Religious Beliefs, CHT-DIO

Our religious beliefs can affect our lifestyle, our perceptions, and our way of relating to fellow human beings. Is there a higher power (or powers) that governs the universe and judges all of us? Does committing a mortal sin mean the death of a soul, or is there a chance for forgiveness? The answers to such questions differ widely across different religions.
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Religious Beliefs Encyclopedia Articles By Title

chthonic
chthonic, of or relating to earth, particularly the Underworld. Chthonic figures in Greek mythology included Hades......
church
church, in Christian doctrine, the Christian religious community as a whole, or a body or organization of Christian......
Church Father
Church Father, any of the great bishops and other eminent Christian teachers of the early centuries whose writings......
Church of Christ
Church of Christ, any of several conservative Protestant churches, found chiefly in the United States. They are......
churchwarden
churchwarden, in the Church of England, one of the lay guardians of a parish church. The office dates from the......
churning of the ocean of milk
churning of the ocean of milk, in Hinduism, one of the central events in the ever-continuing struggle between the......
Ch’ŏndogyo
Ch’ŏndogyo, (“Eastern Learning”), indigenous Korean religion that combines elements of Confucianism, Buddhism,......
ciborium
ciborium, in religious art, any receptacle designed to hold the consecrated Eucharistic bread of the Christian......
circuit rider
circuit rider, Methodist ministerial role that was originated in England by John Wesley. The first of the American......
circumcision
circumcision, the operation of cutting away all or part of the foreskin (prepuce) of the penis. The origin of the......
cist
cist, prehistoric European coffin containing a body or ashes, usually made of stone or a hollowed-out tree; also,......
city mission
city mission, Christian religious organization established to provide spiritual, physical, and social assistance......
Clementine literature
Clementine literature, diversified group of apocryphal writings that at various times were attributed to St. Clement......
clergy
clergy, a body of ordained ministers in a Christian church. In the Roman Catholic Church and in the Church of England,......
cockatrice
cockatrice, in the legends of Hellenistic and Roman times, a small serpent, possibly the Egyptian cobra, known......
coffin
coffin, the receptacle in which a corpse is confined. The Greeks and Romans disposed of their dead both by burial......
cohen
cohen, Jewish priest, one who is a descendant of Zadok, founder of the priesthood of Jerusalem when the First Temple......
collegia pietatis
collegia pietatis, conventicles of Christians meeting to study the Scriptures and devotional literature; the concept......
collegiality
collegiality, in various Christian denominations, especially Roman Catholicism, Anglicanism, and Eastern Orthodoxy,......
Community of Christ
Community of Christ, church that claims to be the legal continuation of the church founded by Joseph Smith at Fayette......
Companions of the Prophet
Companions of the Prophet, in Islam, followers of Muhammad who had personal contact with him, however slight. In......
conciliarism
conciliarism, in the Roman Catholic church, a theory that a general council of the church has greater authority......
confession
confession, in the Judeo-Christian tradition, the acknowledgment of sinfulness in public or private, regarded as......
confession of faith
confession of faith, formal statement of doctrinal belief ordinarily intended for public avowal by an individual,......
confirmation
confirmation, Christian rite by which admission to the church, established previously in infant baptism, is said......
Confucianism
Confucianism, the way of life propagated by Confucius in the 6th–5th century bce and followed by the Chinese people......
congregation
congregation, an assembly of persons, especially a body assembled for religious worship or habitually attending......
Congregationalism
Congregationalism, Christian movement that arose in England in the late 16th and 17th centuries. It occupies a......
congé d’élire
congé d’élire, formal message conveying the English sovereign’s permission for the dean and chapter of the cathedral......
consecration
consecration, an act by which a person or a thing is separated from secular or profane use and dedicated permanently......
Conservative Judaism
Conservative Judaism, religious movement that seeks to conserve essential elements of traditional Judaism but allows......
consistory
consistory, (from Latin consistorium, “assembly place”), a gathering of ecclesiastical persons for the purpose......
consubstantiation
consubstantiation, in Christianity, doctrine of the Eucharist affirming that Christ’s body and blood substantially......
converso
converso, (Spanish: “converted”), one of the Spanish Jews who adopted the Christian religion after a severe persecution......
cope
cope, liturgical vestment worn by Roman Catholic and some Anglican clergy at non-eucharistic functions. It is a......
Corpus Christi, Feast of
Feast of Corpus Christi, festival of the Roman Catholic Church in honour of the real presence of the body (corpus)......
Corybantes
Corybantes, sons of Apollo and the Muse Thalia, mythical attendants of the ancient Oriental and Greco-Roman deity......
council
council, in the Christian Church, a meeting of bishops and other leaders to consider and rule on questions of doctrine,......
coven
coven, basic group in which witches are said to gather. One of the chief proponents of the theory of a coven was......
covenant
covenant, a binding promise of far-reaching importance in the relations between individuals, groups, and nations.......
covenant theology
covenant theology, type of Reformed (Calvinist) theology emphasizing the notion of a covenant, or alliance, instituted......
cow, sanctity of the
sanctity of the cow, in Hinduism, the belief that the cow is representative of divine and natural beneficence and......
cowl
cowl, hooded cloak worn by monks, usually the same colour as the habit of the order. Originally a common outer......
creation myth
creation myth, philosophical and theological elaboration of the primal myth of creation within a religious community.......
creationism
creationism, the belief that the universe and the various forms of life were created by God out of nothing (ex......
creed
creed, an authoritative formulation of the beliefs of a religious community (or, by transference, of individuals).......
cremation
cremation, the practice of reducing a corpse to its essential elements by burning. The practice of cremation on......
crescent
crescent, political, military, and religious emblem of the Byzantine and Turkish empires and, later and more generally,......
Criobolium
Criobolium, in the ancient religion of Asia Minor, the sacrifice of a ram and the bathing of a devotee in its blood,......
crosier
crosier, staff with a curved top that is carried by bishops of the Roman Catholic, Anglican, and some European......
cross
cross, the principal symbol of the Christian religion, recalling the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ and the redeeming......
cross, sign of the
sign of the cross, a gesture of ancient Christian origin by which people bless themselves, others, or objects.......
crucifix
crucifix, a model of the Christian cross, upon which is a depiction of the crucified Jesus. For several centuries......
cryonics
cryonics, the practice of freezing an individual who has died, with the object of reviving the individual sometime......
crystal gazing
crystal gazing, divination of distant or future events based on visions seen in a ball of rock crystal. Divination......
cult
cult, usually small group devoted to a person, idea, or philosophy. The term cult is often applied to a religious......
cupstone
cupstone, in prehistoric European religion, an altar stone, megalithic tomb, or isolated stone slab incised with......
cursillo
cursillo, in Roman Catholicism, a three-day period of spiritual renewal stressing the dynamic, communitarian, and......
Daedala
Daedala, ancient festival of Hera, consort of the supreme god Zeus. The Daedala was celebrated on Mount Cithaeron......
Dahrīyah
Dahrīyah, in Islām, the unbelievers who contend that the course of time (Arabic: dahr) is all that governs their......
Dalai Lama
Dalai Lama, leader of the dominant Dge-lugs-pa (Gelukpa, also called Yellow Hat) order of Tibetan Buddhists and,......
dalmatic
dalmatic, liturgical vestment worn over other vestments by Roman Catholic, Lutheran, and some Anglican deacons.......
dao
dao, the fundamental concept of Chinese philosophy. Articulated in the classical thought of the Spring and Autumn......
Daphnephoria
Daphnephoria, in Greek religion, festival held every ninth year at Thebes in Boeotia in honour of Apollo Ismenius......
darshan
darshan, in Indian philosophy and religion, particularly in Hinduism, the beholding of a deity (especially in image......
Dashavatara
Dashavatara, the 10 avatars of Vishnu, one of the principal deities in Hinduism. They represent the 10 times Vishnu......
dashnami sannyasin
dashnami sannyasin, Hindu Shaivite ascetic who belongs to one of the 10 orders (dashnami, “ten names”) established......
David, Star of
Star of David, Jewish symbol composed of two overlaid equilateral triangles that form a six-pointed star. It appears......
de
de, in Chinese philosophy, the inner moral power through which a person may positively influence others. Although......
deacon
deacon, (from Greek diakonos, “helper”), a member of the lowest rank of the threefold Christian ministry (below......
death mask
death mask, a wax or plaster cast of a mold taken from the face of a dead individual. Death masks are true portraits,......
decretal
decretal, a reply in writing by the pope to a particular question of church discipline that has been referred to......
Deism
Deism, an unorthodox religious attitude that found expression among a group of English writers beginning with Edward......
deity
deity, a god, goddess, or other supernatural being considered divine. While not all religions involve deities,......
Delia
Delia, ancient quadrennial festival of the Ionians, held on Delos (hence the name) in honour of the Greek god Apollo.......
Delphic oracle
Delphic oracle, most famous ancient oracle, believed to deliver prophecies from the Greek god Apollo. She was based......
dema deity
dema deity, any of several mythical ancestral beings of the Marind-anim of southern New Guinea, the centre of a......
demon
demon, in Greek religion, a supernatural power. In Homer the term is used almost interchangeably with theos for......
derasha
derasha, in Judaism, a homily or sermon, generally preached by a rabbi in the synagogue. In a broad sense, the......
Derekh Eretz
Derekh Eretz, (Hebrew: “correct conduct,” or “way of the land”), in Judaism, the decorum, dignified behaviour,......
dervish
dervish, any member of a Ṣūfī (Muslim mystic) fraternity, or tariqa. Within the Ṣūfī fraternities, which were first......
Desert Fathers
Desert Fathers, early Christian hermits whose practice of asceticism in the Egyptian desert, beginning in the 3rd......
deus otiosus
deus otiosus, (Latin: “neutral god,” or “hidden god”), in the history of religions and philosophy, a high god who......
deva
deva, in the Vedic religion of India and in later Hinduism, one of many gods, often roughly divided into sky, air,......
devarāja
devarāja, in ancient Cambodia, the cult of the “god-king” established early in the 9th century ad by Jayavarman......
devequt
devequt, (Hebrew: “attachment”), in Jewish religious thought, an adherence to or communion with God that stops......
devil
devil, (from Greek diabolos, “slanderer” or “accuser”), the spirit or power of evil. Though sometimes used for......
devil’s advocate
devil’s advocate, a former office in the Roman Catholic Church, the Promoter of the Faith (Latin: promotor fidei),......
devotio moderna
devotio moderna, religious movement within Roman Catholicism from the end of the 14th to the 16th century stressing......
dharani
dharani, in Buddhism and Hinduism, a sacred Sanskrit phrase of great efficacy, used as a verbal protective device......
dharma
dharma, key concept with multiple meanings in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. In Hinduism, dharma is the religious......
Dharma-shastra
Dharma-shastra, ancient Indian body of jurisprudence that is the basis, subject to legislative modification, of......
Dharma-sutra
Dharma-sutra, any of several manuals of human conduct that form the earliest source of Hindu law. They consist......
dhikr
dhikr, ritual prayer or litany practiced by Muslim mystics (Sufis) for the purpose of glorifying God and achieving......
dhyāna
dhyāna, in Indian philosophy, a stage in the process of meditation leading to Nirvāṇa. See Buddhist...
Diaspora
Diaspora, the dispersion of Jews among the Gentiles after the Babylonian Exile or the aggregate of Jews or Jewish......
dietary law
dietary law, any of the rules and customs concerning what may or may not be eaten under particular conditions.......
diksha
diksha, in ancient India, the rite performed prior to the Vedic sacrifice in order to consecrate its patron, or......
diocese
diocese, in some Christian churches, a territorial area administered by a bishop. The word originally referred......

Religious Beliefs Encyclopedia Articles By Title