| religion | | |
| n. (cognition) | 1. faith, religion, religious belief | a strong belief in a supernatural power or powers that control human destiny.; "he lost his faith but not his morality" |
| ~ persecution | the act of persecuting (especially on the basis of race or religion). |
| ~ vigil, watch | the rite of staying awake for devotional purposes (especially on the eve of a religious festival). |
| ~ consecration | (religion) sanctification of something by setting it apart (usually with religious rites) as dedicated to God.; "the Cardinal attended the consecration of the church" |
| ~ chastity, sexual abstention, celibacy | abstaining from sexual relations (as because of religious vows). |
| ~ toleration | official recognition of the right of individuals to hold dissenting opinions (especially in religion). |
| ~ traditionalism | adherence to tradition (especially in cultural or religious matters). |
| ~ censer, thurible | a container for burning incense (especially one that is swung on a chain in a religious ritual). |
| ~ cloister | a courtyard with covered walks (as in religious institutions). |
| ~ habit | a distinctive attire worn by a member of a religious order. |
| ~ orthodoxy | the quality of being orthodox (especially in religion). |
| ~ supernatural virtue, theological virtue | according to Christian ethics: one of the three virtues (faith, hope, and charity) created by God to round out the natural virtues. |
| ~ netherworld, scheol, hades, infernal region, underworld, hell | (religion) the world of the dead.; "No one goes to Hades with all his immense wealth" |
| ~ meditation | (religion) contemplation of spiritual matters (usually on religious or philosophical subjects). |
| ~ belief | any cognitive content held as true. |
| ~ apophatism | the religious belief that God cannot be known but is completely `other' and must be described in negative terms (in terms of what God is not). |
| ~ cataphatism | the religious belief that God has given enough clues to be known to humans positively and affirmatively (e.g., God created Adam `in his own image'). |
| ~ doctrine of analogy, analogy | the religious belief that between creature and creator no similarity can be found so great but that the dissimilarity is always greater; any analogy between God and humans will always be inadequate. |
| ~ cultus, religious cult, cult | a system of religious beliefs and rituals.; "devoted to the cultus of the Blessed Virgin" |
| ~ cult | a religion or sect that is generally considered to be unorthodox, extremist, or false.; "it was a satanic cult" |
| ~ ecclesiasticism | religion appropriate to a church and to ecclesiastical principles and practices. |
| ~ mysticism, religious mysticism | a religion based on mystical communion with an ultimate reality. |
| ~ nature worship | a system of religion that deifies and worships natural forces and phenomena. |
| ~ revealed religion | a religion founded primarily on the revelations of God to humankind. |
| ~ theism | the doctrine or belief in the existence of a God or gods. |
| ~ heathenism, pagan religion, paganism | any of various religions other than Christianity or Judaism or Islamism. |
| ~ christian religion, christianity | a monotheistic system of beliefs and practices based on the Old Testament and the teachings of Jesus as embodied in the New Testament and emphasizing the role of Jesus as savior. |
| ~ hindooism, hinduism | a body of religious and philosophical beliefs and cultural practices native to India and based on a caste system; it is characterized by a belief in reincarnation, by a belief in a supreme being of many forms and natures, by the view that opposing theories are aspects of one eternal truth, and by a desire for liberation from earthly evils. |
| ~ brahmanism, brahminism | the religious beliefs of ancient India as prescribed in the sacred Vedas and Brahmanas and Upanishads. |
| ~ jainism | religion founded in the 6th century BC as a revolt against Hinduism; emphasizes asceticism and immortality and transmigration of the soul; denies existence of a perfect or supreme being. |
| ~ sikhism | the doctrines of a monotheistic religion founded in northern India in the 16th century by Guru Nanak and combining elements of Hinduism and Islam. |
| ~ buddhism | the teaching of Buddha that life is permeated with suffering caused by desire, that suffering ceases when desire ceases, and that enlightenment obtained through right conduct and wisdom and meditation releases one from desire and suffering and rebirth. |
| ~ hsuan chiao, taoism | popular Chinese philosophical system based in teachings of Lao-tzu but characterized by a pantheism of many gods and the practices of alchemy and divination and magic. |
| ~ shintoism, shinto | the ancient indigenous religion of Japan lacking formal dogma; characterized by a veneration of nature spirits and of ancestors. |
| ~ manichaeanism, manichaeism | a religion founded by Manes in the third century; a synthesis of Zoroastrian dualism between light and dark and Babylonian folklore and Buddhist ethics and superficial elements of Christianity; spread widely in the Roman Empire but had largely died out by 1000. |
| ~ mithraicism, mithraism | ancient Persian religion; popular among Romans during first three centuries a.d.. |
| ~ mazdaism, zoroastrianism | system of religion founded in Persia in the 6th century BC by Zoroaster; set forth in the Zend-Avesta; based on concept of struggle between light (good) and dark (evil). |
| ~ bahaism | a religion founded in Iran in 1863; emphasizes the spiritual unity of all humankind; incorporates Christian and Islamic tenets; many adherents live in the United States.; "Bahaism has no public rituals or sacraments and praying is done in private" |
| ~ asian shamanism, shamanism | an animistic religion of northern Asia having the belief that the mediation between the visible and the spirit worlds is effected by shamans. |
| ~ shamanism | any animistic religion similar to Asian shamanism (especially as practiced by certain Native American tribes). |
| ~ wicca | the polytheistic nature religion of modern witchcraft whose central deity is a mother goddess; claims origins in pre-Christian pagan religions of western Europe. |
| ~ affirmation | (religion) a solemn declaration that serves the same purpose as an oath (if an oath is objectionable to the person on religious or ethical grounds). |
| ~ demythologisation, demythologization | the restatement of a message (as a religious one) in rational terms. |
| ~ beelzebub, devil, lucifer, old nick, prince of darkness, satan, the tempter | (Judeo-Christian and Islamic religions) chief spirit of evil and adversary of God; tempter of mankind; master of Hell. |
| ~ brother | a male person who is a fellow member (of a fraternity or religion or other group).; "none of his brothers would betray him" |
| ~ conformist | someone who conforms to established standards of conduct (especially in religious matters). |
| ~ latitudinarian | a person who is broad-minded and tolerant (especially in standards of religious belief and conduct). |
| ~ numen | a spirit believed to inhabit an object or preside over a place (especially in ancient Roman religion). |
| ~ noviciate, novitiate | the period during which you are a novice (especially in a religious order). |
| ~ die | suffer spiritual death; be damned (in the religious sense).; "Whosoever..believes in me shall never die" |
| ~ believe | follow a credo; have a faith; be a believer.; "When you hear his sermons, you will be able to believe, too" |
| ~ misbelieve | hold a false or unorthodox belief. |
| ~ worship | show devotion to (a deity).; "Many Hindus worship Shiva" |
| ~ reincarnate, transmigrate | be born anew in another body after death.; "Hindus believe that we transmigrate" |
| ~ free-thinking, latitudinarian, undogmatic, undogmatical | unwilling to accept authority or dogma (especially in religion). |
| ~ clean | ritually clean or pure. |
| ~ unclean, impure | having a physical or moral blemish so as to make impure according to dietary or ceremonial laws.; "unclean meat"; "and the swine...is unclean to you" |
| ~ conforming, conformist | adhering to established customs or doctrines (especially in religion). |
| ~ discalceate, discalced, unshod | (used of certain religious orders) barefoot or wearing only sandals.; "discalced friars" |
| ~ formalised, formalistic, formalized | concerned with or characterized by rigorous adherence to recognized forms (especially in religion or art).; "highly formalized plays like `Waiting for Godot'" |
| ~ christian | relating to or characteristic of Christianity.; "Christian rites" |
| ~ protestant | of or relating to Protestants or Protestantism.; "Protestant churches"; "a Protestant denomination" |
| ~ calvinist, calvinistic, calvinistical | of or relating to or characteristic of Calvinism or its adherents. |
| ~ jewish-orthodox, orthodox | of or pertaining to or characteristic of Judaism.; "Orthodox Judaism" |
| ~ eastern orthodox, greek orthodox, russian orthodox, orthodox | of or relating to or characteristic of the Eastern Orthodox Church. |
| ~ anglican | of or pertaining to or characteristic of the Anglican church.; "an Anglican bishop" |
| ~ congregationalist, congregational | of or pertaining to or characteristic of a Congregational church. |
| ~ episcopal, episcopalian | of or pertaining to or characteristic of the Episcopal church.; "the Episcopal hierarchy"; "married by an Episcopalian minister" |
| ~ revivalistic | of or relating to or characterizing revivalism. |
| ~ lutheran | of or pertaining to or characteristic of the branch of the Protestant Church adhering to the views of Luther.; "Lutheran doctrines" |
| ~ methodist, wesleyan | of or pertaining to or characteristic of the branch of Protestantism adhering to the views of Wesley.; "Methodist theology" |
| ~ mormon | of or pertaining to or characteristic of the Mormon Church.; "Mormon leaders"; "the former Mormon practice of polygamy" |
| ~ unitarian | of or relating to or characterizing Unitarianism. |
| ~ catechismal | of or relating to a catechism summarizing the principles of Christianity. |
| n. (group) | 2. faith, organized religion, religion | an institution to express belief in a divine power.; "he was raised in the Baptist religion"; "a member of his own faith contradicted him" |
| ~ institution, establishment | an organization founded and united for a specific purpose. |
| ~ christian church, church | one of the groups of Christians who have their own beliefs and forms of worship. |
| ~ hebraism, jewish religion, judaism | Jews collectively who practice a religion based on the Torah and the Talmud. |
| ~ hindooism, hinduism | the religion of most people in India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal. |
| ~ taoism | religion adhering to the teaching of Lao-tzu. |
| ~ buddhism | a religion represented by the many groups (especially in Asia) that profess various forms of the Buddhist doctrine and that venerate Buddha. |
| ~ khalsa | the group of initiated Sikhs to which devout orthodox Sikhs are ritually admitted at puberty; founded by the tenth and last Guru in 1699. |
| ~ church of scientology, scientology | a new religion founded by L. Ron Hubbard in 1955 and characterized by a belief in the power of a person's spirit to clear itself of past painful experiences through self-knowledge and spiritual fulfillment. |
| ~ shinto | the native religion and former ethnic cult of Japan. |
| ~ established church | the church that is recognized as the official church of a nation. |
| ~ religious order, religious sect, sect | a subdivision of a larger religious group. |
| ~ cult | followers of an unorthodox, extremist, or false religion or sect who often live outside of conventional society under the direction of a charismatic leader. |
| ~ cult | followers of an exclusive system of religious beliefs and practices. |
| ~ canonize, canonise, saint | declare (a dead person) to be a saint.; "After he was shown to have performed a miracle, the priest was canonized" |
| ~ exorcise, exorcize | expel through adjuration or prayers.; "exorcise evil spirits" |
| ~ confirm | administer the rite of confirmation to.; "the children were confirmed in their mother's faith" |
| ~ covenant | enter into a covenant. |
| ~ redeem, save, deliver | save from sins. |
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