Academic Study of Religion Flashcards
Agnosticism
Taking no position on the existence or nonexistence of a God or gods
Asceticism
voluntary self-denial to achieve a supernatural goal, such a mystical union; can include fasting, celibacy, and/or other disciplines of the flesh
Belief
Something that is held to be true, but cannot be proven
Canonization
Institutionalization process whereby something (person, place, object, law, text) is officially authorized as ‘sacred’ by a religion
Clergy; cleric
ordained members of a religious institution (priests, monks, nuns, or other religious experts)
Critical thinking
identifying assumptions and exploring their origins and implications
Cult
devotion to a particular saint, god, object or text within a religion
Ethics
principles of conduct governing human behavior often rooted in myth and described in terms of ‘good’ conduct and ‘evil’ conduct
Exegesis
interpretation of sacred texts; sometimes symbolic or literal but is usually a combination of the two
Hagiography
biography of a religious figure written by his/her followers’ a type of myth
Laity; lay-people; lay-person
non-ordained members of a religion; believers
Magic
producing changes in the natural world through supernatural means
Meditation
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
Monk / Nun
a cleric, who lives complete devotion to ultimate reality, set apart from other social obligations
Mysticism
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
Myth
sacred story about the supernatural
Ordination
a ritual that bestows religious authority upon an individual
Orthodox/Heterodox
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)
Orthodox/Orthoprax
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”
Pilgrimage
A sacred journey; usually to places of mythological significance; reenacting myths
Orthodox/Heterodox
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
Orthodox/Orthoprax
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”
Priest
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
Relativism
the concept that the truths, values, and norms are different for different people depending on their economic, political, cultural, and religious backgrounds
Relics
the body remains or personal belongings of a saint, typically understood to posses mystical or magical powers
Religion
a system of myths, rituals, ethics, and art that helps construct and control reality for a community of believers
Revelation
message for a supernatural being
Ritual
a sacred act connecting human to supernatural; often re-enacting a myth
Sacred
unique and powerful, determined by community of believers
Sacrifice
offering to supernatural being in exchange for goods or services
Saint
a person who embodies religious ideals and sacred power; frequently an object of worship or a recipient of prayers
Sect
an institutional division within a religion; also called denomination
Supernatural
beyond the visible, observable universe; transcending laws of nature
Ultimate Reality
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
