considered to be immortal, many of them are feared and worshiped by humans. Although gods are spiritual beings, they can assume a material or physical form, and in some cases have appeared on the earth in the guise of a person or animal. They can interfere in human affairs and affect the course of history. In some belief systems, a single supreme god created the universe and controls everything that happens in it. Such a god may also provide laws and moral standards for humans to abide by, and act as the ultimate judge of an individual's behavior. The minor gods found in some religions may have less power. Atheists argue that gods and goddesses are imaginary beings that don't really exist.
Idolatry - Idolatry is the worship of a statue or other physical object as a god or goddess. This is expressly prohibited in some religions, even when the physical object is only used to represent a god. Attributing supernatural powers to any created object is also often prohibited.
Inquisition - The Inquisitions were church-led persecutions which were organized during the Middle Ages. Most of the persecutions were conducted by tribunals of the Catholic Church and carried out against suspected heretics. If necessary, torture was employed to obtain confessions, and the usual punishments included confiscation of the victim's property, imprisonment in dungeons, and execution.
Misogyny - Misogyny is hostility toward women. It usually takes the form of disdain of women and girls, expressions of hate and contempt, religious restrictions, the blaming of women for social problems, systematic persecution, and even physical punishment. Misogynistic statements can be found throughout the bible, and Christian misogyny was partly responsible for the torture and killing of thousands of suspected witches.
Missionary - This is a religious activist who tries to convert new people to a faith. Missionaries often play a major role in spreading a faith into a new country or region, and many church organizations in the United States have sent them to other parts of the world.
Myths - Myths are traditional stories of a religious nature that have usually been passed down from an earlier, more primitive stage of a society. Many of them try to describe the origin of the world, activities of gods and goddesses, and the early history of humankind. They often include magical or supernatural elements, and may use these as a way to teach a moral lesson. Atheists and agnostics usually see little difference between mythology and religion.
New Atheism - The New Atheists are a group of modern religious skeptics who have attracted attention because of their strong opposition to organized religions. Some of these individuals have published best-selling books that strongly condemn the influence of religion in the United States, and others have created websites that express atheistic views. One of their goals is to create a new public climate in which atheists can speak openly without fear of being condemned or persecuted.
Prosperity Gospel - This term is often applied to a Christian teaching that God will provide wealth and prosperity to people who have true faith and live according to his wishes. To many skeptics, this doctrine appears to contradict biblical passages such as Matthew 6:19-24 and Luke 6:24 in which Jesus warns against the accumulation of wealth.
Relic - A relic is the remains of a body part of a religious leader, prophet, or very holy person. Some relics purportedly have supernatural healing powers. But there is evidence that some well-known relics are fake.
Ritual - A ritual is a prescribed set of actions that have a spiritual meaning and purpose. Also called a rite, It is usually performed in a place of worship as part of a religious ceremony. The actions performed during a ritual may include chanting, dancing, setting fires, animal sacrifice, and manipulation of relics. Most rituals are used to show devotion to a god or goddess, to ask for spiritual help, or to mark an important milestone in an individual's life.
Sacred Scriptures - A scripture is a sacred writing or book thought to contain immutable truths, often in the form of divine revelations from a god or goddess. It may include stories, poems, prophecies, religious laws, and moral teachings. The major sacred writings of Hinduism are the ancient Vedas and Upanishads. The sacred book of Islam, known as the Quran, is believed to have come from Allah as a revelation to the Prophet Muhammad. The Hebrew bible, which contains the sacred scriptures of Judaism, includes the stories of Adam and Eve, Noah and the flood, and the Ten Commandments. The Christian bible incorporates most of the Hebrew bible, along with the gospels and other books of the New Testament. Followers of these religions have attempted to preserve their scriptures in their original form, but in some cases they may have been altered by unknown persons.
Sacrifice - Sacrifice is the ritual murder of an animal, or even a human being, in the expectation of gaining the favor of a deity. In many cases the sacrificed being is regarded as a substitute victim who is killed in place of a sinful person. Some sacrifices are an attempt to expiate the sins of all the people in a community or society.
Sect - A sect is a dissenting religious group that usually starts from within a major religion, but may eventually break away and become an independent body. Small sects with unusual beliefs and practices sometimes develop into weird cults. Orthodox followers of a religion may regard members of a sect as heretics, and this can lead to attempts to persecute or suppress the new movement. Sects have developed in all major world religions and in some cases have gained the support of millions of followers.
Skeptic - A skeptic is a person who is willing to question commonly-accepted beliefs. Skeptics tend to think for themselves rather than blindly accept what they are told. They usually reject beliefs that are based on faith or divine revelation.
Skepticism - Skepticism is doubt or disbelief about generally-held views or opinions. Most often the skeptical approach is applied to the areas of science, religion, and politics. An alternative spelling is scepticism.
Soul - A soul is the spiritual part of a person. In most societies it is believed to be immortal, which means that it continues to survive after the physical body dies. Depending on the belief system, after a soul leaves a dead body it may go to heaven or hell, or be re-incarnated in the body of a newborn human or animal. The soul of each living person is unique and forms the basis for their moral qualities.
Superstition - A superstition is an implausible or irrational belief that arises from awe, ignorance, and fear. Often they are attempts to explain what happens in nature as the workings of magic rather than physical laws. Many superstitions originated in the distant past, and they are usually associated with "primitive" societies. Well-known examples include taboos, belief in omens, and divination. Agnostics and atheists sometimes argue that most common religious beliefs are actually superstitions.
Witch - A witch is a woman who is suspected of worshipping the Devil, and of having supernatural powers that can be used for evil purposes. At one time it was believed that they could cast magic spells that would bring harm to other people. Because of this superstition, in the past many accused witches have been tortured and killed. Supposedly they could be identified by a special mark that the Devil placed on their bodies. Unfortunately, many of the old beliefs about witches have been transferred to modern Wiccans.
Witch Hunts - The witch hunts were large-scale searches for witches that took place in Christian countries during the 15th, 16th, and 17th centuries. The searches were carried out by both Protestants and Catholics, often under the direction of high-ranking church officials. Victims were sometimes put to death in mass public executions. The most common method of execution was to tie the suspected witch to a wooden post and burn her alive.
Worship - Worship is a religious act intended to show adoration and display devotion to a supernatural being, especially a god or goddess. Although it can be performed privately by a single person, it is usually part of an organized service directed by one or more leaders. Churches, synagogues, temples, and mosques are mainly built to serve as places of worship. The actions performed during a worship service may include singing, praying, meditation, and certain rituals. In many religions the worship of idols, evil spirits, and the Devil is forbidden.
Religious Tolerance - This is a very large and extensive general resource. It also has links to some specialized religious glossaries.
Wicca - This list contains definitions of some terms used by Wiccans.
Atheist Dictionary - The definitions in this dictionary reflect an atheist's view of religion.
Atheism Web Sites - These websites express an atheistic view of the world. For this reason, many of these sites are very critical of traditional organized religions.
Weird Religions - Strange beliefs are incorporated into most religions. The entries on this page describe some of the weirdest ideas, including evil spirits, the grim reaper, possession by demons, devil worship, mysterious powers of relics such as wood from the true cross, and the wandering Jew.
Religion - These are sites that disagree with the beliefs and practices of established religious groups, or that promote the beliefs of lesser-known groups. This category may also include the websites of skeptic and atheist organizations.
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