World religions

Apostles

the 12 chosen disciples of Jesus who spread his teachings

Apostles Creed

nature of god, identify nature of god in the trinity, core beliefs about christianity

Atonement

Amends, reparation, or expiation made from wrong or injury.

Baptism

ritual cleansing by plunging into water

Bible

The holy book of Christians. Consists of the old and new testament.

Bishop

A church official who leads a large group of Christians in a particular region

Cardinal

A class of clerics in the Catholic church who are attached to the vatican.

Christ

The term "christ" comes from the greek word "Christos" which means anointed one. It has the meaning meshiach that is messiah in hebrew.

Crucifixion

the execution of a person by nailing or binding them to a cross. The term for Jesus death on the cross.

Denomination

Term used to designate the Protestant Churches, of which there are over 900 in the USA alone.

Diocese

A church district controlled by a bishop

Dogma

The doctrines in which one must believe to attain salvation.

Evangelize

The Christian activity of winning converts to Christianity

Father

God the father is one of the three parts of the trinity.

Heaven

A state of eternal life and union with God, in which one experiences full happiness and the satisfaction of the deepest human longings.

Holy Communion

Another name for the Eucharist, the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ.

Holy Spirit

the third Person of the Holy Trinity

Incarnation

God becoming man

Jesus

Founder of Christianity. The central figure of Christianity.

Judgment Day

the day on which God will judge all according to their deeds

Kingdom of God

The reign of God proclaimed by Jesus and begun in his Life, Death, and Resurrection. Jesus as King.

Luther, Martin

(1483-1546) Theologian and religious reformer who started the Reformation with his 95 Theses which protested church corruption, namely the sale of indulgences.

Lutheran Churches

The first Protestant Churches established. They followed the events set in motion by Martin Luther and essentially followed his theology and thinking about Christianity. They emphasize the authority of the Bible along with the sacraments as a means of achieving salvation.

Mary

Mother of Jesus

Mass

A popular term for the service of Eucharist in the Catholic church

New Testament

The twenty-seven books of the Bible written in apostolic times, which have the life, teachings, Passion, death, Resurrection, and Ascension of Jesus Christ and the beginnings of the Church as their central theme.

Nicea, Council of

the nature of Jesus.j esus was both human and divine and he was equivalant to god the father

Original Sin

The doctrine that Adam and Eve, the archetypal, first humans, disobeyed God and caused permanent estrangement between him and humanity.

Orthodox Churches, Eastern

The Eastern Orthodox Church is one of two churches that were created by the

east/west split of Christianity in 1054. (The other was the Catholic Church.) It includes the Orthodox Churches of

Russia, Greece, Romania, and other "eastern" countries. The Orthodox Churches have similar ---- beliefs to the

Catholic Church; it is hierarchical (at least within each of the national churches), believes in the seven sacraments,

holds to the decisions of the early Church Councils (such as Nicea) and the importance of the Church as a teaching

authority, and emphasizes the importance of priests and liturgy: They also make extensive use of icons in personal

devotion.

Papal Infallibility

______ is the divine guarantee that the pope's official statement of doctrine regarding faith and morals are free from error.

Paul

Follower of Jesus who helped spread Christianity throughout the Roman world. Spent most of his life as a missionary.

Pope

the bishop of Rome, head of the Roman Catholic Church

Protestant Church

one of three major branches of Christianity, broke away from the Roman Catholic Church in the Protestant Reformation

Purgatory

The state of purification that takes place after death for those who need to be made clean and holy before meeting the all-holy God in Heaven.

Roman Catholic Church

Church established in western Europe during the Roman Empire and the Middle Ages with its head being the bishop of Rome or pope.

Sacrament

something considered to have sacred significance

Teaching Authority

Teaching that the Catholic Church is the sole, legitimate authority for teaching correct Christian doctrine. Prevents misinterpretation of the Bible.

Trinity

Father, Son, Holy Spirit

Vatican II

Shorthand for the Second Vatican Council (1962-65), the most recent of the Ecumenical Councils of the Catholic Church. Attempt to renew the Catholic Church.

Constantine

Emperor of Rome who adopted the Christian faith and stopped the persecution of Christians (280-337)