- Glossary of religious studies terms

Lecture

Это окончание невероятной информации про словарь терминов по религиоведению.

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collective prayer (the same as a temple); 2) a type of religious organization, a community of believers united by a common Christian doctrine, hierarchy, and sacraments. The Church is divided into local churches – within the boundaries of a particular country, region, etc. – and the "ecumenical" churches (the Orthodox and the Catholic), which include the entire body of local churches.

Chapel – a special building, usually crowned with a cross. Church services may be held in it – except for the liturgy. Chapels are built in cemeteries, near villages, on squares, along roads, over holy springs, both for religious needs and to commemorate various important events in church and public life.

Shamanism – a complex of beliefs, views, and rites that formed over the course of many centuries. In the course of its evolution, later beliefs were superimposed on older ones, forming a certain whole. Therefore, in the shamanism of later eras one can find conceptions from more ancient eras (the cult of ancestors, totemism, magic, animism, and so on).

A characteristic feature of shamanism is the belief in the existence of special people – shamans – who are capable of acting as intermediaries between a person and some spirit. In the belief of those around them, shamans are capable of curing incurable illnesses, foretelling the future, causing changes in nature, and so on. Communication with the spirits takes place by means of special rituals (seances, or kamlanie), during which the shaman enters an ecstatic state. All this is accompanied by rhythmic beats on a special shamanic drum or some other musical instrument. In Russia, shamanism is traditionally widespread among the peoples of Siberia and the Far North.

Shiism – the second most important branch of Islam after Sunnism. It initially formed as a political party that recognized the fourth caliph, Ali, the son-in-law of Muhammad, as his lawful successor, and rejected the Umayyad dynasty. It later developed into a religious movement opposed to the Sunnis.

To the 114 suras of the Uthmanic Quran, the Shiites added one more – "The Two Luminaries," in which one of the luminaries was identified as Muhammad and the second as Ali.

As the hadiths accumulated, the orientation of Holy Tradition toward Sunnism became evident. In response, the Shiites declared their hostile attitude toward the Sunnah and began forming their own Holy Tradition – the Akhbar.

Shiites do not recognize the sultan as the spiritual head and interpret Islam in a mystical and pantheistic sense. Shiites live in Persia and partly in Transcaucasia.

Ecumenism (Greek: universe, inhabited world) – views and a position reflecting the aspiration of Christians of various denominations toward union in "the one Church of Christ" while preserving pluralism in doctrine, organization, and cult. In 1948 the governing body of the ecumenical movement was created – the World Council of Churches (WCC). It includes more than 300 religious associations from more than 100 countries of the world. Since 1961 the Russian Orthodox Church has also been a member of the WCC.

Paganism – beliefs, rites, and festivals that existed before the appearance of monotheism, which served as "building material" for the formation of the world religions. Orthodoxy absorbed many features of pagan beliefs and cult (Yuletide, Maslenitsa, the Apple Feast of the Savior, the cult of bread, and of the birch tree). Paganism is currently widespread in Russia among the peoples of the North (Mari El, Yakutia-Sakha, and others), and is being revived among other peoples of Russia as well.