“Windows To Spirituality”
What Is Absolution? Absolution is the remission of sin, or of the punishment due to sin, granted by the Church. (For remission of punishment due to sin.) Absolution proper is that act of the priest whereby, in the Sacrament of Penance, he frees man from sin. It presupposes on the...
Tree Of Virtues And Tree Of Vices A tree of virtues (arbor virtutum) is a diagram used in medieval Christian tradition to display the relationships between virtues, usually juxtaposed with a tree of vices (arbor vitiorum) where the vices are treated in a parallel fashion. Together with genealogical trees, these diagrams qualify as among the earliest...
Spiritual Death In Christianity Spiritual death in Christianity is separation from God caused by sin. Protestantism The phrase spiritual death is not found in Protestant scriptures, and definitions of the concept thus vary among Protestant Christians. Spiritual death is distinct from physical death and the second death. According to the doctrine...
Tawba, Inaba, And Awba Repentance, Sincere Penitence, and Turning to God in Contrition This article covers Tawba (Repentance), Inaba (Sincere Penitence), and Awba (Turning to God in Contrition). Repentance (tawba) means that one feels regret and, filled with remorse for his or her sins, turns to God with the intention...
Prayers Against Greed We have collected some of the best prayers against Greed to use in request to God. May these prayers for safety bring you comfort and peace of mind. May these prayers for strength encourage your spirit and strengthen your faith. Greed (or avarice) is an uncontrolled longing for increase...
What Is Salvation? Salvation (الخلاص, al-ḵalaṣ) is being saved or protected from harm or being saved or delivered from a dire situation. In religion, salvation is the saving of the soul from sin and its consequences. The academic study of salvation is called soteriology. Meaning See also: Redemption (theology) In religion, salvation is the saving of the soul from sin and its consequences....
Prayers For Forgiveness of Sins We have collected some of the best prayers for Forgiveness of Sins to use in request to God. May these prayers for safety bring you comfort and peace of mind. May these prayers for strength encourage your spirit and strengthen your faith. Forgiveness is the mental,...
Prayers For Repentance Our Sins Repentance is a change of thought to correct a wrong and gain forgiveness from a person who is wronged. In religious contexts it usually refers to confession to God, ceasing sin against God, and resolving to live a more responsible and humane life. It typically includes...
Sinner’s Prayer The Sinner’s Prayer (Consecration Prayer and Salvation Prayer) is an evangelical Christian term referring to any prayer of repentance, prayed by individuals who feel convicted of the presence of sin in their lives and have the desire to form or renew a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. It is a popular phenomenon in...
Apostasy Apostasy is the formal disaffiliation from, or abandonment or renunciation of a religion by a person. It can also be defined within the broader context of embracing an opinion contrary to one’s previous beliefs. One who undertakes apostasy is known as an apostate. Undertaking apostasy is called apostatizing (or apostasizing – also spelled apostacizing). The term apostasy is used...
Salvation In Christianity Salvation in Christianity, or deliverance, redemption is the “saving [of] human beings from death and separation from God” by Christ’s atonement for sin, and the justification following this atonement. Christians partake in this redemption by baptism, repentance, and participating in Jesus’ death and resurrection. The idea of Jesus’ death as...
What Is Absolution? Absolution is a traditional theological term for the forgiveness experienced by Christians in the life of the Church. It is a universal feature of the historic churches of Christendom, although the theology and the practice of absolution vary between denominations. Some traditions see absolution as a sacrament (the Sacrament of Penance), a...
Sacrament Of Penance The Sacrament of Penance (also commonly called the Sacrament of Reconciliation or Confession) is one of the seven sacraments of the Catholic Church (known in Eastern Christianity as sacred mysteries), in which the faithful are absolved from sins committed after Baptism and they are reconciled with the Christian community. While in current practice...
Confession In Lutheran Church Confession in Lutheran Church, (Holy Absolution) is the method given by Christ to the Church by which individual men and women may receive the forgiveness of sins; according to the Large Catechism, the “third sacrament” of Holy Absolution is properly viewed as an extension of Holy...
Confession In Islam: Istighfar Confession In Islam: Istighfar (استغفار istiġfār), is the act of seeking forgiveness from Allah. It is considered one of the essential parts of worship in Islam. Etymology Istighfar is derived from the root Ghafr “gh-f-r” (غ-ف-ر), which means the covering of a thing with that which will protect it...
Confession In Judaism Confession in Judaism (וִדּוּי, widduy, viddui) is a step in the process of atonement during which a Jew admits to committing a sin before God. In sins between a Jew and God, the confession must be done without others present (The Talmud calls confession in front of another a show of disrespect). On the other hand, confession...
Twelve-step program A twelve-step program is a set of guiding principles outlining a course of action for recovery from addiction, compulsion, or other behavioral problems. Originally proposed by Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) as a method of recovery from alcoholism, the Twelve Steps were first published in the 1939 book Alcoholics Anonymous: The Story of...
Atonement Atonement means that two parties, estranged from each other because one of them offends the other, eventually reconcile to each other. It usually contains two stages: 1) the offender’s act of expiation for forgiveness from the offended party, and 2) reconciliation, which is a regained state of unity thereafter. Atonement in...
Prayascitta Prayascitta (or Prāyaścitta, प्रायश्चित्त) is the Sanskrit word which means “atonement, penance, expiation”. It refers to one of the corrective measures in dharmaśāstra as an alternative to incarceration or other forms of danda (punishment) when someone is convicted of certain categories of crimes. The word is also used in Hindu texts to refer to actions...
Confession In Religion This article covers confession in religion in detail. Confession, in many religions, is the acknowledgment of one’s sins (sinfulness) or wrongs. A confession is a statement – made by a person or by a group of persons – acknowledging some personal fact that the person (or the group) would ostensibly prefer to keep...
