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A
glossary of Perspectives terms |
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Perspectives Glossary |
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This
is a collection of general RE Terms. |
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A
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Abortion |
The
termination of a foetus before it is capable of life outside
of the womb. |
Atonement |
Making
amends for your sins or wrong deeds. Trying to put
things right. |
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B |
Baptism |
The
entry rite into the Christian church, which can take
place as a baby or as an adult. |
Bible |
The
Holy Book of the Christians, contains the Hebrew Scriptures
(Old Testament), the New Testament and sometimes
the Apocrypha |
Blasphemy |
Words
that are spoken against God. |
Blessed |
Rewarded
by God. |
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C |
Celibate |
In
many Christian sects the priest or bishop
is not allowed to be married or have sex. |
Chastity |
The
state of being sexually pure. |
Christ |
Another
name for Jesus Christ. |
Christening |
Another
word for Baptism. |
Christian(s) |
Those
who follow the teachings of Jesus Christ. |
Christianity |
The
faith of the Christians. |
Church
of England |
The
part of the Anglican Communion in England. |
Cold
War |
The
period between 1939 and 1991 when the USA and the USSR were
in a state of tension and opposition. |
Commandments |
Rules
given by God. The most famous are the 10 commandments
given to Moses. |
Conception |
The
union of the sperm (male) and egg (female). Some believe this
is the moment when life begins. |
Confession |
Words
spoken about your sins, asking God for forgiveness. |
Conscience |
Our
internal 'voice' which tells us right from wrong, some people
believe that this is the voice of God within us. |
Contraception |
A
physical or chemical barrier to conception. |
Creation |
When
God made the world. |
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D |
No
entries |
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E |
Evil |
Things
that are not of God. |
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F |
Faith |
A
belief in God. |
Feminist
theology |
A
movement in the church to get equal treatment for men and
women. |
Foetus |
The
developing baby while it is in the womb. |
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G |
Gender |
Another
word for sex; we all have a gender either male or female. |
God |
The
supreme being, who created the world. |
Golden
Rule |
quoted
by Jesus as 'Love your neighbour as yourself' (Mark 12:31). |
Grace |
The
loving help that God gives to all human beings. |
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H |
Heaven |
The
place where God lives and where Christians go
after their death. |
Hiroshima |
The
location of the dropping of the first nuclear weapon
on August 6th 1945. |
Holy |
Special
to God. |
Holy
matrimony |
Another
term for Christian marriage. |
Hospice |
A
hospital for the care of people with terminal illnesses. They
specialise in pain control, making life as comfortable as
possible. |
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I |
Infanticide |
The
killing or murder of a small child (Infant). |
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J |
No
entries |
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K |
No
entries |
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L |
Love |
A
emotional, spiritual or physical realtionship with another
person. Often a combination of some or all of these. See also
1 Corinthiams 13 and John 3:116. |
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M |
Miracle |
An
event that cannot be explained by normal or scientific means. |
Mutually
Assured Destruction (MAD) |
The
threat common during the cold war that if nuclear
weapons were used then they would be used to retaliate. |
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N |
New
Testament |
Part
of the Bible together with the Hebrew Scripture.
The New Testament contains the Gospels, the Epistles
and the book of Revelation. |
Nuclear
Weapons |
Weapons
of mass destruction the first of which was used on Hiroshima. |
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O |
Old
Testament |
Another
name for the Hebrew Scripture, part of the Bible |
Orthodox
Church |
See
Eastern Orthodox. |
Ovum |
Another
name for the egg produced by a woman each month. |
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P |
Prayer |
Talking
to, communication with God. |
Procreation |
Having
babies. |
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Q |
No
entries |
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R |
Race |
A
group of people with common ancestors, who have similar physical
characteristics eg: hair colour, eye colour or skin colour,
or belong to the same group or country. |
Racism |
Making
negative moral judgments about someone because of their race. |
Reconciliation |
To
get closer to God through the forgiveness of
your sins. |
Repentance |
To
be sorry for the sins that you have committed. |
Roman
Catholic |
The
denomination, based in Rome, that is headed
by the Pope. |
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S |
Sacrament |
An
outward sign of something special and holy. The Roman Catholics,
Orthodox and the Anglicans believe in 7 sacraments.Baptism,
Eucharist, Confirmation, holy orders, forgiveness of sins,
anointing of the sick, and Marriage. Most Protestant
churches recognise only the first two of these. |
Sacred |
Something
which is holy or devoted to God. |
Salvation
Army |
A
protestant church formed by William Booth to
help the poor. It works to help people's physical needs as
well as their spiritual ones. |
Secular |
Anything
that is not religious. |
Sexism |
Treating
people differently because of their gender. |
Sin |
Doing
something wrong that separates you from God. |
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T |
Temptation |
Being
persuaded to do evil or to sin. |
Ten
Commandments |
The
rules given to Moses by God on Mount Sinai. |
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U |
No
entries |
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V |
Virgin |
A
person who has not had sexual intercourse. |
Vows |
Promises
made in the sight of God. |
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W |
War |
An
act of armed agression against another group or country. |
Worship |
The
act of prayer or actions dedicated to praising God. |
Worshipper |
A
person who is involved in an act of worship. |
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XYZ |
Zygote |
The
joined sperm and egg from the moment of contraception
until thetime it "beds" into the wall of the womb
and develops an umbilical cord. |
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