Religion keywords

• Theism

  A belief in God or gods
• Atheism

  The view that God or gods do not exist
• Agnosticism

  A belief that we cannot know for certain whether or not God or gods exist
• Trimurti

  Hindu belief in three main forms of the Divine: Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva
• Trinity

  Christian belief that there are three persons in the one God: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit
• Kippah is a small cap or hat without a brim worn by Jewish men when praying
• Tefillin

  Two small leather boxes that contain verses from the Torah and are strapped around the arm and head
• Tallit

  A large rectangular prayer shawl that reminds Jewish people of their duties and obligations
• Salat

  Prayer said five times a day by Muslims; one of the Five Pillars of Islam
• Adhan

  The Muslim call to prayer
• Mantra

  A word, sound or phrase repeated to help concentration in meditation
• Mandala

  A symbol representing the universe in Hindu and Buddhist meditation
• Convert

  To join or change a religion
• Spiritual experience

  An experience that helps someone to believe God exists or helps them to feel close to God
• Grace

  The free and undeserved gift of God's love and mercy
• Annunciation

  The announcement of the Incarnation by the Angel Gabriel to Mary
• Assumption

  The belief in some Christian traditions that Mary's body was raised directly into heaven at the end of her earthly life
• Immaculate Conception

  The Catholic and Islamic belief that Mary was born into the world without sin, making her unique in the history of humankind
• Apparition

  A remarkable or an unexpected appearance of someone or something
• Saint

  Someone believed to be a good example to others because of what they did when alive and who is now in heaven with God
• Canonisation

  To be declared a saint
• Martyr

  Someone who died for their faith
• Missionaries

  Members of a religion who are sent into an area to share their faith and be of service
• Kaaba

  A cube-shaped building in Mecca believed by Muslims to have been originally built by Abraham and his son Ishmael as a place to worship God; the spiritual centre of Islam
• Creed

  A statement of belief
• Persecuted

  To face hostility and ill-treatment, especially because of your race or political or religious beliefs
• Sunni

  The largest denomination of Islam
• Shia

  A minority denomination of Islam
• Belief in fate

  (God knows all that will happen)
• Hijab

  A head covering worn in public by some Muslim women
• Sharia law

  A set of rules and guidelines in Islam that helps Muslims to live a moral life
• Modesty

  Dressing and acting in a way that avoids attracting attention from others
• Niqab

  A veil that covers the face, but leaves a slit for the eyes
• Burka

  The most concealing and controversial of all Islamic veils as it covers the entire face and body; worn for cultural rather than religious reasons
• Islamophobia

  The dislike of or discrimination against Muslims
• Kosher

  Food that is acceptable for Jews to eat because it has been prepared according to Jewish law
• Halal

  Things that are allowed in Islam
• Haram

  Things that are not allowed in Islam
• Ramadan

  The holy month of fasting in Islam
• Jihad

  Means 'to struggle' and can refer to a spiritual struggle for Allah or to a holy war - a struggle to defend Islam