UNIT 3 SET 4 AP HUGO VOCAB

Adherent

A person who follows or practices a particular belief or religion.

Animism

Belief that objects, such as plants and stones, or natural events, like thunderstorms and earthquakes, have a discrete spirit and conscious life.

Branch

A large fundamental division within a religion (e.g., Sunni/Shia or Catholic/Protestant/Orthodox).

Congregation

A group of people assembled for religious worship.

Cosmogony

A set of religious beliefs concerning the origin and nature of the universe.

Denomination

A division of a religion that unites a number of local congregations in a single legal and administrative body.

Ethnic Religion

A religion with a relatively concentrated spatial distribution whose principles are based on the physical characteristics of a particular location where its adherents are concentrated.

Fundamentalism

Literal interpretation and strict adherence to basic principles of a religion (or a religious branch, denomination, or sect).

Missionary

An individual who helps to diffuse a universalizing religion, especially to places predominantly practicing ethnic religions.

Monotheism

Belief in only one god.

Pilgrimage

A journey to a place considered sacred for religious purposes.

Polytheism

Belief in many gods.

Sect

A relatively small group that has broken away from an established denomination.

Universalizing Religion

A religion that attempts to appeal to all people, not just those living in a particular location.