Religious Studies
An approach to religion that attempts to understand and describe religious beliefs and experiences from the perspective of believers themselves, without judging whether they are true or false.
Phenomenology
The central sacred text of Judaism, containing the first five books of the Hebrew Bible and serving as the foundation of Jewish law and tradition.
Torah
In Hinduism, the ultimate spiritual reality underlying all existence; often understood as the divine force behind the universe.
Brahman
A branch of Christianity centered historically in Eastern Europe and the Middle East that emphasizes apostolic tradition, liturgy, and the authority of ecumenical councils rather than the pope.
Eastern Orthodoxy
A modern religious movement rooted in Hindu devotional traditions that emphasizes devotion to Krishna through chanting, worship, vegetarianism, and communal living.
Hare Krishna
In phenomenology, the practice of “bracketing” or setting aside one’s own assumptions and judgments in order to better understand another religion on its own terms.
Epoché
The two major branches of Islam, divided originally over who should lead the Muslim community after Muhammad’s death.
Sunni / Shia
The cycle of birth, death, and rebirth found in Hinduism, Buddhism, and other South Asian traditions.
Samsara
A religion founded by Guru Nanak in Punjab that emphasizes devotion to one God, equality, honest living, and service to others.
Sikhism
A religious movement founded by Sun Myung Moon that teaches that Moon and his wife helped complete God’s plan for humanity through restoring ideal families and global unity.
World Unification Church
A way of defining religion by identifying what religion is, usually by focusing on core characteristics such as belief in the sacred, the supernatural, or ultimate reality.
Essentialist approach
The branch of Christianity that emerged from the Reformation, emphasizing the authority of scripture and salvation by faith rather than Church hierarchy alone.
Protestantism
The principle that actions have moral consequences that shape a person’s future experiences and rebirths.
Karma
In Shinto, sacred spirits or forces associated with nature, ancestors, or particular places and objects.
Kami
A modern pagan religion that often emphasizes nature worship, rituals, seasonal festivals, and belief in divine feminine and masculine forces.
Wicca
The scholarly practice of neither affirming nor denying the truth of religious claims when studying religion academically.
Methodological agnosticism
A modern Christian movement emphasizing direct experience of the Holy Spirit, emotional worship, miracles, and practices such as speaking in tongues.
Pentecostalism
The fundamental way or flow of the universe that humans should live in harmony with.
Tao (Dao)
In Daoism, the principle of acting effortlessly and in harmony with the natural flow of the universe.
Wu-wei
A religious and cultural movement that emerged in Jamaica, revering Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia as a messianic figure and emphasizing African identity, resistance to oppression, and spiritual liberation.
Rastafari
A way of studying religion that focuses on what religion does for individuals or society, such as creating social cohesion, meaning, morality, or stability.
Functionalist approach
The Islamic belief in the absolute oneness of God; the core theological principle of Islam.
Tawhid
A Buddhist concept referring to suffering, dissatisfaction, or the instability of worldly life; the central human problem in Buddhism.
Dukkha
In Confucianism, the virtue of humaneness, compassion, or benevolence toward others.
Jen (Ren)
A religion founded in 19th-century Persia that teaches the unity of humanity, the essential unity of religions, and the belief that major religious founders were all messengers of the same God.
Baháʼí