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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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