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Documents for "Miscellaneous Religion":
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abracadabra
magical formula used by the Gnostics (see Gnosticism ) to invoke the aid of benevolent spirits to ward off disease and affliction. It is supposed to be derived from the abraxas, a word that was engraved on gems and amulets or was variously worn as a...
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Albigenses
[Lat.,=people of Albi, one of their centers], religious sect of S France in the Middle Ages.
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alchemy
ancient art of obscure origin that sought to transform base metals (e.g., lead) into silver and gold; forerunner of the science of chemistry. Some scholars hold that it was first practiced in...
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astrology
form of divination based on the theory that the movements of the celestial bodies—the stars, the planets, the sun, and the moon—influence human affairs and determine the course of events. Celestial phenomena have...
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Babism
system of doctrines proclaimed in Persia in 1844 by Ali Muhammad of Shiraz. Influenced by the Shaykhi Shiite theology that viewed the Twelve Imams as incarnations of the Divine, Ali Muhammad...
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Baha'i
religion founded by Baha Ullah (born Mirza Huseyn Ali Nuri) and promulgated by his eldest son, Abdul Baha (1844-1921). It is a doctrinal outgrowth of Babism , with Baha Ullah as the Promised One of the earlier religion. The Baha'i faith holds that God can be made known to humankind through manifestations that have come at various stages of human...
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Baphomet
idol or mystical figure that the Knights Templars were accused of worshiping in the 14th cent. Apparently the name was unknown before that time in Western demonology. Its origin is disputed: it may...
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Bogomils
members of Europe's first great dualist church, which flourished in Bulgaria and the Balkans from the 10th to the 15th cent. Their creed, adapted from the Paulicians and modified by other Gnostic and Manichaean sources, is attributed to Theophilus or Bogomil, a Bulgarian priest of the 10th cent. The movement was intensely nationalistic and political, as well as...
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Cathari
[Gr.,=pure], name for members of the widespread dualistic religious movement of the Middle Ages. Carried from the Balkans to Western Europe, Catharism flourished in the 12th and 13th cent. as far...
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Golden Dawn, Hermetic Order of the
occult-oriented fraternal organization established by the Freemasons in England (1888), led by S. L. MacGregor Mathers (1854-1917). The order's rituals were derived from writings by Fred Hockley,...
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Mandaeans
or Mandeans , a small religious sect in Iran and S Iraq, who maintain an ancient belief resembling that of Gnosticism and that of the Parsis. They are also known as Christians of St. John, Nasoraeans, Sabians, and Subbi. A few Mandaeans survive, some near the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, others in the area of Shushtar, Iran, and in...
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meditation
religious discipline in which the mind is focused on a single point of reference. It may be a means of invoking divine grace , as in the contemplation by Christian mystics of a spiritual theme, question, or problem; or it may be a means of attaining conscious union with the divine, e.g., through visualization of a deity...
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Neopaganism
polytheistic religious movement, practiced in small groups by partisans of pre-Christian religious traditions such as Egyptian, Greek, Norse, and Celtic. Neopagans fall into two broad categories,...
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New Age
a term popularized in the 1980s to describe a wide-ranging set of beliefs and practices that are an outgrowth of the counterculture of the 1960s and 70s in the United States. Adherents of the New...
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Pele
Hawaiian goddess of the volcano. Her traditional home is Halemaumau, the fire pit of Kilauea crater on the island of Hawaii.
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poltergeist
[Ger.,=knocking ghost], in spiritism , certain phenomena, such as rapping, movement of furniture, and breaking of crockery, for which there is no apparent scientific explanation. Believers in spiritism interpret these phenomena,...
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Rastafarianism
a religious-cultural movement that began (1930s) in Jamaica. Rastafarians believe that Haile Selassie , also named Ras Tafari, the last emperor of Ethiopia (d. 1975), is the Messiah. They tend to reject...
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Rosicrucians
members of an esoteric society or group of societies, who claim that their order has been in existence since the days of ancient Egypt and has over the course of time included many of the world's...
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Santería
religion originating in W Africa, developed by Yoruba slaves in Cuba, and practiced by an estimated one million people in the United States. Blending African beliefs with those of Roman Catholicism, it fuses Christian saints with African deities...
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Satanism
The cult of Satan, or Satan worship, is in part a survival of the ancient worship of demons and in part a revolt against Christianity or the church. It rose about the 12th cent. in Europe and...
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Scientology, Church of
philosophical religion founded by L(afayette) Ron(ald) Hubbard, 1911-86, b. Tilden, Nebr. Hubbard's book Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health (1950) first set forth the basis of his philosophy, offering an alternative path to overcoming physical and mental stress. The church believes that a person's spirit can be cleared of past painful...
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spiritism
or spiritualism, belief that the human personality continues to exist after death and can communicate with the living through the agency of a medium or psychic. The advocates of spiritism argue that death merely...
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theosophy
[Gr.,=divine wisdom], philosophical system having affinities with mysticism and claiming insight into the nature of God and the world through direct knowledge, philosophical speculation, or some physical process. This system of thought differs from many other philosophical...
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Unification Church
religious sect founded (1954) in Korea by Sun Myung Moon. Moon moved to the United States in 1971. He and his wife, Hak J. Han, are seen by followers as "True Parents." He claims to have communicated with Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and the Buddha in his spiritual search, and has declared himself to be the "Messiah." Moon matches his followers with mates and performs mass weddings, the church's most important ritual. Officially known as the Holy Spirit Association for the Unification for World Christianity, the...
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voodoo
[from the god Vodun], native W African religious beliefs and practices that also has adherents in the New World. Voodoo believers are most numerous in Haiti, where voodoo was granted official...
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witchcraft
a form of sorcery, or the magical manipulation of nature for self-aggrandizement, or for the benefit or harm of a client. This manipulation often involves the use of spirit-helpers, or familiars.
...
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zombi
or zombie , in voodoo , a person believed to have been raised from the grave by a houngan [sorcerer] for purposes of enslavement. The zombi is used by its master to perform heavy manual labor and...
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