Religious and Spiritual Terms: Theology, Sacred Places, and Beliefs

accredit

To authorize; to certify; to believe.

credence

Belief; acceptance as true.

creditable

Deserving praise.

credulous

Believing too easily; gullible.

creed

A statement of belief or principle.

deify

To make a god of.

deity

A god or goddess.

divine

To foretell by supernatural means.

divinity

A god or goddess; a divine being.

apotheosis

Making a god of something; deification.

theocracy

Government by divine power or priests.

theology

The study of religion.

atheist

A person who believes there is no god.

pantheism

Identifying god with nature; belief in all gods.

pantheon

All the gods of a people or religion.

consecrate

To make or declare something sacred.

execrate

To denounce as vile or evil; to curse; to detest.

sacrament

Something considered to have sacred significance.

sacrilege

Disrespect to something regarded as sacred.

sacrosanct

Sacred (often used ironically).

sanctimonious

Pretending to be righteous.

sanction

Approval; support; permission.

sanctity

Godliness; holiness.

sanctuary

A sacred place; any place of refuge.

hierarchy

A group organized by rank.

hieroglyphic

Written with pictures to represent sounds or meanings of words.

expiate

To make amends for; to atone for.

piety

Religious devotion; great respect toward something, especially parents.

impious

Sacrilegious; profane; lacking appropriate reverence or respect.

pittance

A meager portion of anything, especially an allowance or salary.