Key Religious Terms: A

• The following are key religious terms

A

• Ablution (Wudu): The ritual washing in Islam before prayer, involving hands, mouth, nostrils, arms, face, ears, hair, and feet.
• Abortion: The removal of a foetus from the womb to end a pregnancy.
• Adalat: In Shi’a Islam, divine justice; God is just, judges actions, and rewards/punishes accordingly.
• Adam and Eve: The first humans according to the Qur’an and Genesis in the Bible.
• Afterlife: The belief in life after physical death.
• Agape: Selfless, sacrificial, unconditional love, as described in the Bible.
• Akhirah: In Islam, everlasting life after death, including barzakh, Day of Judgement, and Jannah/Jahannam.
• Allah: The Arabic name for God.
• Almsgiving: Giving money to the poor; Zakah is a form of almsgiving in Islam.
• Al-Qadr: In Arabic, predestination; God knows/determines everything.
• Animal Experimentation: Testing products/medicines on animals for human safety.
• Ascension: Jesus' return to God in heaven 40 days after the resurrection.
• Ashura: For Shi’a Muslims, a commemoration of the battle of Karbala and Husayn's death. For Sunni Muslims, a celebration of Moses saving the Israelites and Noah leaving the ark.
• Atheist: A person who does not believe in God or gods.
• Atonement: Restoring the relationship between people and God through Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.
• Awe: A feeling of respect mixed with fear and wonder.

B

• Baptism: Christian initiation ceremony using water to become a member of the Church.
• Barzakh: In Islam, a barrier between life and afterlife; the state of waiting until the Day of Judgement.
• Believer’s Baptism: Christian initiation by immersion in water of an adult who understands and is willing to live a Christian life.
• Beneficence: The kind and loving qualities of God.
• Big Bang: The massive expansion of space that initiated the creation of the universe.
• Biological Weapon: A weapon containing living organisms or infective material that causes disease or death.

C

• CAFOD: Catholic Agency for Overseas Development, the official aid agency of the Catholic Church in England and Wales.
• Chaste: Abstaining from sex.
• Chemical Weapon: A weapon using chemicals to poison, burn, or paralyze humans, or destroy the environment.
• Christian Aid: A Christian charity aiming to eradicate poverty globally.
• Christmas: The celebration of the incarnation/birth of Jesus on December 25 in most churches.
• Church: A Christian worship building; also refers to the body/organization of religious believers or the clergy.
• Civil Marriage: A non-religious, legal marriage.
• Cohabitation: A couple living together and having a sexual relationship without marriage.
• Community Service: Punishment by doing unpaid work in the community.
• Conception: When a male sperm fertilizes a female ovum (egg).
• Confirmation: A Christian sacrament where a person renews baptism vows.
• Contraception: Methods used to prevent pregnancy.
• Corporal Punishment: Punishing offenders by causing physical pain.
• Creation: The act by which God brought the universe into being.
• Crucifixion: Roman execution method; also refers to Jesus’ death on Good Friday.

D

• Day of Judgement: In Islam, the future time when the world ends and every soul is judged by God, rewarded with Jannah or punished with Jahannam.
• Death Penalty: Capital punishment in which an offender is put to death for crimes.
• Denomination: A distinct self-governing group within Christianity, with its own organization and traditions.
• Design Argument: Belief that God designed the universe due to its intricate details.
• Deterrence: Discouraging an action by instilling fear of consequences; an aim of punishment and nuclear military doctrine.
• Disciple: A follower of Jesus, especially during his lifetime.
• Discrimination: Treating someone differently and negatively based on race, religion, gender, disability, or sexual orientation.
• Divorce: The legal ending of a marriage.
• Dominion: Having dominance or power over something.
• Duty: Something someone must do; a responsibility.

E

• Easter: Religious season celebrating Jesus’ resurrection from the dead.
• Enlightenment: Gaining true knowledge about God or self through meditation and self-discipline; freedom from rebirth in Buddhist and Hindu traditions.
• Ensoulment: In Islam, the period when the foetus is believed to be given a soul, 120 days after conception.
• Equality: The state of being equal, especially in status, rights, and opportunities.
• Eternity: A state of timelessness that never ends, including endless life after death.
• Eucharist: Christian sacrament involving a thanksgiving service using bread and wine to celebrate Jesus' death and resurrection.
• Euthanasia: Painless killing of a patient in an irreversible coma or with an incurable and painful disease.
• Evangelism: Spreading the Christian gospel through public preaching or personal witness.
• Evil: Opposite of good, an immoral/wicked force or personification seen as sinful and against God.
• Evil and Suffering: Unpleasant events/conditions or opposite of good.
• Evolution: Natural process of living organisms developing and diversifying from earlier forms of life.
• Extended Family: Family beyond parents and children, including grandparents and other relatives.

F

• Fair Pay: Giving someone the appropriate amount of money they deserve for the value of their work.
• First Cause Argument: Belief that an uncaused cause made everything else happen.
• Five Roots of Usul ad-Din: Core beliefs for Shi’a Muslims that form the foundations of their faith.
• Foetus: A developing baby inside the womb before it is born.
• Food Bank: Place where people can get free food, usually due to poverty.
• Free Will: Belief that God gives people the opportunity to make decisions for themselves.

G

• Gender Prejudice: Thought that men and women should only do certain things and have certain jobs.
• General (or Indirect) Revelation: God making himself known through ordinary human experiences.
• Genesis: The first book of the Bible, describing seven days of creation.
• Good: Morally right or positively approved; opposite of evil.
• Gospels (Injil): The first four books of the New Testament (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) about Jesus’ life.
• Greater Jihad: The personal inward struggle of Muslims to live in line with Islamic teachings daily.

H

• Hadith: Collection of sayings of the Prophet Muhammad; a guidance source for Muslims along with the Qur’an and Sunnah.
• Hajj: Annual pilgrimage to Makkah (Mecca) that every Muslim should try to make at least once.
• Halal: 'Allowed' in Islam, often referring to food from animals killed according to Muslim beliefs.
• Haram: Any act forbidden by God in Islamic teachings.
• Hate Crime: Offence, often violent, targeted at a person based on race, religion, sexuality, disability, or gender.
• Heaven (Jannah): Eternal happiness in God’s presence; Jannah is paradise or eternal beautiful garden of physical and spiritual pleasures.
• Hell (Jahannam): Place of eternal suffering or separation from God; Jahannam is a blazing fire of pain and suffering.
• Heterosexual: Being sexually attracted to members of the opposite sex.
• Holy Communion: A sacrament/thanksgiving service using bread and wine to celebrate Jesus’ death and resurrection.
• Holy War: War fought ‘for God’, in the name of a religion, often linked to the Lesser Jihad in Islam.
• Homosexual: A person sexually attracted to members of the same sex.
• Human Rights: Basic rights and freedoms to which all human beings should be entitled.

I

• Ibrahim: A prophet in Islam (Abraham in Christianity); honored for his obedience to God.
• Id-ul-Adha: Muslim festival celebrating Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son for God.
• Id-ul-Fitr: Muslim festival celebrating the end of Ramadan.
• Imam: In Islam, a religious leader who leads communal prayers; in Shi’a Islam, a title for Ali and his successors.
• Imamate: In Shi’a Islam, the divine appointment of Imams, leaders of Shi’a communities and descendants of Muhammad.
• Immanence: God is present in and involved with life on Earth and in the universe.
• Impersonal: God has no ‘human’ characteristics, is unknowable, and more like an idea or force.
• Infant Baptism: Christian sacrament for babies/young children to become members of the Church.
• Informal Prayer: Prayer made up by an individual using their own words.
• Informal Worship: Non-liturgical worship, sometimes spontaneous or charismatic.
• Intention (Niyyah): The plan someone makes before they act.
• Iona: An island in Scotland and a place of pilgrimage for Christians.

J

• Jahannam: In Islam, hell described in the Qur’an as a blazing fire with pain and suffering.
• Jannah: In Islam, heaven described in the Qur’an as a beautiful garden with physical and spiritual delights.
• Jibril: Arabic name for Gabriel, the archangel who delivered God’s message to prophets, particularly Muhammad.
• Jihad: A struggle against evil.
• Jummah: A weekly communal prayer performed after midday on Friday, promoting the idea of the Muslim community (Ummah).
• Just: God is fair and treats humans fairly with justice.
• Just War: A war that meets internationally accepted criteria for fairness.

K

• Ka’aba: Black cube-shaped building in the Grand Mosque in Makkah; holiest place in Islam.
• Khalifah: In Islam, a person God has appointed to look after his creation.
• Khums: 20 percent tax on excess income paid by Shi’a Muslims to help those in need.

L

• Last Supper: Jesus’ final meal with his disciples before his crucifixion.
• Lesser Jihad: The outward struggle to defend one’s faith, family, and country from threat.
• Literal Creation: Belief that God created the universe exactly as described in Genesis 1.
• Liturgical: A church service that follows a formal set of practices or ritual.
• Lord’s Prayer: Prayer taught by Jesus to his disciples; also known as the ‘Our Father’.
• Lourdes: A town in France and a Christian place of pilgrimage.

M

• Makkah: A city in Saudi Arabia where Muhammad lived and Muslims visit today on pilgrimage.
• Marriage: A legal union between partners in a relationship.
• Mika’il: Arabic name for Michael, the archangel of mercy who rewards good deeds and provides nourishment.
• Miracle: An impossible event explained as the action of God; the revelation of the Qur’an to Muhammad.
• Mission: Vocation of a religious organization/individual to spread the faith.

N

• Natural Law: Moral principles that are part of human nature.
• Natural Resource: Material found in nature used by people.
• Nature of God: Understanding what God is like, often using the 99 names of God from the Qur’an or Hadith.
• Night of Power: When the first revelation of the Qur’an was made to Muhammad by Jibril.
• Non-Liturgical: Informal worship that doesn't follow a set text or ritual; sometimes spontaneous or charismatic.
• Nuclear Deterrent: Country having nuclear weapons to stop enemies from attacking.
• Nuclear Family: A couple of parents and their dependent children.
• Nuclear Weapon: Works by a nuclear reaction, devastates areas, and kills large numbers of people.

O

• Occultation: Hidden from human sight; Imam Mahdi is hidden from because he didn't die.
• Omnibenevolent: All-loving, having perfect/unlimited goodness; a quality of God.
• Omnipotent: Almighty, having unlimited power; a quality of God.
• Omnipresent: Present everywhere at the same time; a quality of God.
• Omniscient: Knowing everything; a quality of God.
• Origins of Life: How human life began on Earth.
• Origins of the Universe: How the universe began.

P

• Pacifism: Refusal to take part in war or any form of violence.
• Parable: A story with a meaning or teaching, often about being a better person.
• Peace-Making: The action of trying to establish peace.
• People Trafficking: Illegal smuggling of people for forced labor or sexual exploitation.
• Persecution: Hostility and ill-treatment due to race, political or religious beliefs.
• Personal: The idea that God is an individual or person who someone can feel close to.
• Pilgrimage: Journey by a believer to a holy site for religious reasons.
• Pollution: Making something dirty and contaminated, especially the environment.
• Polygamy: Having more than one wife or husband at the same time.
• Positive Discrimination: Treating people more favorably because they have been discriminated against.
• Poverty: Being without money, food, or other basic needs of life.
• Prayer: Communicating with God.
• Predestination (Al-Qadr): God determines everything that will happen.
• Prejudice: Judging someone before the facts are known.
• Principle of Utility: Action is right if it promotes maximum happiness.
• Pro-Choice: Every woman has the right to decide whether she wants to have a baby.
• Procreation: Bringing babies into the world.
• Pro-Life: The life of the unborn baby has priority over other concerns.
• Prophet: Person chosen by God to proclaim his message.
• Psalms (Zabur): Revelations given to Dawud (David) by God.

Q

• Quality of Life: A person's general well-being in relation to their health and happiness.
• Qur’an: Holy book containing revelations given to Prophet Muhammad by archangel Jibril.

R

• Racial Prejudice: Prejudice against someone because of their ethnic group, race, or nationality.
• Rak’ah: A sequence of movements in ritual prayer in Islam.
• Recitation: Repeating a passage of text from memory.
• Reconciliation: Restoring harmony after relationships have broken down.
• Reformation: Aim of punishment; to reform or improve someone’s behavior.
• Repentance: Admitting wrongdoing.
• Remarriage: Marrying again after a previous marriage.
• Responsibility: A duty to care for something or someone.
• Resurrection: Rising from the dead; Jesus' resurrection is a central belief of Christianity.
• Retribution: Making a criminal pay for their actions; "an eye for an eye."
• Revelation: God showing himself to believers.
• Risalah: Belief that prophets are important communication channels between God and humans.

S

• Sacrament: Rite/ritual through which a believer receives a special gift of grace.
• Sadaqah: Good actions or voluntary payments undertaken for charitable reasons.
• Salah: Prayer with and in worship of God.
• Salvation: Saving of the soul, deliverance from sin, and admission to heaven.
• Same-Sex Parent Family: People of the same sex raising children together.
• Sanctity of Life: All life is holy because it is created and loved by God.
• Sanctity of Marriage Vows: Promises said during a wedding ceremony are special and holy.
• Sawm: Fasting in the month of Ramadan.
• Scripture: Sacred writings of a religion.
• Scrolls of Abraham: Revelations given to Ibrahim; the first holy book in Islam.
• Set Prayer: A prayer that has been written down and said more than once by more than one person.
• Shahadah: Muslim declaration of faith.
• Shari’ah Law: Islamic law based on the Qur’an, Hadith, and Sunnah.
• Shi’a: Muslims who believe that Ali ibn Abi Talib was the divinely appointed leader of Islam after Muhammad died.
• Sin: Action or thought that separates humans from God.
• Situation Ethics: Taking into account the specific situation when deciding if something is right or wrong.
• Six Articles of Faith: Core beliefs of Sunni Islam.
• Social Justice: Ensuring that society treats people fairly and protects human rights.
• Son of God: Title used for Jesus, the second person of the Trinity.
• Special Revelation: God shows himself through personal experience or an event.
• Step-Family: Created when a divorced or widowed person remarries and has children.
• Street Pastors: Christian volunteers who patrol the streets to help those in need.
• Suffering: Experiencing unpleasant events or conditions and undergo pain, distress, or hardship.
• Sunnah: Teachings and deeds of Muhammad.
• Sunni: Muslims who believe that Abu Bakr was the rightful leader of Islam after Muhammad died.
• Supernatural: Something outside of nature or science.
• Symbolic: Represents something important.

T

• Tawhid: In Islam, the Oneness and unity of God.
• Tearfund: Christian charity that helps people in poverty through sustainable development.
• Terrorism: Unlawful violence against civilians to achieve a political goal.
• Theist: Person who believes in God.
• Theistic Evolution: God is responsible for evolution following the Big Bang.
• Tithe: One-tenth of annual produce or earnings.
• Transcendent: Beyond and outside life on Earth and the universe; a quality of God.
• Trinity: Three persons in One God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
• Torah: The revelations given to Musa (Moses).

V

• Violence: Using actions that threaten or harm others.
• Vision: Seeing something that shows something about the nature of God.
• Vow: A formal promise.

W

• Wealth: The money/possessions that someone has.
• Weapon of Mass Destruction: A weapon that can kill large numbers of people and/or cause great damage.
• Wonder: Marvelling at the complexity and beauty of something.
• The Word: Term used at the beginning of John’s gospel referring to God the Son (Jesus).

Z

• Zakah: Purification of wealth by giving 2.5% of savings each year to the poor.
• Zinah: Islamic law concerning unlawful sexual relations between unmarried Muslims.