Unit 6 Flashcards
agnosticism
the belief that the existence of God can’t be proven or disproven
animism
the belief that objects or natural events have a spiritual and conscious life
atheism
the belief that God does not exist
autonomous religion
a religion lacking a central authority that functions cooperatively, but informally
branch
a large fundamental division within a religion
caste
the class in which a Hindu is assigned to based off of religious law
congregation
a local assembly of people brought together for religious worship
cosmogony
a set of religious beliefs concerning the origin of the universe
denomination
a division of a branch uniting local congregations into a single legal body
ethnic religion
a religion with a relatively concentrated spatial distribution whose principles differ based on the physical characteristics of the locations it is concentrated
fundamentalism
literal interpretation and strict following to every principle of a religion
ghetto
in the past, a neighborhood of a city to be inhabited only by Jews. now, a section of a city in which members of a minority group live because of social, legal, or economic reasons
hierarchical religion
a religion in which a central authority exercises a large amount of control
missionary
an individual who helps to diffuse a universalizing religion
monotheism
the belief in the existence of only one God
pilgrimage
a journey to a place considered sacred for religious purposes
polytheism
the belief and worship of more than one god
solstice
an astronomical event that happens twice a year, when the tilt of the Earth’s axis is most inclined toward or away from the sun, resulting in the shortest and longest days in the year
syncretic
combining several religious traditions
universalizing religion
a religion attempting to appeal to all people, not just certain people living in a particular region
pagan
one believing in many gods
