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RLTS 12 @ UCR
Final exam terms
99
Religious Studies
Undergraduate 3
03/21/2008

Additional Religious Studies Flashcards

 


 

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Term
Totem
Definition
An animal a plant or an object considered related to a kin group and viewed as sacred.
Term
Ritual
Definition
a secular or sacred formal, solemn act, observance, or procedure in accordance with prescribed rules or customs. It can include religious rites or rites of passage. An example would be Confirmation for Catholicism or a Bat Mitzvah or Bar Mitzvah for Judaism.
Term
Ancestor Worship
Definition
A religion practice involving the worship of the spirits of dead family and lineage members.
Term
Ceremony
Definition
a formal act or set of acts established by custom as proper to a special occasion, such as a religious rite. The Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace in London is an example of a ceremony. It may have religious significance or personal cultural significance. Another example may be a wedding.
Term
Chador
Definition
In Iran a long capelike form of women's dress that usually does not cover the face literally means ten
Term
Charisma
Definition
Personal leadership qualities that endow an individual with the ability to attract followers often this quality of leadership is attributed to divine intervention
Term
Clan
Definition
A unilineal descent group based on a fictive ancestor.
Term
Cosmology
Definition
a theory or view of the nature of the universe, including humans’ place in it. The study of the Universe through religion, science, philosophy, and esotericism. Used modernly first in 1730 in Christian Wolff’s Cosmologia Generalis.
Term
Cult
Definition
an imprecise term, generally used as a pejorative to describe an often loosely organized group possessing special religious beliefs and practices.
Term
Cultural Relativism
Definition
The concept that any given culture must be evaluated in terms of its own belief system.
Term
Culture
Definition
The integrated total of learned behavior that is characteristic of members of a society.
Term
Diaspora
Definition
The dispersion of scattering of a population. Today, peoples that have migrated In large numbers across the glove but who retain some sense of community of common identity—for example, the African diaspora, the South Asian diaspora, and, historically, the Jewish diaspora.
Term
Divination
Definition
The process of contacting the supernatural to find an answer to a question regarding the cause of an event or to foretell the future.
Term
Emic
Definition
Shared perceptions of phenomena and ideology by members of a society; insiders view.
Term
Ethnography
Definition
A branch of anthropology dealing with the scientific description of individual cultures. A study of culture and cultural processes that uses multiple ways to research, observe, and document people, events, or artifacts. See fieldwork.
Term
Ethnology
Definition
A detailed anthropological description of a culture.
Term
Etic
Definition
An outsiderss observers viewpoint a society's phenomena or ideology.,
Term
Exorcism
Definition
The driving away of evil spirits by ritual.
Term
Fetish
Definition
An object that is worshiped because of its supernatural power.
Term
Folk Medicine
Definition
health practices arising from superstition, cultural traditions, or empirical use of native remedies, curing of illnesses that reflect a combination of emotional, cultural, and physical causes, usually associated with a particular culture or community, i.e. primarily used by “primitive” people
Term
Functionalism
Definition
An analytical approach that attempts to explain cultural traits in terms of the uses they serve within a society.
Term
Fundamentalism
Definition
A commitment to what are perceived as the original core and inherrant facets of faith. In Us protestntism includes acceptance of the bible as the literal truth.
Term
Ghost Dance
Definition
a nativistic movement among several tribes of North American Indians during the late 19th century. A Northern Paiute Indian named Wodziwob experienced visions telling him to create the Ghost Dance religion, in the vision it revealed instructions the Indians would hasten the day when white people would disappear, dead Indians would live again, and the Old Indian way of life would return.
Term
God
Definition
a supernatural being with great power over humans and nature.
Term
Hajj
Definition
The Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca.
Term
Hajji
Definition
Honorific title for Muslims who have made the pilgrimage to Mecca.
Term
Harem
Definition
The interior, domestic space of a Muslim home that observes seclusion of women. Written about by Western writers as a place where Muslim men imprisioned their wives and live to just beautify themselves and satisfy their husband's sexual needs. Actually comes from a word meaning "sacred" but holds a negative connotation in the Western world.
Term
Hijab
Definition
An Arabic word for " covering," used widely by Muslims across the world to refer to modest women's dress, which could take on a number of forms. Also known as "the veil." When de-veiling occured it was used as a means to discrimiate against those who still covered. Those who followed hijab were not allowed to work in government positions and were not served at hotels, restaurants and other social facilities.
Term
Idolatry
Definition
Excessive devotion to or reverence for a person or thing.
Term
Imam
Definition
In Arabic language prayer leader.
Term
Incest Taboo
Definition
The prohibition of sexual relations between close relatives as defined by society.
Term
Invocation
Definition
The act of conjuring, or calling forth, good or evil spirits.
Term
Jihad
Definition
In the Arabic language in refers to struggle. It can be either internal or external struggle. This may also be war or resistance but is not limited to this. The Jihad became popular in west Africa especially after the pilgrimages to Mecca in the 18th century.
Term
Ka’ba
Definition
For Muslims sacred shrine in Mecca.
Term
Legend
Definition
Narratives which relate an important event to have a historical basis. The event may not be verifiable but is believed to be true. An example of this is urban legend which teach people how to behave based on stories of murders.
Term
Liturgy
Definition
Public rituals and services of the Christian church. The Liturgy has influenced many cultures/religions around the world. For example this was the main part of the Christian religion that was adopted by Vodou practitioners in Haiti, which comprised of slave brought from Africa and baptized.
Term
Magic
Definition
A belief that associated objects can exert an influence on each other, for example a spell cast using the intended victims property.
Term
Mana
Definition
A sacred force inhyabiting certain objects and people giving them extraordinary power.
Term
Monotheism
Definition
A belief that their is only one God.
Term
Moral Injunction
Definition
a command, an order, or a prohibition regarding the right way to live.
Term
Mufti
Definition
specialist in islamic law (Sharia) who is capable of making legal interpretations. Still used in certain countries today but generally issue their own mandates (fataawas) outside the established judicial system.
Term
Mysticism
Definition
a contemplative process whereby an individual seeks union with a spiritual being or force.
Term
Myth
Definition
A sacred narrative believed to be true by the people who tell it.
Term
Nationalism
Definition
he idea of and advocacy of independence and unity of a nation. it is normally based on aspects of some sort of "group unity" such as a shared history, language, or ethnicity. the two main types are religious nationalism (based on religious ties) and secular nationalism which ignores religious affiliations.
Term
Neurosis
Definition
a mild psychological disorder. Freud often said that Religion in general as "the universal neurosis."
Term
Occult
Definition
certain myustic arts or studies such as magic, alchemy, and astrology. Followers are often separated from and feared by the general population...
Term
Orthodox
Definition
Being in line with the main teachings of a church or religious tradition conforming to a standard doctrine.
Term
Pantheism
Definition
the belief that God is everything and everything is God. It is also seen as the worship of all gods or the worship of abstract “gods” rather than an actual deity. Usually, pantheists may differ between “classic pantheists” (who believe everything in the universe has a spiritual meaning) or “natural pantheists” (who believe in the same idea but in a more nontraditional, impersonal sense).
Term
Peyote
Definition
a type of spineless cactus native to Mexico and Texas. It is used during ceremonies by people of Mexico and the Native American Church, usually by ingesting in order to produce visual hallucinations. The peyote is also used as a private, spiritual vision of each individual among Huichol Indians.
Term
Peyote Cult
Definition

 cult surrounding the ritual ingestion of peyote; commonly associated with certain native American religious beliefs

Term
Polygamy
Definition

Marriage to multiple partners

Term
Polygyny
Definition
marriage of one man to more than one woman. This is the most common form of polygamy
Term
Possession
Definition
A trance state in which malevolent or curative spirits enters a person's body.
Term
Primitive
Definition
A term used by anthropologists especially in the past to describe a culture lacking a written language
Term
Profane
Definition
Not concerned with religion or the sacred the ordinary
Term
Prophet
Definition
A religious leader or teacher regarded as, or claiming to be, divinely inspired who speaks for a God. Not to be confused with a priest or shaman, Max Weber’s view of a prophet by having a “personal call” The authority of the prophet is founded on revelation and personal “charisma” (pg. 147 – Moro).
Term
Psychosis
Definition
A psychological disorder sufficiently damaging that it may disrupt the work or activities of a person's life.
Term
Purdah
Definition
The seclusion of women as practiced by some Hindus and Muslims. From the Urda language
Term
Qadi
Definition
Judge in Islamic law or sharia.
Term
Reincarnation
Definition
The belief that the soul reappears after death in another and different bodily form
Term
Religion
Definition
A set of beliefs and practices pertaining to supernatural beings or forces
Term
Rites of Passage
Definition
 associated with such critical changes in personal status such as birth puberty marriage and death.
Term
Rituals
Definition
A secular or sacred formal solemn act observance or procedure in accordance with prescribed rules or customs
Term
Sacred
Definition
Venerated objects and actions considered holy and entitled to reverence
Term
Sacrifice
Definition
a ritual where a person, plant, or an animal is offered as propitation or in homage to the supernatural
Term
Secular
Definition
Not a sacred or religious
Term
Shaman
Definition
a religious specialist or healer with powers derived from supernatural resources. They are the link between the spiritual and the human world. According to Victor Turner’s essay, He says that “Lower (1954), a plains Indian shaman is a tritual practioner whose statue is acquired through a personal communication from a supernatural being.” Normally when there is a priest, the Shaman is absent.
Term
Shari’a
Definition
the body of law and legal decisions associated with Islam. In attempts for the British to become liked by Muslim populations, they sponsored many pilgrimages and permitted shari’a courts in Northern Nigeria. The British prohibited Christian missionaries in Muslim territories, in attempts to appease
Term
Shaykh
Definition
In Arabic, means respected elder, teacher, head of tribe and head of religious order. In Thayer’s essay that discusses pilgrimage talks about a Moor, Ahmed that traveled to Arabia, he swore allegian to Mawlay ‘Abd al-Rahman, a Moroccan shaylh and he entered Alexandria he visited shrines and local Shaykh. Ahmed’s pilgrimage helped him create a stronger understanding of his faith and created relationships through the various Shaykh that he encountered
Term
Society
Definition
A group of people sharing a territory language and culture
Term
Soul
Definition
The immortal or spiritual part of a person believed to separate from the physical body at death.
Term
Spontaneous Memorial
Definition
A memorial set up for a person or people due to a violent or unexpected tragic death. This memorial allows the public to grieve and more often than not the media covers this event an example of this would be Columbine.
Term
Supernatural
Definition
A force or an existence that transcends the natural
Term
Symbol
Definition
An object a gesture a word or another representation to which an arbitrary shared meaning is given.
Term
Taboo
Definition
A sacred prohibition put upon certain people, things or acts that makes them untouchable/ unmentionable. Mary Douglas wrote that Taboos threaten societal structures because we are afraid of the unknown. Taboos challenge rules and the power of classification. Mary Douglas says that without taboos and rules, society would be like a game without rules, pure chaos.
Term
Talisman
Definition
A sacred object worn to ensure good luck or to ward off evil also known as an amulet or a charm
Term
Theology
Definition
Religious knowledge or belief the study of GOd or religion from the perspective of believers.
Term
Trance
Definition
An altered state of consciousness induced by religious fevor fasting repetitive movement and rhythms drugs and so on
Term
Transcendence
Definition
The condition of being separate from or beyond the material world. When shamans perform their rituals, they separate themselves from this world and enter into the spiritual world to stop evil spirits.
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Term
Ulama
Definition
Muslims religious scholars
Term
Ummah
Definition
In Islam the community of believers
Term
Vodou
Definition
A syncretic religion of Haiti that combines catholicism and African religion sometimes referred to as tovodun or Vodun
Term
Witchcraft
Definition
Evil powers that are inherent in certain people that allow them to do harm to others or cause misfortune to them, without the use of magical charms. It is important in simple societies where it is believed that certain items, like the poison to kill the chicken, must be kept safe to avoid being tampered by witchcraft.
Term
Alter Call
Definition
A specipied time at the end of a Prodistant service when worshipers may come forward to make or renew a proffession of faith (publicaly announce a conversion or "bare witness"). Alter calls are most commonly seen in evangelical preaching
Term
Hermeneutics
Definition
may be described as the development and study of theories of the interpretation and understanding of texts. In contemporary usage in religious studies, refers to the study of the interpretation of religious texts
Term
Liberation Theology
Definition
A school of theology within Catholisism which focuses on Jesus not only as a redeemer but as a liberator of the opressed. It emphasizes the Christian misison to bring jusitice to the poor and opressed through political activism
Term
Nitty Gritty Hermeneutics
Definition
The 'Nitty gritty' type of hermeneutics strives to‘keep it real.’
-seeks a clear and unromanticized understanding of the hostile world, taking risks and in the end entails ‘telling it like it is.’
-seeks to engage are those that are hidden from most of the society.
-does not conform to the established patterns of human inquiry. -it ridicules and denigrates those interpretive strategies that restrict its own potential to provide liberating experiences from the problems of life faced by a community
Term
Orientalism
Definition
According to Edward Said it is a created body of theory and practice which divides the world into two unequal halves: the orient and the occident. It does not offer unbiased views of Asian religion, but reveals the views and concerns of the Westerners
Term
Epiphany
Definition
A sudden apperance of a deity or another divine being causing wonder in the believer/viewer
Term
Dalai Lama
Definition
 Buddhist spiritual leader, known in the west. Embodies spiritual calm & pacitism
Term
Canon
Definition
A set of books, events, or beliefs that are considered foundational for any community. The canon of the Hebrew Bible is the Old Testament and it consists of the Torah (the first five books of the work).
Term
Popular Culture
Definition
  • Popular Culture: describes a cultural condition that could not have appeared in Western civilization before the late eighteenth. Popular culture might be communicated in many ways, but it most often becomes widespread, and thus popular, through mass media (television, radio, movies, books, magazines, and cyber communication) Popular culture refers to that which is accepted or approved of by large groups of people and that, the mass media are of central importance in its transmission.
Term
Religion in popular Culture
Definition
Covers areas such as the appearance of religious themes, language, imagery, and subject matter in popular culture
Term
Popular Culture in Religion
Definition
aspects of popular culture are appropriated by religious groups ad institutions
Term
Popular Culture as Religion
Definition
popular culture serves or function as religion for some member of society
Term
Religion and Popular Culture in Dialogue
Definition
Social events can lead religious groups and individuals to enter in a dialogue with each other to better serve the needs of society
Term
Yellow Man
Definition
In the Movie, “Broken Blossoms, or the Yellow man and the girl, the yellow man insists on brining the messages and lessons of the great gentle Buddha to the barbarous Anglo-Saxons
Term
Koinonia
Definition
Can be defined in terms of a network. The networknever meets together in an ordinary place, all in one place orall at one time. Technology can empower religious believersand propel them to action
Term
Alternative Definition of Religion
Definition
religion should be less as a personal belief system but more so an "the daily, lived expression of an individual's or society's most important values"
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