Chapter 1: key words

transcendence

The overcoming of the normal limitations imposed by the human condition, whether temporarily or abidingly

cosmology

The understanding of the nature of the universe

monotheism

The belief in only one god.

polytheism

The belief in many gods.

pantheism

The belief that the divine reality exists in everything

nontheistic

Describes a belief system that holds that there is no divine being

transtheistic

Describes a religion that allows for belief in divine or semidivine beings without the belief in an essentially relevant god

revelation

The transmission of the divine will or knowledge to human beings, typically through myths or some form of religious experience

faith

Experience of the divine or holy presence, sometimes involving intellectual belief and sometimes emphasizing personal trust

mysticism

A category of religious experiences char acterized by communing or uniting with the ultimate reality through inward contemplation

ethics

A dimension of religion that deals with how we are to act while living in the world

ritual

Formal worship practice, often based on the reenactment of a myth

empathy

The capacity for seeing things from another’s perspective, and an important methodological approach for studying religions