Glossary of religious terms
(Starting with "P")
By
B.A. Robinson,
Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance,
Canada
http://www.religioustolerance.org/glossary.htm
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Note:
Conservative Christian faith groups often define terms
very differently than other faith groups and secular
movements. The former are shown in italics
in the below lists of words.
| Pacifism
of Islam: The belief in Islam that war is
an abnormal activity opposed to the will of God.
It is sometimes forced on Muslims. When entered
into must be limited, humane, and involve minimal
damage to the land and possessions. |
| Padre:
This is the word for "father"
in the Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish languages.
Its origin can be traced to the Latin word "pater,"
which also means father. It is often used
to refer to a member of the Christian clergy,
particularly one who is a military chaplain. |
| Paedobaptism:
Baptism of infants. |
Pagan:
This word has many unrelated meanings. Some definitions
are:
| - |
Wiccans
and other Neopagans sometimes use Pagan
as a synonym for Neopagan. |
| - |
Religious
and social conservatives often use the term
as a general-purpose "snarl"
word to refer to cultures and religions
very different from the speaker's. |
| - |
a
person who is neither Christian,
a Muslim
or a Jew.
|
| - |
an
animistic, spirits-and-essences filled belief
system, usually polytheistic. It is based
upon direct perception of the forces of
nature and usually involves the use of idols,
talismans and taboos in order to convey
respect for these forces and beings. |
| - |
The
ancient religions of Egypt, Greece, Rome,
and other civilizations are often referred
to as Pagan religions. Societies surrounding
the ancient Israelites are often referred
to as Pagan. 1 |
|
| Pagoda:
A religious building, especially a multistory
Buddhist tower in the Far East, erected as a memorial
or shrine. |
| Palm
reading: Attempting to foretell a person's
future and reveal their past through an analysis
of the lines on a person's hand. Fortune tellers
generally have great confidence in this technique.
Many conservative Christians consider it a dangerous
form of divination forbidden in the Bible. |
| Panentheism,
Panentheist: (From the Greek pan-en-theos
which means all-in-God) Like Pantheism, Panentheism
includes the belief that God is in everything.
The belief that the entire universe - substances,
forces and laws -- is God - the universe is God's
body. But, in addition, God is seen as transcending
the universe. This belief is seen in Process Theology
and in some components of New
Age belief. Leading Panentheists in
the present and recent past are John Cobb, Charles
Hartshorne, Shubert Ogden, and Alfred North Whitehead. |
| Pantheism,
Pantheist: From the Greek words "pan"
(all) and "theos" (God). God
is all. The belief that every existing entity
(humans, animals, etc.) together, is a part of
God. The entire universe is divine. They do not
view God in personal terms, as having a personality,
having the ability to make decisions, able to
interact with humans, etc. |
| Pantheon:
A group of Gods and/or Goddesses worshiped by
a single religion. One example was the Greek pantheon.
The term originated with the name of a building:
the Pantheon -- a circular temple built in the
first century BCE
in Rome, and dedicated to all of the deities. |
| Parachurch:
A religious organization that operates outside
of a denomination or sect. Their membership, catchment
area, and message often cut across denominational
lines. Typical examples are Promise Keepers, Focus
on the Family, the Family Research Council. |
| Parousia:
From the Greek word "parousia,"
meaning "presence." The second
coming when many Christians expect Jesus Christ to
return to earth. This is a major focus of most
conservative Christians. |
| Parthenogenesis:
Virgin birth. |
| Partial
life: This is a Jewish term to refer to the
status of a fetus. In Jewish
law, a fetus normally becomes a full human person
when its head emerges from the birth canal. Before
that event, the fetus is considered of lesser
importance than a full human being. The same term
has many other meanings in biology and manufacturing. |
|
Particular Redemption: This is the
third of The Five Points of Calvinism:
the belief that Jesus did not die to save
all humans. He died only for the sake of specific
sins of those who are saved. Sometimes called
"Limited atonement." |
| Passover:
This is the most important feast of the Jewish
calendar, celebrated at the first full moon after
the Vernal Equinox. The name "Passover"
was derived from the actions of the angel of death
as described in the book of Exodus. The angel
"passed over" the homes of
the Jews which were marked with the blood obtained
from a ritual animal sacrifice. The same angel
murdered the first-born son and first-born animals
of every Egyptian family whose doorway was not
so marked. |
| Past
life regression: A therapeutic technique in
which the patient is urged to imagine going back
in time, past their birth, into a former lifetime.
It is a suggestive treatment method that can easily
generate
memories of events that never happened
without either the patient or therapist being
aware of the process. |
| Peccability:
The concept that Jesus Christ
could have sinned
if he had wanted to. |
| Pedobaptism:
The practice of baptising an infant. Most conservative
Protestant denominations defer baptism until later
in life when a person becomes born again. |
| Pedophile:
From two Greek words: ''pedo" means
"child;" and "philia"
means "love for." This is a word
whose meaning is changing. In the past, it referred
to an adult who is sexually attracted to pre-pubescent
children -- often those who fall into a specific
age range, like 5 or 6. Currently, it is evolving
to mean a person who sexually molests pre-pubescent
children. See hebephile.
|
| Pelagianism:
A concept proposed by Pelagious (circa 356 to
circa 418) who denied the existence of original
sin inherited from Adam. He taught that a soul
created by god cannot inheret sin from an ancestor.
Thus humans are born morally neutral. They can
fall into habits of sin but can overcome sin through
mental effort. He promoted adult baptism in place
of infant baptism. His beliefs were declared heretical
by the Christian movement. |
| Penance:
A Roman Catholic sacrament in which sins are forgiven
by a priest. |
| Pentacle:
a five pointed star inside a circle -- most commonly
used by Wiccans
and other Neopagans.
Some Satanists
invert the pentacle so that one point is downwards
and two upwards; they often add a goat's head
to the inverted pentacle. |
| Pentagram:
a five pointed star. Wiccans
and other Neopagans
are the main North American groups who use
a pentagram as a religious symbol. They orient
the star with one point upwards, two downwards.
The points of the star are often interpreted to
refer to earth, air, water, fire and spirit. Satanists,
who are numerically much smaller group than Wiccans,
sometimes use an inverted pentagram. |
| Pentateuch:
See Torah |
Pentecost:
| - |
In
Christianity, a holy day celebrated 49 days
after Easter Sunday. It recalls the visitation
of the Holy Spirit to 120 Christians 50
days after Jesus' resurrection. They spoke
in tongues This is usually regarded
as the date of the birth of the Christian
church. |
| - |
In
Judaism, a festival which was called "Pentecost,"
because it was observed 50 days after Passover.
(The Greek word for 50th day
is "pentecoste.") |
|
| Pentecostals:
those Christian individuals, churches and denominations
who believe in the Holy Spirit Baptism,
a second manifestation of the power God of which
follows an individual's conversion to Christianity.
It is evidenced by glossolilia, or "speaking
in tongues". Services are highly
emotional. There are about 50 Pentecostal denominations
in North America, including the Assemblies
of God, Church of God in Christ, Association
of Vineyard Churches, the Full Gospel
Baptist Church Fellowship, United Pentecostal
Church International, Church of God in
Christ and the Pentecostal World Conference.
This is the fastest growing family of denominations
in Christianity. Its roots can be traced to the
National Holiness Movement which came into
being after the Civil War, and to the Baptist,
Methodist denominations. Most denominations allow
women to become at least junior pastors. Jim Bakker,
Benny Hinn, Jimmy Swaggart and Pat Robinson are
among the most famous Pentecostal leaders. BeliefNet
estimated that there are about 24 million Pentecostal
followers in the U.S. in early 2001. |
| Perfectionism:
The belief that a person can attain a state of
sinlesslessness. |
| Perseverance
of the Saints: This is the fifth of the five
points of Calvinism: It is the belief that
whoever is saved and will remain saved forever.
"Once
saved, always saved." |
| Pharisees:
A Jewish religious party composed of the synagogue
rabbis and their followers. They formed one of
about two dozen Jewish religious groups during
the 1st century CE. |
| Physico-theology:
A 17th and 18th century approach to the belief
in God derived from observations of physics in
nature. William Derhamwrote a book with the same
name in 1711. He said: "Let us ransack all
the globe, let us with the greatest accuracy inspect
every part thereof...pry into them with all our
microscopes and most exquisite instruments, till
we find them to bear testimony to their infinite
workman." |
| Pietism:
"...a religious reawakening in the Lutheran
and Reformed churches in Germany and the Anglican
church in England during the 17th and 18th centuries.
Pietism stresses conversion and a personal experience
of salvation, Bible study, devotional life, evangelical
witness and a continuous openness to new light.
There is also an emphasis on Christian social
responsibility..." 3 |
Pluralism:
In a religious sense, the term has two quite different
different meanings:
| - |
The
belief that multiple religions or secular
world views are all legitimate and valid.
Each is "true"
when viewed from within its own culture.
This contrasts with exclusivism
and inclusivism.
|
| - |
The
fact that religious diversity exists within
in a country or the world. |
Unfortunately,
it is sometimes not obvious from the context
which definition an author or speaker is using.
This makes dialog on pluralism rather difficult.
More
details. |
Plurality:
In a religious sense:
| - |
A
situation in which many different religions
or world views exist in a country. |
|
| Pneumatology:
The theological study of the Holy Spirit --
one person within the Christian Trinity. |
| Progrom:
Christian attacks on Jews, generally in Europe
and Russia. Unlike the Holocaust, they were sporadic
not systematic. They lasted for centuries. |
| Polemics:
A systematic defense of a religious belief system
from attacks from within the same religion. See
Apologetics. |
| Politically
correct: Treating other people's religion,
culture, etc. with sensitivity. Normally used
as a term of denigration. |
| Polyandry:
The extremely rare practice in which a woman is
married to more than one husband. |
| Polygamy:
An umbrella term encompassing both polyandry
and polygyny. |
| Polygyny:
The practice whereby a man has more than one
wife. This was seen in many places in the Bible.
It is still practiced in predominately Muslim
countries where a man can generally be married
to up to four wives -- but only if he can treat
them equally. This is seen in many Western U.S.
states among some fundamentalist Mormon denominations.
It is legal -- sort of -- in British Columbia,
Canada. |
| Polytheist:
one who believes in the existence of more than
one deity. A polytheist often believes in both
Gods and Goddesses. Often confused with "henotheist." |
| Porajmos:
(in English: the Devouring): The systematic extermination
of about 400,000 Roma (a.k.a. Gypsies) during
World War II by the Nazi German regime. The total
Nazi extermination program, totaled ten to fourteen
million humans, included Jews, Roma, Russians,
Poles, other Slavs, homosexuals,
Jehovah's
Witnesses etc. . |
| Positive
Confession: (a.k.a. Word of Faith movement,
Health & Wealth Gospel, Name it and Claim
it, and Faith-formula). A group of conservative
Protestant para-church ministries which focus
on "anointed" ministers and the health,
wealth, and success of their viewers and donors.
MinistryWatch estimates that their total income
is in excess of a half billion dollars annually.
2 |
| Postmillennialism:
(aka Post-millennialism): The belief that
we are now living in the Millennium period. After
this is over, Jesus will return to earth and conduct
the final judgment. This was the near universal
belief system of Protestants during the 17th
and 18th century. It has since been
replaced by Pre-millennialism among conservative
Christians. |
| Post
Modernism: (a.k.a. Postmodernism): The term
means different things to different people. Some
use it as a general purpose "snarl"
word to attack all religiously liberal thought.
Others define it as a belief that there are no
absolute
social/religious/cultural truths. Relative
truths exist, but they are only valid for a given
culture at a given time. Other traditions, religions,
eras, races, genders, cultures, and groups believe/believed
in other, often conflicting, truths. All of these
alternative "truths" are valid, at least
to the group that follows them. Postmodernism
has been adopted by some liberal Christians, but
is regarded as a serious error by all or essentially
all conservative Christians. |
| Prayer:
The act of attempting to verbally communicate
with the supernatural. It is found in almost all
the religions of the world. It is sometimes communal,
as during a church service; it is sometimes done
in private. Its purpose within Christianity is
to assess
the will of God for one's life, to
praise God, to give thanks to God, to repent of
sinful behavior, to ask forgiveness, to seek a
favor from God, and (occasionally) to ask God
to curse an opponent. Prayer is found in almost
all religions. |
| Predestination:
This is a controversial doctrine promoted by John
Calvin and other theologians. God has divided
humanity into two groups: a small percentage of
people who God will save and who will attain heaven.
God has decided to not save a much larger group;
they will spend eternity being tortured without
mercy in Hell. Only after God chooses an individual
can they understand and accept salvation. |
Pregnancy,
start of:
| - |
General
medical definition: Pregnancy begins
when the pre-embryo attaches to the wall
of the uterus, about 12 days after conception. |
| - |
Common
pro-life definitions: Pregnancy begins
at conception, or shortly afterwards when
a unique DNA is formed. |
| - |
The
difference in definitions makes dialog concerning
abortion
and emergency
contraception (a.k.a. the morning
after pill) very difficult. More
info. |
|
| Premillennialism:
a belief that the moral condition of the world
is degenerating, that a period of great suffering
will occur in the near future, that "born
again" believers will rise from the earth
to be with Jesus, and that Jesus Christ will establish
himself as king and start a 1,000 year period
of peace. Originally a Christian heresy in the
early church, this belief is now promoted by most
Evangelical Christians. |
Presbyterian:
| - |
The
name of a Christian denomination, like the
Presbyterian Church, USA, who trace their
spiritual roots back to Calvin. |
| - |
A
method of church government by the ministers
and representative elders from each congregation
in a given district. |
|
| Presuppositionalism:
a conservative Christian belief that accepts on
faith that God exists and that the Bible is true.
No attempt is made to prove these beliefs
logically or from evidence. Leading proponents
of presuppositional apologetics include Greg Bahsen,
John Frame, Abraham Kuyper, and Cornelius Van
Til. |
| Preterism:
A Christian belief system in which some or all
of the end-time events specified in the Christian
Scriptures (New Testament) are believed to have
already been fulfilled. They were accomplished
in the past, particularly during the Roman-Jewish
war of 66 to 73 CE. |
| Preterist:
A Christian who believes in Preterism. |
| Priesthood
of all believers: The belief that saved individuals
can have access to God directly, without the need
for a professional priesthood to act as intermediaries. |
| Pro-aborts:
A term used mainly by U.S. religious and social
conservatives to refer both to the majority of
American adults who favor abortion access
(pro-choicers), and to the small number of Americans
who actively promote abortion as a solution to
unwanted pregnancy. |
| Pro-choice:
A belief that pregnant women should have free,
or relatively free, access to abortion. There
is a range of beliefs among people who consider
themselves pro-choice: some would allow the woman
to have an abortion for any reason up to the moment
of birth. Others would restrict access to abortion
under various conditions. Common reasons held
by some pro-choice advocates include a pregnancy
in its later stages when the fetus is sentient,
abortions for sex selection, and/or cases where
the fetus is minimally genetically defective There
is no consensus on the meaning of the term, although
many people hold firmly to their own definition
as the only correct one. |
| Pro-life:
A belief that pregnant women should have limited
or no access to abortion. There is a range of
beliefs among people who consider themselves pro-life:
some would allow the woman and the fetus to die
rather than terminate the life of the fetus; others
would allow abortion for specific reasons but
criminalize it under all other situations. Common
reasons held by some pro-life advocates to allow
abortion are: pregnancies resulting from rape,
pregnancies arising from incest, pregnancies in
which the fetus is very seriously genetically
malformed and would quickly die, and/or pregnancies
that would seriously harm the health and perhaps
cause permanent disability to the woman if they
are not terminated. There is no consensus on the
meaning of the term "pro-life", although
many people hold firmly to their own definition
as the only correct one. In recent years, the
meaning of the term has expanded to include matters
related to assisted
suicide, in-vitro
fertilization, the
death penalty, pre-implantation
diagnosis, etc. |
| Process
Theology: A view of God which is based on
the writings of Alfred North Whitehead. The traditional
view of a immutable, omnipresent, omniscient and
omnipotent deity is replaced by a God is who is
in process. He is constantly changing, learning,
and evolving along with humanity. God affects
history indirectly through gentle persuasion and
not directly by coercion. He does not intrude
directly in human activities; he does not violate
the laws of nature by creating a miracle. Rather,
"God gently persuades all entities towards
this perfection by providing each of them with
a glimpse of the divine vision of a better future.
And yet all entities retain the freedom to depart
from that vision." 4 |
Profane:
| - |
When
used to refer to language, "Profane"
generally describes cursing, irreverent
speech, or action. |
| - |
When
used In a religious sense, "profane"
means something that is not sacred and not
associated with religion. |
|
| Progressive
Christianity: A loosely organized very liberal
wing of Christianity whose believers look upon
Christianity as one of many valid spiritual paths
and who stress seeking truth, social justice,
concern for the environment, and peace. Their
groups are open to persons of all genders, races,
sexual orientations, classes, abilities and such
religious minorities as agnostics and skeptics.
5 |
| Proof-text:
A Bible verse or passage in the Bible, which clearly
and directly answers a specific question. |
| Promise
Keepers: A conservative Christian men's movement
founded in 1990 by Bill McCartney. It encourages
men to accept more responsibilities for their
personal behavior and for their family roles.
It is strongly opposed to racism. They promote
a family structure in which men take a leadership
role in families. They oppose equal rights for
gays and lesbians. |
| Prophet:
In the times of the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament)
a person, almost always male, who was a religious
reformer. They claimed to speak for God. |
| Prophecy:
The foretelling of the future through a direct
revelation from God. |
| Proselytize:
To attempt to convert another person to your beliefs. |
Protestantism:
This word has many overlapping definitions:
| - |
A
grouping of thousands of Christian denominations
that trace their history back to the Protestant
Reformation, and the split with the Roman
Catholic church over the authority of the
pope, the grounds for salvation, the status
of the Bible, and the priesthood of all
believers. |
| - |
A
Christian denomination that is not Roman
Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, or the Anglican
Communion. This is the definition that we
generally use on our web site. |
| - |
A
Christian denomination that is neither Roman
Catholic nor Eastern Orthodox. |
|
| Protocols
of the Learned Elders of Zion: A document
forged by the Russian Secret Police in the early
20th century. It was based on an earlier
French novel, and was promoted as evidence of
an international Jewish conspiracy to rule the
world. It is still circulated by some rabidly
antisemitic groups, and is referred to by the
media in some Muslim countries. It was sold in
Wal-Mart online book store until removed shelves
on 2004-SEP-21. It is available online at Amazon.com.
6 |
| Protoevangelium:
Greek for "first message." This
is found in Genesis 3:15. It relates to the relationship
between Eve
and the snake in the Garden of Eden.
Historical Christianity interprets the serpent
as Satan, and has taught that this verse predicts
how the impact of Adam’s and Eve’s sin in the
Garden of Eden would be undone millennia later
by the Messiah, who will bring salvation to all.
Thus, the verse anticipates the gospel message. |
| Pulpit
Theft: A term used to refer to clergy who
buy canned sermons from the Internet or elsewhere
and pass them on as their own creation. See
http://www.desperatepreachers.com
as one example. |
| Pure:
A term used by conservative Christians
to refer to the very small percentage of
teens or young adults who have not become sexually
active before marriage. Many who are not conservative
Christians regard sexual activity within a committed
relationship prior to marriage to be a moral decision,
which makes neither partner less pure; they consider
the term to be offensive. |
| Pure
Land: A Buddhist term for a Land of Ultimate
Bliss into which a person can be reborn after
death and in which they can seek enlightenment
without being subject to retrogression (rebirth
on earth or in a lower realm). |
| Purgatory:
The Roman Catholic Church teaches that almost
everyone who is not sent to hell at death will
go to this place and/or state. They will be purified
through punishment for an interval of time before
going to heaven. Belief in Purgatory was never
accepted by the Orthodox Churches; it has been
rejected by the Protestant Churches. |
| Pyramid
power: The concept that objects in the shape
of the Egyptian pyramids can concentrate power,
preserve materials or heal. We have never seen
any scientific studies which have supported this
belief. |
References:
- We
recommend that the term never be used in speech
or written form unless it is carefully pre-defined.
Otherwise mass confusion will occur. We suggest
that you use the actual name of the religious group
that you are referring to: e.g. Hindu, Animist,
Wiccan, Neopagan, etc. to avoid ambiguity.
- "A
critical look at the 'Word of Faith' ministries,"
Ministry Watch Reflections, 2003-OCT, at:
http://www.ministrywatch.com/
- Wayne
Sutton, "Frequently Asked Questions,"
Church of the Brethren, at: http://www.cob-net.org/
- Sheela
Pawar, "Basis Synopsis of Process Thought,"
Center for Process Studies, at:
http://www.ctr4process.org/WHATISPRCS/
- The
Center for Progressive Christianity lists
"8 Points" which describe Progressive
Christianity. See:
http://www.tcpc.org/
- Victor
Marsden, translator, "The Protocols of the
Learned Elders of Zion," Liberty Bell Publications,
(2004). Read
reviews or order this hate propaganda safely from
Amazon.com online book store
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