World Religions Voyage of Discovery Chap. 1

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

belief in only one god

Polytheism

Belief in many gods

Pantheism

the belief that the divine reality exists in everything

Non-Theistic

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

Transtheistic

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

Empathy

The capacity for seeing things from another's perspective.

Ethics

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

Faith

experience of the divine or holy presence, sometimes involving intellectual belief and sometimes emphasizing personal trust

Mysticism

a category of religious experiences characterized by communing or uniting with the divine through inward contemplation

Myth

a story (often recorded in scripture) that tends to answer questions of origins and serves as a source of sacred truth

Revelation

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

Ritual

formal worship practice, often based on the reenactment of a myth

Religion

The human response to the mystery of life. Literally - to "bind back together"

philosophy 

Love of wisdom; uses reason and logic to seek truth about reality, knowledge, and existence.

Mystery –

Truths about existence or God that cannot be fully understood by human reason alone.

Theology –

The study of God and religious belief using both reason and faith.

Theism –

Belief in one or more gods who are active in the world.

Deism –

Belief in a creator God who does not intervene in the universe after creation.

Atheism –

Belief that no God exists.

Agnosticism –

Belief that the existence of God is unknown or unknowable.

St. Thomas Aquinas

everything has a cause, and the universe must have a first cause. cosmological argument.

Saint Anslem

God is “that than which nothing greater can be conceived”; existence is part of His perfection. - Ontological 

Charles Darwin

Evolution explains life without needing a divine creator.

Karl marx

religion is the opium of the people. used to control them.