A Cold Day in Hell: English Vocabulary List

a school of Mahayana Buddhism, originally formed in Japan, emphasizing the value of meditation and intuition rather than reading religious scripts or ritual worship

"Zen meditation practiced."

"She practices Zen meditation every morning to find inner peace and clarity."

uncertainty or lack of commitment regarding the existence of deities or the ability to know and comprehend the nature of ultimate reality

"Agnosticism doubts the existence of god."

"Agnosticism is the philosophical position that the existence of a deity is unknown and inherently unknowable"

the belief that rejects the existence of God or a higher power

"Atheism is the absence of a belief in any god or gods."

"Agnostic atheism is a philosophical position that encompasses both a lack of belief in gods and the view that a divine existence is ultimately unknowable."

(in Christianity) the concept of God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

"The Trinity is the Christian concept of one God in three persons."

"Many Christians pray to the Trinity, believing in one God who exists as three persons."

the study of religions and faiths

"He studies theology."

"Her doctoral research focused on comparative theology, examining the doctrines of major world religions."

the belief in spirits residing within natural elements, objects, and living beings

"Animism believes spirits live in everything."

"Animism is the belief that natural objects like rivers trees and mountains have spirits or souls inside them."

the belief in the existence of one or more gods or deities

"Theism is the belief in a god or gods."

"Theism is the belief in the existence of a personal God who created and sustains the universe."

a Christian ceremony during which water is poured on someone or they are immersed into water to welcome them to the Church

"Baby baptism is a tradition."

"The church held a baptism ceremony for several new members last Sunday."

a Jewish ceremony for a boy when he turns 13, marking his transition to being considered an adult in the Jewish community

"Celebrate bar mitzvah."

"The boy celebrated his bar mitzvah with family and friends last weekend."

the doctrine that separates the state from religious associations

"Secularism is a political principle of separating church and state."

"Secularism is not necessarily atheism; it is a framework for a pluralistic society where multiple different faiths coexist under a neutral"

the belief that the human spirit or soul can survive after death and communicate with the living

"Belief in spiritualism."

"Spiritualism is the belief that spirits of dead people can communicate with living people."

a practice that advocates letting go of all the material, mortal, or pleasurable things in order to enrich one's faith and spiritual abilities

"The monk practiced strict asceticism."

"The monk's asceticism included fasting daily and sleeping on a hard wooden floor without any comfort."

a bishop of the highest rank who is responsible for all the churches in a specific large area

"The archbishop leads the diocese in religious matters."

"The archbishop leads the diocese and has authority over several bishops in the region."

a Christian religious ceremony during which a baby is named and admitted to the Christian Church

"Their baby had a christening yesterday"

"The baby's christening ceremony took place at the small church where her parents married."

people who are officially chosen to lead religious services in a church or other religious institution

"The clergy wore robes."

"The local clergy organized a community outreach program to assist those in need."

acting as something like a statue or structure that is established to remind others of a person or event

"They sold a commemorative coin."

"They sold a commemorative coin to celebrate the hundredth anniversary of the founding of the town."

a group of people who gather in a church to say prayers

"The congregation sang together during service"

"The congregation stood up to sing hymns led by the church choir."

act or ceremony of declaring something sacred or dedicated to a divine purpose, particularly in Christianity

"The consecration made the building holy."

"The consecration of the new church was a joyful ceremony attended by hundreds of local worshippers."

a cross with a image or statue of Jesus on it

"The crucifix hung above the altar."

"The old wooden crucifix hung above the altar of the small village church."

a supernatural figure that is worshipped like a god or goddess

"The deity was powerful."

"Ancient civilizations often worshipped a pantheon of deities representing various aspects of nature and life."

a male priest, religious leader, or minister; especially a Christian one

"The ecclesiastic gave a sermon."

"The senior ecclesiastic gave important advice to the members of the church last Sunday."

a physical illustration of someone, especially a graven image or statue, often life-size

"They burned political effigy."

"People burned an effigy of the unpopular leader during the protest last week."

any of the letters in the New Testament, written by the apostles

"Apostle epistle wrote."

"The apostle wrote an important epistle to guide the early Christian communities long ago."

the religious or spiritual practice of driving out evil spirits or entities from a person or place

"The priest performed an exorcism."

"Exorcism is the religious practice of evicting demons or malevolent entities from a person or place"

a religious leader or teacher in Buddhism, Hinduism, or Sikhism

"Spiritual guru taught."

"The spiritual guru taught meditation and inner peace to his many followers every week."

a person who lives a very simple life in solitude as a religious practice

"The hermit lived alone in the woods."

"The old hermit lived alone in a remote cabin far away from any town or village."

someone with beliefs against the doctrines of a particular religion

"The heretic rejected church teachings."

"The heretic was excommunicated from the church for teaching ideas that contradicted its official doctrine."

a religious song intended to praise God, especially sung by Christians in congregation

"Beautiful church hymn."

"The choir sang a beautiful church hymn during the Sunday morning service."

the belief that after someone’s death, their spirit comes back to life in the form of a new body, especially in Buddhism and Hinduism

"Believe in reincarnation."

"Many people in Asia believe in reincarnation and karma across multiple lifetimes."

related to the Jew and their faith, religion, or culture

"He studies Judaic law."

"He studies Judaic law and tradition at the seminary to become a rabbi."

someone who is killed because of their beliefs

"The martyr died for his beliefs."

"The religious martyr died for his beliefs many centuries ago."

a Mongolian or Tibetan Buddhist monk

"Tibetan lama visited."

"The Tibetan lama visited the monastery and gave blessings to the visitors last month."

relating to people like monks, nuns, etc. who voluntarily made a public sacred promise to dedicate their life to a special duty

"He lives a monastic life."

"He lives a monastic life with few possessions and spends hours in prayer and meditation."

the belief that God and the universe are one and the same, considering the entire natural world as a divine expression of God

"Pantheism sees god in all nature."

"Pantheism is the philosophical doctrine that the universe and the divine are identical"

the belief in or worship of multiple gods or deities

"Polytheism is the belief in many different gods"

"Ancient Greek religion is an example of polytheism because the Greeks believed in many different gods and goddesses."

having the absolute power and ability to do anything

"The almighty God is powerful."

"The almighty king ruled the land with absolute power and authority."

related to or derived from the Bible

"The story was biblical."

"The ancient text contained a biblical narrative about the creation of the world and early human history."

any of the four books of the New Testament that is about the life and teachings of Jesus Christ

"Read the gospel."

"The sermon focused on the teachings found within the gospel of John."

(of food) prepared according to Jewish law

"This food is kosher."

"This food is kosher and has been prepared according to Jewish dietary laws and traditions."

(of food) prepared according to Islamic law

"The meat is halal."

"The meat is halal and was slaughtered according to Islamic law for Muslim consumers."