Abraham - The Hebrew Bible patriarch and father of the "Abrahamic," monotheistic religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
Adherent – A person who identifies with some religious tradition. It is a broader term than "member" because the latter refers to an official status that varies according to congregation or denomination.
Agnosticism – A philosophical position neither affirming nor denying belief in a deity. Agnostics believe the question of whether God exists must be left open and unanswered.
Anti-Semitism – Unreasoning hostility toward and discrimination against the Jews. It can range from a formal doctrine and from mild antipathy to active efforts to kill the Jews.
Biblical Literalism - The extent to which individuals believe that the Bible (or other sacred scriptures) should be interpreted literally. Social surveys that are interested in religion often ask a question pertaining to biblical literalism, though the question wording and response options can vary.
Blasphemy – An act or verbal offence that mocks beliefs, sacred beings, or objects in a certain religion. In some religions, like Islam, blasphemy and heresy are sometimes used interchangeably.
Confucianism - A Chinese religion founded by Confucius (551-479 BCE), whose goal was to foster social harmony through a combination of self-cultivation and social rites. Chinese Immigrants brought Confucianism to the United States in the 19th century
Damnation – Condemnation to punishment in the afterlife for sins committed while alive. This is said to occur on judgment day, and the eternal abode for the damned is hell
Extremism – a religious ideology that is far outside the mainstream attitudes of society.
Fundamentalism - a form of a religion, especially Islam or Protestant Christianity, that upholds belief in the strict, literal interpretation of scripture.
Gospel – The content of Christian preaching; that is, that Christ died to save humans from the penalty of sin and reunite them with God. When capitalized, the word usually refers to one of the first four books of the New Testament, which relate to the life of Christ.
Hubris - the characteristic of excessive confidence or arrogance, which leads a person to believe that he or she may do no wrong.
Jihad - a holy war on behalf of Islam. The Christian equivalent word is a crusade, “a campaign or war sanctioned by the Church against unbelievers or heretics.”
Profane - Anything not related to religion and spirituality is profane. The word can also be used as a verb meaning “to treat something sacred with irreverence.”
Religious Literacy - the knowledge of, and ability to understand, religion.
Supplication – a form of prayer, wherein one party humbly or earnestly asks another party to provide something, either for the party who is doing the supplicating or on behalf of someone else.
