Academic Study of Religion

Question 1

Agnosticism

Answer 1

Taking no position on the existence or nonexistence of a God or gods

Question 2

Asceticism

Answer 2

voluntary self-denial to achieve a supernatural goal, such a mystical union; can include fasting, celibacy, and/or other disciplines of the flesh

Question 3

Belief

Answer 3

Something that is held to be true, but cannot be proven

Question 4

Canonization

Answer 4

Institutionalization process whereby something (person, place, object, law, text) is officially authorized as ‘sacred’ by a religion

Question 5

Clergy; cleric

Answer 5

ordained members of a religious institution (priests, monks, nuns, or other religious experts)

Question 6

Critical thinking

Answer 6

identifying assumptions and exploring their origins and implications

Question 7

Cult

Answer 7

devotion to a particular saint, god, object or text within a religion

Question 8

Ethics

Answer 8

principles of conduct governing human behavior often rooted in myth and described in terms of ‘good’ conduct and ‘evil’ conduct

Question 9

Exegesis

Answer 9

interpretation of sacred texts; sometimes symbolic or literal but is usually a combination of the two

Question 10

Hagiography

Answer 10

biography of a religious figure written by his/her followers’ a type of myth

Question 11

Laity; lay-people; lay-person

Answer 11

non-ordained members of a religion; believers

Question 12

Magic

Answer 12

producing changes in the natural world through supernatural means

Question 13

Meditation

Answer 13

ritual thought; typically geared to stopping the mind while remaining fully conscious; can be done by focusing the mind on a image or sound, or emptying the mind of thought altogether

Question 14

Monk / Nun

Answer 14

a cleric, who lives complete devotion to ultimate reality, set apart from other social obligations

Question 15

Mysticism

Answer 15

uniting one’s consciousness to the consciousness with ultimate reality; mystical union is often a goal of monks and nuns try to eliminate their own consciousness through the practices of meditation and asepticism

Question 16

Myth

Answer 16

sacred story about the supernatural

Question 17

Ordination

Answer 17

a ritual that bestows religious authority upon an individual

Question 18

Orthodox/Heterodox

Answer 18

Distinction used by members of religions to categorize sects
Orthodox: traditional; conservative; “straight belief”; tends to be orthoprax as well (practice oriented)
Heterodox: non-traditional; “different belief”; tend to be orthodox (faith oriented)

Question 19

Orthodox/Orthoprax

Answer 19

A distinction used by sociologists to categorize religions

Orthodox religion: emphasize the importance of faith; “straight belief”
Orthoprax religion: emphasize the importance of practice; “straight practice”

Question 20

Pilgrimage

Answer 20

A sacred journey; usually to places of mythological significance; reenacting myths

Question 21

Orthodox/Heterodox

Answer 21

distinction used by members of a religion to categorize sects
Orthodox: traditional; conservative; “straight belief”; usually a orthoprax religion
Heterodox: non-traditional ; “different belief”; usually a orthodox religion

Question 22

Orthodox/Orthoprax

Answer 22

distinction used by sociologists to categorize religions

Orthodox religion: emphasizes the importance of faith; “straight belief”
Orthoprax religion: emphasizes the importance of practice; “straight practice”

Question 23

Priest

Answer 23

a cleric that acts as a ritual technician; usually playing a role as a intercessor between the laity and supernatural being; they perform rituals for laity

Question 24

Relativism

Answer 24

the concept that the truths, values, and norms are different for different people depending on their economic, political, cultural, and religious backgrounds

Question 25

Relics

Answer 25

the body remains or personal belongings of a saint, typically understood to posses mystical or magical powers

Question 26

Religion

Answer 26

a system of myths, rituals, ethics, and art that helps construct and control reality for a community of believers

Question 27

Revelation

Answer 27

message for a supernatural being

Question 28

Ritual

Answer 28

a sacred act connecting human to supernatural; often re-enacting a myth

Question 29

Sacred

Answer 29

unique and powerful, determined by community of believers

Question 30

Sacrifice

Answer 30

offering to supernatural being in exchange for goods or services

Question 31

Saint

Answer 31

a person who embodies religious ideals and sacred power; frequently an object of worship or a recipient of prayers

Question 32

Sect

Answer 32

an institutional division within a religion; also called denomination

Question 33

Supernatural

Answer 33

beyond the visible, observable universe; transcending laws of nature

Question 34

Ultimate Reality

Answer 34

a supernatural being, truth, or force that is more real than the natural universe in which we live; for monotheistic religions it is God; for polytheistic religions it is more abstract than their gods