Terms and Definitions

Question 1

Theism

Answer 1

The belief in a deity, deities, or a higher power

Question 2

Soft Agnosticism

Answer 2

withholding belief about God’s existence (may or may not exist, I go with the evidence if it ever shows up)

Question 3

Hard Agnosticism

Answer 3

The belief that it is impossible to know if God exists

Question 4

Atheism

Answer 4

the belief that there is no deity or higher power

Question 5

Nontheism

Answer 5

the lack of any regard about God’s existence

Question 6

Monotheism

Answer 6

The belief that there is only one God (Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Sikhism, Baha’i)

Question 7

Polytheism

Answer 7

the belief that there are many gods (Hinduism, Greco-Roman Religions, Egyption, Aztec, Norse, Yoruba)

Question 8

Pantheism

Answer 8

the belief that the universe is God (Hinduism, WIcca, Daoism, Theosophy)

Question 9

Animism

Answer 9

the belief that each thing is spiritual in nature (Shinto, Paganism, Jainism, Native American, Shamanism

Question 10

Henotheism

Answer 10

the worship of a single god while accepting the existence of other deities (Hinduism, early Judaism, Greco-Roman, Egyptian)

Question 11

Transcendent

Answer 11

spiritual reality exists outside or apart from the material universe

Question 12

Immanent

Answer 12

spiritual reality is present in the visible world

Question 13

Incarnation

Answer 13

a physical embodiment of the divine (Krishna, Julius Ceaser, Jesus Christ) (I’d like to add maybe the Pharaoh counts too)

Question 14

Exclusivism

Answer 14

the belief that only one particular religion is true

Question 15

Pluralism

Answer 15

the belief that all (if not most) religions lead to the same conclusion or hold equally valid truths

Question 16

Universalism

Answer 16

the belief in a common truth that is more far-reaching than national, cultural, or religious boundaries, especially with regard to reconciliation between humanity and the divine

Question 17

Proselytization

Answer 17

the sharing of ideas with the intention of converting another person to your way of thinking

Question 18

Dogma

Answer 18

a belief or teaching that is viewed as authoritative without adequate grounds

Question 19

Orthodoxy

Answer 19

lit. “correct belief”; religious beliefs that are regarded as authentic and essential

Question 20

Orthopraxy

Answer 20

lit. “correct practice”; religious practices that are deemed important and essential

Question 21

Syncretism

Answer 21

the combination of different forms of belief or practice into a new form of belief or practice

Question 22

Myth

Answer 22

traditional stories people tell themselves in an attempt to teach/explain its worldview, beliefs, principles, or fears, regardless of whether the stories are true or false. (Myths are often regarded as true by their believers and false by others)

Question 23

Legend

Answer 23

a story coming down from the past that is popularly regarded as historical although not verifiable

Question 24

Folklore

Answer 24

traditional stories that people tell themselves for entertainment and amusement; typically not regarded as historical

Question 25

Mysticism

Answer 25

the intuitive perception of spiritual truths beyond the limits of reason

Question 26

Superstition

Answer 26

the fallacy of attributing casual relations to things that are not casually related

Question 27

Hierophany

Answer 27

The act of manifestation of the sacred

Question 28

Theophany

Answer 28

Manifestation of God or gods