Meaning of the aspects

Beliefs

Articles of faith that are thought by adherents to be true or evident. They are derived from divine revelation and tradition and focus on ideas about Ultimate Reality and about the origins, meaning and purpose of life.

Texts

Compilations of oral, written or illustrated literature. They contain expressions of the theology, teachings and history of religions.

Sacred Stories

Holy narratives that relate in imaginative detail a believed truth, such as that conveyed by historiography, legends, edifying parables and folklore.

Ethics

Visionary ideals or specific attributes of a perfect world from which come all morality, laws, norms and ideas about what adherents ought to do. These are synthesised into specific advice or lists of qualities, values or laws that would bring about the ideal world.

Rituals

Religious or other formal ceremonies that consist of a series of actions, saying, prayers, contemplative practices, dances or paintings that are performed according to a prescribed order

Spiritual Experience

Life events that can be had in religious and non-religious contexts and to which religious or spiritual meaning is attached by leadership, participants and witnesses. They are also certain sacred practices that facilitate access to ultimate reality and affirm beliefs for adherents.

Spaces, Places, Times & Artifacts

These are the materials for creating the sacred experiences of the other aspects. Each tradition has spaces that are considered important for the adherent the community to find the ultimate reality, the transcendent. Sacred times are often linked into the mystery of the seasons, the movement of the cosmos, moments of profound collective meaning. Religious traditions have developed artifacts that explore the relationship with the sacred.

space and place - a physical location of sacredness or importance to the tradition.

time - when a ritual, action or event occurs significant to the tradition

artifacts - objects that are a significance to ritual or practice of a believer.

Symbols

Abstract principles by which a person, action or thing can stand for something else. They are visual representations, objects, gestures, or concepts that convey sacred meanings, beliefs, and truths within a faith or spiritual system

Social Structure

An established social model to which society conforms and the way a religious tradition is organised, which often places religious leadership at or near the top of society.