Theosophical Society, Cardiff
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Additional Glossaries
of
Interest to Theosophists
Glossary of Religious Terms
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- Agnosticism- The Greek prefix agnost
means not knowing. There are two main strands of agnosticism: weak
and strong. Weak agnostics are not sure whether God exists; strong
agnostics believe it is impossible to know whether God exists.
- Ascetic- Hindu holy
men who believed the way to truth was through body starvation.
- Atheism- The belief
that God does not exist.
- B.C.E- Abbreviation for
Before Christian Era. This term is used
instead of the traditional B.C. to avoid centering around
a Christian historical reference.
- Bodhisattva- One who
delays entering into Nirvana in order to help others to the path of
enlightenment.
- Buddha- The word buddha literally means
"the enlightened one". There are many buddhas in Buddhism.
- C.E.- Abbreviation for Christian
era. C.E. is used instead of A.D. to avoid centering around a Christian historical reference.
- Caliph- Successor to
Muhammad in leading the Islamic faith as political leader and defender of
the faith. The title of Caliph was abolished in 1924.
- Covenant- A binding
agreement. God not only formed a covenant with Abraham, but also Noah and
Moses.
- Enlightenment- A
sudden divine understanding of the true nature of things.
- Ka'aba- The Ka`aba is
an ancient shrine containing the Holy Black Stone. During Muhammad's
lifetime, it was worshiped by peoples of many different faiths throughout
the Arabian Peninsula. Today it is an important part of the Ha jj, the pilgrimage to Mecca.
- Karma- The law of
Karma ensures accountability for every thought, action and word. Each has
an effect on this and future lives.
- Last
Supper- The final gathering of Jesus and his disciples
before the crucifixion. During the Last Supper, Christ broke the bread and
passed a chalice of wine, asking his disciples to eat the bread as his
body to be broken and the wine as his blood to be spilled for them. He
also said, "do this in remembrance of
me." Thus, the sacrament symbolizing the sacrifice of Christ is
practiced by all the Christian traditions.
- The Law- In the Jewish faith the Law is a detailed code of
conduct depicting the correct way of life.
- Medina- Also called Madinah, the city where Muhammad was buried. Muslims
on the Hajj (pilgrmage) visit this city in Saudi Arabia.
- Mecca- Every year 2
million pilgrims visit the city in Saudi Arabia during the
Hajj.
- Moshka- Similar to Buddhist Nirvana, during Moshka the soul is released from the cycles of
reincarnation to join Brahman.
- Muslim
calendar- The Muslim calendar is a lunar calendar based
on the cycles of the moon.
- Nirvana- The final
release from wandering the cycles of death and rebirth. Nirvana is a state
of extreme happiness.
- Original
Sin- The spirit of disobedience inherited by all of
mankind from Adam and Eve who disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden.
- Prophet- A person who
speaks or acts on behalf of God by divine inspiration.
- Ramadan- The ninth
month of the Muslim calender in which Muslims do
not smoke, eat, drink, or have sex from sunrise to sunset.
- Reincarnation- Belief
shared by both Hindu and Buddhist traditions in which one is reborn after
death. Hindus hold that the Atman (soul) is transferred from life to life
through reincarnation.
- Sacraments- A
religious act that is a symbol of a spiritual reality.
- Saint- A person of
great holiness and virtue, revered by the Christian Church as having
attained an honored place in heaven.
- Sangha- A community of Buddhist monks and nuns who
devote their entire lives to the religion.
- Trinity- The trinity
represents the three aspects of God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy
Spirit.
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Theosophical Society, Cardiff
Lodge
206
Newport Road, Cardiff,
CF24 1DL