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Hadavar:
Hebrew for "the thing that cannot be
described." A term used to refer to Yahweh.
Many Jews consider the use of God's name directly
to be forbidden or restricted. |
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Hades:
A Greek term generally translated "Hell"
in the King James Version of the Bible. Beliefs
about Hades are divided:
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Some
Christians believe that Hades is a place
where the spirits of unsaved persons and
of believers who died before the ascension
of Christ temporarily reside until the day
of judgment. Then, the unsaved will be thrown
into the lake of fire; the believers will
attain heaven. |
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Others
believe that Hades and Sheol are Hell where
the unsaved are tortured for all eternity. |
|
|
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Hadith:
Sayings and practices of Mohammed. They were collected
after his death. |
|
- |
Hajj:
A pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia
which every Muslim is expected to perform at least
once during their lifetime, if they are physically
and financially able. |
|
- |
Hajji:
A Muslim who has performed a Hajj. The term is
used as a pejorative by U.S. troops in Iraq. |
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- |
Halacha
(a.k.a. Halaka., Halakha): Jewish law custom,
practice or rite. |
|
- |
Halal:
A set of Islamic dietary laws which regulate the
preparation of food. |
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Hallelujah:
A shout or song of praise to God. "Hallel"
means "praise." "Jah"
is an abbreviation of "YWVH."
It appears in many places throughout the last
third of the book of Psalms. It is occasionally
used as a first name, most commonly for girls. |
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Halloween:
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Secular
meaning: an annual children's celebration
on the evening of each OCT-31. Children
dress up in costumes and go to homes in
their neighborhood to collect candy. |
|
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Pagan
meaning: Wiccans and other Neopagans
celebrate the major Sabbat of Samhain on
this day. It is the end of the Wiccan year,
marking the transition between the warm
and the cold season. |
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Christian
meaning: All Hallow's Eve, a Roman Catholic
observance of the night before All Saints'
Day. |
|
- |
Satanic
meaning: One of three major seasonal
days of celebration -- the other two being
Walpurgisnacht (APR-30) and the member's
birthday. |
|
|
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Handfasting:
A Neopagan wedding. Some religious traditions
assign it a length of a year and a day. It can
be registered with the government as a marriage
if the priest/priestess performing the handfasting
is registered to perform weddings. |
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Haram
(a.k.a. haraam): An Islamic term for a forbidden
action. |
|
- |
Harg:
A stone altar in Norse Heathenism. |
|
- |
HaShem:
Hebrew for "the name." A term used
to refer to Yahweh. Many Jews consider the use
of God's name directly to be forbidden or restricted. |
|
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Health
& Wealth Gospel: (a.k.a. Word of Faith
movement, Positive Confession, 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 |
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- |
Heathen:
Originally people of the heath or moor. Originally,
it was a Christian term to denigrate followers
of the old, pre-Christian Religion. Followers
of Asatru and other ancient reconstructed aboriginal
religions have embraced the term. |
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Heaven:
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- |
In
the Old Testament, Heaven referred to the
region where God lived. It was above the
firmament which was believed to be a solid
metal dome located a few hundred feet above
the earth. |
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In
Christianity it is the abode of God, the
Father's House, where selected individuals
go after death to be with God. Faith groups
differ in their belief about what criteria
are used to determine who will attain
heaven after death. |
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Paradise
is the name used to refer to Heaven in Islam. |
|
|
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Hebephile:
This is a word whose meaning is changing. In the
past, it referred to an adult who is sexually
attracted to post-pubescent person under the age
of 18. Currently, it is evolving to mean a person
who sexually molests post-pubescent persons under
the age of 18. See pedophile.
|
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Hell:
one of two destinations for an individual after
death in the Christian,
Muslim and some other
religions. Various groups within Christianity
believe that a person goes there because of their
beliefs or their actions, or some combination
of beliefs and actions. Up to the early part of
the 20th century, Hell was generally
believed to be a place of eternal punishment and
torment. Lately, more groups describe it as a
simple isolation from God. Liberal religious groups
generally treat biblical passages on Hell as symbolic.
See also Universalism.
In the King James Version of the Bible, the Hebrew
word sheol and Greek word hades
(two very different concepts) are both generally
translated as Hell. |
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Hellenism:
A general term referring to the influence
that Greek Pagan culture had on other societies
between the time of Alexander the Great (333 BCE)
to 76 BCE when the Romans rose to power. Judaism
was profoundly influenced by Hellenism after the
conquest of Palestine by the Greeks in the second
century BCE. |
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Henotheism.
belief in many deities of which only one is the
supreme deity. This may involve:
|
- |
One
chief God and multiple gods and goddesses
of lesser power and importance. Ancient
Greek and Roman religions were of this type. |
|
- |
One
supreme God, and multiple gods and goddesses
who are all simply manifestations or aspects
of the supreme God.
Hinduism is one example; they recognize
Brahman as the single deity. Some
Wiccans believe in a single deity about
which they know little. They call the deity
"The One" or "The
All." They recognize the God and
Goddess as the male and female aspects of
that supreme deity. |
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One
supreme God who rules over a country, and
many other gods and goddesses who have similar
jurisdiction over other territories. Liberal
theologians believe that the ancient Israelites
were henotheists; they worshipped Jehovah
as the supreme God over Israel, but recognized
the existence of Baal and other deities
who ruled over other tribes. |
|
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Heptateuch:
A pair of Greek words for "seven" and
"container." It refers to the first
seven books of the Hebrew Scriptures -- the Penteteuch
and the books of Joshua and Judges. Some theologians
believe that these books should be considered
as a unit because they believe that the books
were composed from the same literary sources. |
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Herem
esh-Sheif: Arabic for "Noble Sanctuary."
The area in Jerusalem where the Dome of the Rock
and the Al-Aqsa Mosque are located. Most historians
believe that the Jewish Temple once stood there. |
|
- |
Heresy:
From a Greek word for sub-group or sect: Beliefs
that are forbidden by the policy-deciding body
of a faith group. Heresy is a relative term, because
one group's heresy is frequently another group's
required belief or dogma, and vice-versa. Consider,
for example, the criteria for salvation as
taught by three Christian groups: the Roman
Catholic Church, the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints (Mormons), and Fundamentalist
protestants. One group's required belief may also
be the same group's condemned past heresy (and
vice-versa). Heresies are inevitable in religion
because there does not appear to be any mechanism
by which religious disagreements can be resolved
-- either through reason or by
assessing the will of God. More
information. |
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Heresiologist:
An individual who studies heresies. |
|
- |
Heresiology:
The study of heresies. |
|
- |
Heretic:
a person who believes in one or more heresies. |
|
- |
Hermeneutics:
The word was derived from the Pagan Greek myth
of Hermes. A study of methods used to interpreting
the Bible. |
|
- |
Hermeticism:
A Pagan religion that started in Egypt in the
2nd or 3rd century BCE.
Its followers believed that its beliefs were revealed
to their founder Hermes by his divine father.
They taught that a person on earth is a mortal
god and that God is an immortal man. It was one
of the main competitors to early Christianity.
Some religious historians trace certain Mormon
beliefs to Hermeticism. |
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Herodian:
An interval of Jewish history from 30
BCE to 70 CE. Named after
Herod the Great who reigned from 37 to 4 BCE. |
|
- |
Heterodox:
Greek for "other opinioned." Beliefs
that deviate from accepted doctrines. Antonym
of orthodox. It is important to realize that one
group's orthodoxy is another group's heterodoxy.
|
|
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Heterosexism:
"....An an ideological system that denies,
denigrates, and stigmatizes any non-heterosexual
form of behavior, identity, relationship, or community.
Heterosexism is reflected by personal assumptions
that everyone in the world is, or should be, heterosexual." |
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Heterosexual:
A person who is sexually attracted only to
members of the opposite sex. Conservative Christian
definition: a person who is sexually active with
members of the opposite sex, and not with members
of the same sex." |
|
- |
Hexateuch:
A theological term for the first six books of
the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament): The Torah
(Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy)
and the book of Joshua. |
|
- |
Higher
criticism: The study of a section of the Bible
to determine who wrote it, when it was written,
its literary structure and its meaning. |
|
- |
High
Holy Days: A Jewish term that refers to the
yearly observances of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. |
|
- |
Hijab:
A scarf that many Muslim women use to cover their
hair. |
|
- |
Hijrah:
The flight of Muhammad and fellow believers from
Mecca to Medina in 622 CE. The Islamic calendar
dates from this time. |
|
- |
Hinayana:
Sanskrit for "lesser vehicle." A
Buddhist tradition that concentrates on personal
enlightenment. There is no consensus on the exact
meaning of the term. |
|
- |
Hinduism:
The third largest religion in the world, after
Christianity and Islam. It is a henotheistic faith
which exists in many hundreds of variations. It
has about 750 million followers and is largely
concentrated in India and Sri Lanka. Hinduism
does not have a single founder, a specific theological
system, a single system of morality, or a central
religious organization. It consists of "thousands
of different religious groups that have evolved
in India since 1500 BCE." 2 |
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Hok
Hashvut: The Israeli Law of Return which guarantees
every Jew the right to migrate to Israel. |
|
- |
Holistic
health, holistic medicine: Medical care involving
the treatment of the whole person -- body, spirit
and mind. Many holistic techniques have never
had their efficacy or safety evaluated.
|
|
- |
Holocaust:
From the Greek: "holos" (completely)
and "kaustos" (burned sacrificial offering).
When capitalized, the term usually refers to the
Shoah, (a.k.a. Shoa and Sho'ah) the killing of
five to seven million of European Jews by the
Nazi government during World War II. Sometimes
used to refer to the total Nazi extermination
program, which included Jews, Roma (a.k.a Gypsies),
Russians, Poles, other Slavs, homosexuals,
Jehovah's Witnesses,
etc. totaling ten to fourteen million humans.
The Roma refer to the event as the Porajmos (devouring). |
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- |
Holocaust
denial: The belief that either the Nazi Holocaust
did not happen, or that the number of Jews killed
by the Nazis was relatively small. |
|
- |
Holy:
A person, place, time, or ritual set apart
-- either by humans or by deity -- for the worship
of God, Goddess, gods or goddesses. |
|
- |
Holy
communion: A synonym for Holy Eucharist, Divine
Liturgy, Mass, or Lord's Supper. A ritual in which
the congregation consumes solid and liquid food,
typically bread, a wafer, wine or grape juice
in remembrance of the death of Yeshua of Nazareth
(a.k.a. Jesus Christ). Roman Catholics believe
that the wafer and wine become the actual body,
blood, soul and divinity of Jesus. Most Protestants
regard them as symbolic of Jesus' body and blood |
|
- |
Holy
rollers: A derogatory term used to ridicule
members of fundamentalist Christian faith groups
who engage in ecstatic worship -- sometimes by
dropping to the floor and rolling around while
under the "spirit of the Lord." The
term is most commonly applied to Pentecostals. |
|
- |
Holy
Spirit (a.k.a. Holy Ghost): The third person
in the Christian Trinity. Some faith groups consider
him to be an active force. Historically, Christianity
has taught that the Holy Spirit is a person,
along with God the Father, and Yeshua of Nazareth
(Jesus Christ). |
|
- |
Homeopathy:
An alternative treatment of disease involving
the consumption of natural materials that simulate
the symptoms of the disease. These materials are
first diluted in pure water to such an extent
that there are generally no molecules of the original
material left. The efficacy of this treatment
is rejected by most medical experts. It has the
potential of causing harm, because individuals
may seek a cure through homeopathy, and ignore
the potential for a cure from a physician. The
latter generally involve medication and/or treatments
whose efficacy and safety have been proven. |
|
- |
Homophobia:
Any attitude, action or institutional structure
which systematically treats an individual or group
of individuals differently because of their sexual
orientation or their perceived sexual orientation.
See also sexism,
racism, and religism.
The most common forms of homophobia in North America
is discrimination against homosexuals and bisexuals
in employment, accommodation, ordination, church
membership, and freedom to marry. However, it
occasionally is manifested against heterosexuals.
A secondary meaning is the belief that persons
of one sexual orientation -- normally heterosexuality
-- is inherently superior to persons who have
other orientations. A tertiary meaning is fear
or loathing of persons with a specific sexual
orientation. |
|
- |
Homosexual:
This term has at least two conflicting meanings:
|
- |
It
is sometimes used to refer to sexual
feelings - what a person is: Gays,
lesbians, sociologists, psychologists, researchers
into human sexuality, members of liberal
and some mainline faith groups normally
define this as: One of three normal and
natural sexual orientations experienced
by adults, involving an
exclusive, permanent, and unchosen attraction
to members of the same gender. It is probably
set up by a person's genetic coding, and
enabled by some unknown event in the environment
in early childhood. |
|
- |
Usage
by Evangelical/Fundamentalist and some mainline
faith groups: A form of sexual
behavior - what a person does:
A perverted, abnormal and unnatural attraction
to members of the same gender, hated by
God, that can be
changed through prayer and counseling.
It is caused by bad parenting or sexual
molestation during childhood. It is chosen
during teenage years, and is extremely addictive.
Homosexuals can be attracted to members
of the same gender only, or to persons of
both genders. |
|
|
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Homosexualist:
A term used by some religious conservatives
to refer to anyone -- whether they are heterosexual,
homosexual or bisexual -- who support equal rights
for persons of minority sexual expression, including:
gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transsexuals. |
|
- |
Houris:
A Muslim belief that beautiful,
virgin women are available to men in Paradise
(Heaven) |
|
- |
Hudud:
Punishments within Islam for spiritual or religious
crimes. |
|
- |
Humanism:
A term with a variety of meanings, ranging from
a study of the humanities
(languages, literature, philosophy, history, etc.)
to secular humanism (see below). |
|
- |
Humanism,
Secular: a
non-theistic philosophy which promotes man as
the measure of all things. It had its roots in
the rationalism of the 18th Century and the free
thought movement of the 19th Century. |
|
- |
Huppah:
Jewish term for a canopy where a marriage
is performed. |
|
- |
Hymn:
From the Greek "to sing praise."
Songs sung -- generally in praise to a God --
by a congregation or choir. |
|
- |
Hymnals:
A book of hymns. |
|
- |
Hyper-Calvinism:
The belief by some followers of Calvinism
that a person has no responsibility for their
own salvation; it is all up to God to choose who
will be saved and be destined to live eternity
in Heaven, and who will not be saved and will
spend eternity being tortured in Hell. |
|
- |
Hypnotism,
hypnosis: A therapeutic technique in which
the patient is placed in a trance. This places
the patient in an extremely suggestive state in
which false memories can
be created. |
|
- |
Hypostatic
union: The concept that Yeshua of Nazareth
(Jesus Christ) has two natures: one fully divine
and one fully human. This is the belief system
-- one of many -- about the nature of Jesus that
was adopted by the early Christian church and
has remained the majority belief. |
