Unit 1: Introduction Flashcards
concerning beauty or artistic perception, important for religious expression
aesthetic
sacred story that tells of the creation or founding of the world and of basic human realities
cosmogonic myth
thought and study about moral decisions on the basis of traditions of right and wrong
ethics
religious rituals devoted to promoting health, often complementary to modern medical practices
healing rituals
“emptying out”; in ritual, the movement of separation or doing away with the old state
kenosis
in ritual, the state between separation and restoration
liminal
view that all reality is one unified divine reality
monism
belief in one almighty God, separate from the world
monotheism
story about sacred beings in the beginning of time, telling how existence came to be as it is and providing the pattern for authentic life
myth
view that ultimate reality and the phenomenal world are not different
nondualism
practice in a religious tradition that changes one from the wrong or inadequate state to the ideal state
path of transformation
“filling up”; fulfillment or restoration movement of ritual
plerosis
belief that many divine powers share in the world’s operation
polytheism
sacred stories and basic ideas and practices that religious communities “hand over” from generation to generation; that which is handed over is thought to maintain a recognizable unity even while changing over time
religious traditions
rituals connected with the critical changes or passages in a person’s life, especially birth, puberty, marriage, and death
rites of passage
activities of many kinds that connect people with sacred realities, including prayer, sacrifice, chanting, pilgrimage, festivals, disciplines of meditation, and much more
rituals
space that is made special by connection with the sacred, providing orientation and rootedness for a people
sacred space
master story of a religion, providing identity for the adherents
sacred story
special time of ritual and festival, when mythic events are made present once more
sacred time
what is experienced as ultimate reality, the mysterious Other that is the ground of ultimate value and meaning
the sacred
words, pictures, ideas, rituals, and so on that evoke deep meanings by connecting with the sacred reality
symbols
“standing under” another’s way of thought and life, comprehending it by reference to one’s own experience
understanding
the act of reaching an ideal state of wholeness, perfection, or salvation
transformation
respectful ritual activity in special times, directed toward sacred beings or realities of ultimate value
worship
