“Windows To Spirituality”
Glorification Glorification may have several meanings in Christianity. From the Catholic canonization to the similar sainthood of the Eastern Orthodox Church to salvation in Christianity in Protestant beliefs, the glorification of the human condition can be a long and arduous process. Catholicism The Catholic Church teaches that, “at the end of time, the Kingdom of God will come in its...
Divine Presence Divine presence, presence of God, Inner God, or simply presence is a concept in religion, spirituality, and theology that deals with the ability of a god or gods to be “present” with human beings. According to some types of monotheism God is omnipresent; hence, the rabbinic teaching: “The Divine presence is everywhere.” Conceptualizations The concept is shared by many religious...
Recitation A recitation in a general sense is the act of reciting from memory, or a formal reading of verse or other writing before an audience. Academic recitation In academia, recitation is a presentation made by a student to demonstrate knowledge of a subject or to provide instruction to others. In some academic institutions the term is used...
Christian Child’s Prayer A Christian child’s prayer is Christian prayer recited primarily by children that is typically short, rhyming, or has a memorable tune. It is usually said before bedtime, to give thanks for a meal, or as a nursery rhyme. Many of these prayers are either quotes from the Bible, or set traditional texts. While...
Petition A petition is a request to do something, most commonly addressed to a government official or public entity. Petitions to a deity are a form of prayer called supplication. In the colloquial sense, a petition is a document addressed to some official and signed by numerous individuals. A petition may be oral rather than written, or...
Invocation An invocation (from the Latin verb invocare “to call on, invoke, to give”) may take the form of: Supplication, prayer or spell. A form of possession. Command or conjuration. Self-identification with certain spirits. These forms are described below, but are not mutually exclusive. See also Theurgy. Supplication or prayer As a supplication or prayer it implies to call upon God, a god, goddess, or...
Curse Tablet A curse tablet (tabella defixionis, defixio; κατάδεσμος katadesmos) is a small tablet with a curse written on it from the Greco-Roman world. The tablets were used to ask the gods, place spirits, or the deceased to perform an action on a person or object, or otherwise compel the subject of the curse....
Curse A curse (also called an imprecation, malediction, execration, malison, anathema, or commination) is any expressed wish that some form of adversity or misfortune will befall or attach to one or more persons, a place, or an object. In particular, “curse” may refer to such a wish or pronouncement made effective by a supernatural or spiritual power,...
Philosophical Isms Here are 234 different isms, each representing a philosophical, political or moral doctrine or a belief system. In selecting terms for the list, I have deliberately avoided any word which apply ism to a personal name, so that Marxism doesn’t count although it is otherwise an ideal candidate for the list....
Ecclesiastical Terms Christianity is an institution of extraordinary duration and complexity (not to mention insularity) and, over the past 2000 years, has developed its own extensive vocabulary that is largely incomprehensible to laypersons. This surprisingly large list contains 445 obscure ecclesiastical terms relating to Christian churches, priests, prayers, objects, and other...
Ardas The Ardas (ਅਰਦਾਸ) is a set prayer in Sikhism. It is a part of worship service in a Gurdwara (Sikh temple), daily rituals such as the opening the Guru Granth Sahib for prakash (morning light) or closing it for sukhasan (night bedroom) in larger Gurdwaras, closing of congregational worship in smaller Gurdwaras, rites-of-passages such as with the naming of child...
List Of Forms Of Worship This list of 60 words refers to forms of worship – not specific religions or belief systems, but rather terms that denote a specific object of worship, be it saints, snakes or whatever. Related word lists you might want to check out are those for philosophical...
Mass As Liturgy Mass is the main eucharistic liturgical service in many forms of Western Christianity. The term Mass is commonly used in the Catholic Church and the Lutheran Church, as well as in Anglican, Methodist, Western Rite Orthodox, and Old Catholic churches. Other Christian denominations may employ terms such as Divine Service or worship service (and often just “service”),...
Human Sacrifice Human sacrifice is the act of killing one or more humans, usually as an offering to a deity, as part of a ritual. Human sacrifice has been practiced in various cultures throughout history. Victims were typically ritually killed in a manner intended to please or appease gods, spirits or the deceased, for example, as a propitiatory offering or...
Ritual Purification Ritual purification is the ritual prescribed by a religion by which a person is considered to be free of uncleanliness, especially prior to the worship of a deity, and ritual purity is a state of ritual cleanliness. Ritual purification may also apply to objects and places. Ritual uncleanliness is not identical with ordinary physical impurity, such...
New Monasticism New Monasticism is a diverse movement, not limited to a specific religious denomination or church and including varying expressions of contemplative life. These include evangelical Christian communities such as “Simple Way Community” and Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove‘s “Rutba House,” European and Irish new monastic communities, such as that formed by Bernadette Flanagan, spiritual communities...
Monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which may be a chapel, church, or temple, and may also serve as an...
Buddhist Temple A Buddhist temple or Buddhist monastery is a place of worship for Buddhists, the followers of Buddhism. They include the structures called vihara, chaitya, stupa, wat, and pagoda in different regions and languages. Temples in Buddhism represent the pure land or pure environment of a Buddha. Traditional Buddhist temples are designed to inspire inner...
What Is Praise? Praise as a form of social interaction expresses recognition, reassurance or admiration. Praise is expressed verbally as well as by body language (facial expression and gestures). Verbal praise consists of a positive evaluation of another’s attributes or actions, where the evaluator presumes the validity of the standards on which the evaluation is based. As a...
Worshipping And Praying Within Sight Of Our Children There should be a place and time for performing our prayers at home. We should either perform our prayers at home in congregation, if possible, or we should take our children to the mosque, holding their hands on the way. The latter...
