A brief dictionary of terms that are frequently used in interfaith materials and programs.

Allah

The Arabic for God. This is not a name for God, but means the one God. Thus, in interfaith prayer, a Christian can join with a Muslim in praying to Allah without praying "to a different God." Christians and Muslims may have different ideas about the one God, but certainly both affirm there is but one God. Thus, whatever their intentions or starting places, their prayers are directed to the same compassionate and loving Source of all life.

Ancestor(s)

Japanese often maintain altars in their homes where offerings are made to ancestors. Such a practice is sometimes called "ancestor worship" by Western observers, but this is not a helpful characterization of what Japanese see more in terms of reverence and remembrance. Within Japanese culture this is a fine distinction, however, as ancestors can become objects of worship as kami.

Attachment(s)

In Hindu and Buddhist teachings attachments are emotional ties that hinder one's spiritual realization.

Awake

The literal meaning of "Buddha" and the goal of Buddhist practice. It means to see things as they are and not as we would like them to be.

Awareness

A word often used to describe the state of being awake. It is not knowledge, which concerns information, nor is it wisdom, which suggests insight. Buddhists sometimes use this word to refer to mindfulness, which is one of the steps of the Eightfold Path.

Baha'i(s)

Members of the Baha'i religious community which follows the teachings of Baha'u'llah, a Persian prophet of the late 19th century. Baha'is are very active in interfaith activities, especially as they relate to the work of the UN.

Belief(s)

The essential ideas of a religious tradition. Belief is not the same as faith, although these two nouns (in the English language) share the same verb, believe. The mistaken identification of faith with belief is one of the great misfortunes of religious thought.

Believer(s)

The follower or followers of a particular way or religious tradition. This word suggests that beliefs are the main identifying characteristic of members of a faith, which is not always the case, as many religious traditions emphasize forms of practice or rituals rather than beliefs. Thus, it is best not to refer to members of religious communities as believers, unless the members describe themselves this way.

Blessing(s)

Words used by religious priests to seek or invoke the help of God or gods for others. Sometimes religious people refer to various experiences or aspects of their lives as blessings, acknowledging that they have not earned these but are grateful to God for them.

Bible

Most frequently used to refer to the writings that are holy scripture for Christians. But these should generally be called the Christian Bible, as the writings used by Jews are sometimes called the Hebrew or Jewish Bible. Many of the writings in the first part of the Christian Bible, which Christians call the Old Testament to distinguish it from the writings that were developed by the early church to convey the "good news" about Jesus, are also in the Hebrew Bible. The word "Bible" is sometimes used metaphorically to mean any writing that is used as scripture by a religious community.

Bodhisattva(s)

Followers of Buddha who have attained spiritual perfection but who choose to continue live in the world, rather than leave the cycle of rebirth, in order to help others find their way to enlightenment and freedom.

Buddha

Literally means "awake." Title used for the teacher who founded the Buddhist tradition. The Buddha was born Siddhartha Gautama of the Shakyas in the sixth century BCE. He is sometimes referred to as Shakyamuni. The word "Buddha" is also used to describe the nature of being awake, as the Buddha was, and so it is said that everyone may become a Buddha.

Buddhism

Religion of those who follow the teachings attributed to the Buddha. Because this word suggests that there is one system of thought and practice based on a single set of teachings of the Buddha, it is misleading. There are many different Buddhist schools of thought and forms of practice, and while they share as scripture many of the same texts from a large collection of accepted materials, there is much diversity among them in emphasis and usage. It is more accurate to refer to the Buddhist tradition, with its many communities and forms of practice, than to Buddhism.

Buddhist(s)

Buddhists are those who participate in communities of faith and practice which rely primarily on the teachings attributed to the Buddha. As an adjective, Buddhist can refer to the tradition of faith and practice inspired by the Buddha.

Cause(s)

In religious writings, causes are often understood to involve a dimension of reality that cannot be identified and measured in ways that physical causes can be verified.

Christian(s)

Those who are baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. To be a Christian is to be a member of a church, the community of Christians. As an adjective, Christian may be used to refer to the quality of life which followers of Jesus Christ are supposed to have.

Christianity

A word used to refer to the Christian religion. As the Christian religion only exists in churches and Christian communities, which historically have often been at odds with one another, it is not very helpful to speak of Christianity. It is better to speak of the Christian tradition, or Christian communities, or Christian teachings, or Christians, all of which can be specifically identified.

Community (Communities)

Religious people often refer to their groups as communities, which distinguishes them from more impersonal forms of association, such as societies or simply organizations. The root of the word "community" suggest a certain intimacy, which is not denoted by other terms used to describe human groups.

Comparative Religion

The phrase suggests a study of religions in comparison with one another, which has the unfortunate connotation of evaluating religions. Often it merely means studying about different religions, their beliefs and their practices. Comparisons are usually drawn in such an approach, but in most cases no single standard is identified as a basis for evaluation.

Contemplation

Refers to a form of meditative practice or prayer within the Christian tradition. Contemplation has been central to the life of the Christian monastic communities for fifteen hundred years and has recently been taught more widely, partly in response to interest among members of Western cultures in Eastern forms of meditation.

Culture(s)

Refers to the customs and traditions of a people. Religion is seen as a set of these customs and traditions which concerns the divine and the relation of people to that which is divine. In cultures that have existed into the modern era relatively unaffected by global religious traditions and cultures, religion and culture are barely distinguishable. Religion in this sense is a way of life. In cultures that have been shaped over history by contact with other cultural and religious traditions, which is the case throughout most of the world, the possibility arose of having more than one set of religious practices within a culture.

This distinction is never very precise, however, as the interaction of cultural and religious traditions leads to changes in both. When Christian communities developed within the Roman Empire and its culture, there were also Jewish communities and many other religious cults. One might say that within the Roman culture there were various religious traditions. In China when Buddhist teachings and practices entered the culture, Taoist and Confucian teachings and practices were challenged and affected, although the result was not different religions as in the West but the association of different religious practices with certain areas of culture. But again, within the culture one finds different religious practices associated with distinct organizations and teaching traditions.

Dalit(s)

Literally means "oppressed." This term is used by the outcastes of Hindu society, who were traditionally called Untouchables. Dalits do not use the term Harijans, which Gandhi used to describe them, for they find the phrase "Children of God" patronizing and politically impotent. Dalits reject the notion that they are a part of the Hindu tradition and see Hinduism as a form of oppression, rather than as a religion. Thus, they resist any talk of respecting Hindu tradition.

Deity (Deities)

Refers to God or gods. In some cultures more than one deity is worshipped, as in the Hindu tradition, and yet not all Hindus would see this as simply polytheism, or a belief in many gods. Some would argue that deities are manifestations of God who is neither one nor many.

Demonic

Refers to any tendency or inclination leading to or resulting in evil. The demonic may be personified as demons, or as the Devil, but need not be.

Detachment

In the Hindu and Buddhist traditions this is the opposite of attachment and thus the answer to the suffering of life. Each tradition offers methods for attaining this state of awareness and emotional and psychological freedom.

Devotion(s)

A generic term referring to worship, meditation and prayer. In interfaith meetings this term is often used to describe the religious practice which may be shared by participants. The word devotion is also used to describe an attitude of trust and submission to the divine.

Dharma

Means teaching or law or way. Buddhists refer to their teachings as the Dharma (or Dhamma in the Pali language). Hindus also use this term, and sometimes it is used metaphorically in interfaith discussions to refer to a tradition's teachings or central message.

Diversity

This noun is used a great deal in interfaith discussion to suggest that the differences among religious traditions are to be respected. It is a term without any evaluative connotation, which makes it convenient but which also means it is of limited usefulness. Certainly, most of those involved in interfaith activity do not suspend all judgment of what is right and wrong, nor do they affirm that all practices described as religious are to be given equal respect.

Dialogue

Inter-religious or interfaith dialogue is conversation between members of two traditions about their traditions. It is not simply discussion about one or more faith traditions, but discussion between participants in more than one tradition. As it connotes the clarification of concepts about religious traditions, more personal interactions between members of different religious traditions are sometimes called encounters rather than dialogues.

Divine

A generic word referring to God or gods or to that state of personal experience which is related to either. This word is useful, for instance, in discussions between Christians and participants in Shinto rituals, for by referring more generally to that which is important to both it does not immediately foreclose conversation, which might be the case if the words God and gods (or kami) were used.

Doctrine(s)

The beliefs held by a religious community to be essential to its faith and life. Within the Christian tradition, these are sometimes referred to as dogma(s).

Duty (Duties)

The heart of religious practice. Duties are defined in relation to God or the gods and in relation to other participants in the religious community, such as one's teacher. In the Hindu culture, the duties one has to members of other castes form one's dharma, or way of living so as to advance along the cycle of rebirth.

Ecumenical

Refers to cooperation among Christians. There are many different communities and organizations of Christians, and so it is most accurate to speak of Christian churches rather than the Christian church. The ecumenical movement refers to cooperation among the Christian churches. Occasionally, cooperation among people of different religious communities is said to be ecumenical, but usually such cooperation is described as inter-religious or interfaith activity.

Encounter

Used to describe interfaith activity that goes beyond what is normally called dialogue. This includes activities such as praying or meditating together, social events, ongoing meetings which are not limited to formal discussion about religious concepts, and conversations involving persons from more than two religious traditions.

Ethics

Teachings about what is morally right. All religious traditions have ethical implications and most contain teachings specifically concerned with morals, which may be called ethics. Thus we may read of Christian ethics or Jewish Ethics or Buddhist ethics. As ethics must be derived from some set of principles, there is no such thing as Ethics - that is, every ethics is derived from a religious or cultural tradition. The study of these different ethical systems is sometimes called Ethics.

Exclusive

In interfaith activity this term is used to describe religious communities which affirm that salvation may be achieved only through their faith and practices. Many Christian communities and Muslim communities and some Jewish communities and Buddhist communities make this claim.

Faith

Refers to trusting in God, and/or in the teachings and teachers of a tradition, which is necessary for salvation. Faith is not belief, although it is always accompanied by beliefs. Beliefs are concepts. Faith is a trusting relationship, with God and/or with one's teachers, who are known through writings and personal experience. It is more than mental activity. It involves the whole personality.

Thus faith is more than believing, although in English it shares this verb with the noun belief. Faith is trusting and relying on that which is not always clear or convincing to the mind. To have faith one must believe at least in the possibility of salvation, but one does not have to believe anything in particular about what is needed for salvation.

In the Christian tradition faith has been identified with certain beliefs, or with assent to certain doctrines. These beliefs are sometimes called the content or contents of faith, to distinguish them from the attitude of trusting which is also part of faith. The history of reformation within the Christian tradition largely concerns the content of faith, and the various interpretations that exist in churches today suggest that Christian faith should not be reduced to any one set of beliefs. Christian faith is trusting in the love of God, which is present most fully in Jesus Christ. Such faith involves believing Jesus is Christ, the Son of God, but it involves much more than holding certain beliefs about how or why this is so. Faith in God in Christ means giving oneself to God and seeking to live in the Spirit of Christ.

Some scholars argue that faith is a category applicable only to theistic religious traditions, and thus that it is not a term that should be used to describe a religious practice which does not rely on belief in God. For instance, some scholars would deny that Buddhists have faith. Yet often Buddhists use the word faith to describe their religious tradition and practice.

Faith is such a central term, not only to Christians and Muslims, but to many other religious people as well, that it deserves a careful study to know what it means in a particular context. In addition, one has to remember that the English word faith developed in the West as a way of expressing concepts from the Hebrew, Greek and Latin words used by Christians to communicate their understanding of God as known in Jesus the Christ. Thus care must be taken in using faith to translate key religious terms from other languages and cultures.

Faiths

Often used to mean religions. In this sense it is a purely descriptive term, without any of the meaning of trust which is generally implied by referring to faith. Also this plural implies that one can refer to the Christian faith, the Muslim faith, the Jewish faith, and so forth. But it is more accurate to refer to Christian faith, Muslim faith, and Jewish faith, as these different ways of trusting in God are not fixed but are changing as these traditions are changed and are reformed. To speak of the Christian faith or the Muslim faith is to equate these faiths with certain beliefs. It is more helpful to describe the different religious traditions not as faiths but as different faith traditions, or as religions.

Family

Those who restrict this word to the family members living together or their immediate parents need to be aware that members of other cultures and religious traditions often use this word to include a much larger group of relatives.

Freedom

In a religious sense freedom means being able to do what is right, being saved or being awake or being one with the divine spirit. Thus, in a religious sense, the truly free person is the one who submits to God, who is faithful, and who does her or his duty as a member of the community of faith. Such freedom is no one's right but everyone's opportunity.

Freedom of Religion (Religious Freedom)

This fundamental human right is guaranteed under international law by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and Discrimination Based on Religion and Belief. Communities are guaranteed the right to worship and teach their tradition subject only to such limitations as are necessary to protect the public good and the fundamental rights and freedoms of others.

Fundamemtalist(s)

This term is generally used to refer to religious groups which are vehemently opposed to other religious beliefs different from their own (including beliefs of members of their own religious tradition) and which seek to impose the "true" beliefs on all others. However, some Christians and Muslims use this term to mean getting back to the fundamentals of faith and being liberated from cultural forms which are not supported by the essential teachings of the tradition. Therefore, when referring to those aggressive groups generally called "fundamentalists," it is more precise to speak of religious extremists.

Gandhian

Reference to the ideas of Mohandas Gandhi. He taught not only social and political change through the practice of non-violence but also basic respect for all the major religious traditions.

Global

This descriptive word refers to the earth and those that share it. Unlike the word "world," which in religious terms often has a negative connotation, global simply describes our earth and all that we share on it.

God

As a singular noun, refers to the Creator, Sustainer and Redeemer of all life. Those, such as Hindus and Buddhists, who see creation and the natural order as the result of causal forces that need not be identified with a personal Being, tend not to speak of God. In Arabic the word Allah simply means God. It is not a name for God but refers to the one God.

Gods

For those who trust in "God" the plural "gods" is a negative term denoting a lack of faith in God. For those who do not identify creation and the order of life with the activity of a personal Being, the word gods means those beings (or forces taking the form of beings) which participate in some special way in the power behind the order and structure of the universe. From this point of view, speaking of gods is not necessarily denying a single source or foundation for the universe, although it is denying that this is best represented by the personal qualities attributed to God by those with faith in her or him.

Ground of Being

Term coined by the Christian theologian and philosopher Paul Tillich to refer to God in impersonal terms. This way of referring to God is sometimes used in interfaith discourse in order to soften the distinction between the claims of those who affirm their faith in God and those who express their faith in terms denoting a more impersonal source of life.