Glossary of religious and spiritual terms
(Starting with "S")

By Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance,
Toronto, Canada

http://www.religioustolerance.org/glossary.htm

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-	Sabbat: A seasonal day of celebration observed by Wiccans and other Neopagans. There are eight each year. The two solstices and two equinoxes are minor Sabbats. Between each solstice and equinox is a major Sabbat. Samhain (Oct. 31), Imbolc (Feb. 2), Beltane (May 1), and Lammas (Aug. 1) are among the most common names used. 1
-	Sabbatarianism: The belief that the weekly Sabbath must be observed from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday. Often, Jewish dietary laws and seasonal days of service are also observed by Sabbatarians.
-	Sabbath, weekly: Originally Saturday: a day of rest and holiness; observed by Jews and a minority of Christian denominations. Most Christian groups observe Sunday as the Sabbath.
-	Sabellianism: Synonym for Modalism
-	Sacramental Union: A Lutheran term meaning "real presence."
-	Sacraments: A formal church ritual frequently described as an outward and visible sign of an internal and spiritual grace. The Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches recognize seven sacraments, popularly known as: Baptism, Confirmation, Mass, Penance, Anointing the dying, Ordination and Marriage. Most Protestant denominations only recognize two: Baptism and Communion. A few denominations, such as the Amish, add foot washing. Sacraments are believed by most Christian denominations to have been instituted by Jesus. The Society of Friends (Quakers) and the Salvation Army do not recognize or use any sacraments.
-	Sacrilege: - The violation or misuse of a sacred object. - Sometimes used to describe any irreveence to sacred persons, places and things. (From Wikipedia)
-	Sadaqa: Islamic term for the giving of a charitable donation. This is an obligation for Muslims.
-	Sadducees: A small group of priests who controlled the temple at Jerusalem. One of about two dozen Jewish religious groups active during the 1st century CE. They rejected belief in immortality. They were religious conservatives who felt threatened by Pagan influences due to Roman and Greek occupation of Israel.
-	Sahaba: This is the Arabic word for "companions." In Islam, it generally refers to the people who lived and witnessed with the Prophet Muhammad.
-	Saint:  - In Roman Catholicism, a person of great spirituality who has died, is responsible for at least three miracles, and who has been elevated to the sainthood by the church.  - In Protestantism, a saint is one of the ancient leaders of the church, like St. Peter and St. Paul.  - In Evangelical Christianity, all saved Christians are saints.
-	Sajdah: (Full name: As-sajdah) This is the the act of prostration by a Muslim during which seven parts of the body are to touch the ground: the forehead, palms, knees and big toes.
-	Salat: A Muslim prayer. Islam expects each Muslim, where possible, to perform  the salat prayer five times a day. It is the second of the Five Pillars of Islam. This is recited while orienting one's body towards Mecca. 2 It is done at specified times in the morning, at noon, mid-afternoon, after sunset and just before sleeping. 3
-	Salvation: The remission of sins and healing of the gulf between an individual and God. Various passages in the Christian Scriptures imply that salvation is achieved either by good deeds; or by belief in Jesus' resurrection; or belief that Jesus is the Son of God; or by church rituals such as baptism or penance; or by avoiding certain behaviors; or some combination of the preceding. Various traditions within Christianity have resolved the Bible's ambiguity by stressing some passages and largely ignoring others.
-	Salvific pluralism: The belief that individuals can achieve salvation by following any one of many different world religions. 5 If salvific pluralism is true, then the belief that all those who have not repented of their sins and trusted Jesus as Lord and Savior will go to Hell at death is false. More details.
-	Samahdi: In Buddhism, a type of insight achieved through meditation or wisdom.
-	Samhain: A major sabbat -- a seasonal day of celebration -- observed by Wiccans and other Neopagans on OCT-31. Samhain is often incorrectly defined as a Wiccan God of the dead within many conservative Christian and secular sources.
-	Samsara: A Buddhist term referring to the endless cycle of birth, life, death, and rebirth. The goal of a Buddhist is to achieve enlightenment and to escape from samsara.
-	Sanctification: A Christian term which refers to the process by which the Holy Spirit helps a Christian to grow spiritually to be more Christ-like, after first having been justified.
-	Sangha: A Buddhist term for a community of believers.
-	Sanhedrin: A council of Jewish leaders in Jerusalem. They formed a court which was the highest religious body in Palestine. They acted as an advisory board to the Roman governor.
-	Santeria: A syncretistic religion which combined Roman Catholicism with Pagan religions from Western Africa. It is found throughout the Caribbean and in North America.
-	Satan: (a.k.a. the Devil, Lucifer): In the older parts of the Hebrew Scriptures, he is described as a type of District Attorney in God's court. In the New Testament, he is described as a supernatural being who is profoundly evil and who seeks to destroy people's lives. The religion of Islam also recognizes the existence of Satan. Many conservative Christians believe that followers of Wicca and other Neopagan religions worship Satan. However, the latter do not recognize any all-evil deity called by the name of Satan or by any other name.
-	Satanism:  A religion based upon Satan, either as a form of deity or as a principle. Adherents follow simple rules of behavior: give kindness to those who deserve it; indulge in their lusts and wants; return vengeance rather than turning the other cheek. With some justification, Satanism has been called the religion of the U.S. corporate boardroom. Although their beliefs are different from Christianity, Satanists are not particularly anti-Christian any more than they are anti-Hindu or anti-Buddhist. However, some have included references opposing Wicca in their rituals. Most Satanists are either teenage dabblers, or members of the Church of Satan, Temple of Set or Church of Satanic Liberation. Their total membership in North America is unknown, but probably numbers about 10,000. Total membership is believed to be decreasing. Common Evangelical usage: a violently anti-Christian religion worshipping Satan. Some are teenage dabblers; others are religious Satanists belonging to an established church or temple; others are mass murderers; still others form a secret, underground international, multi-generational conspiracy which engages in Satanic Ritual Abuse and human sacrifices - usually of infants or children. Membership rapidly rising.  Common Fundamentalist usage: Any non-Christian faith group, such as Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism is Satanic. By this definition, two out of three people in the world are Satanists..
-	Satanic Ritual Abuse (SRA): psychological, sexual, and/or physical assault committed by two or more people whose primary motive is to fulfill a prescribed religious ritual involving the worship of the Christian devil, Satan. A large percentage of the population (90% in Utah) believe that SRA is widespread. Numerous government studies into SRA have revealed it to be non-existent, or essentially so.
-	Satyagraha: A Sanskrit term that describes a type of nonviolent resistance developed by Mohandas Gandhi to win Indian independence. Later it was used by Martin Luther King, Jr. in the fight against racial discrimination. It is now being used by Soulforce to promote "...freedom for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people from religious and political oppression through the practice of relentless nonviolent resistance." 6
-	Scapegoat: Originally a religious term. Ancient Israelite priests would transfer the sins of the community to a goat who would then be driven into the desert to die. The term is currently used to refer to a person or group who is unjustly accused of a crime or improper behavior.
-	Schism: From the Greek word "schisma" - a rent or tear. A division of a faith group into two or more smaller groups. One result of the Protestant Reformation was a series of schisms leading to the approximately 35,000 present-day Protestant faith groups.
-	Schism, great: The formal split between the Eastern Orthodox and the Roman Catholic churches in 1054 CE. Also used to refer to the interval from 1378 to 1417 CE when as many as three individuals simultaneously claimed to be pope.
-	Scripture: In Christianity, this is the Bible. It is composed of the 39 books of the Hebrew Scriptures (a.k.a. Old Testament) and the 27 books of the Christian Scriptures (a.k.a. New Testament). Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodox churches and some Protestant denominations add the 14 books of the Apocrypha.
-	Seance: A gathering of individuals who attempt to communicate with the spirits of the dead, generally with the help of a medium.
-	Second coming: The return of Jesus Christ to earth.
-	Second probation: The belief that after death, non-believers will be given a second chance to be saved by accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior.
-	Second Temple Period: The interval from 520 BCE to 79 CE, between the reconstruction of Solomon's temple and the destruction of the temple by the Roman Army.
-	Sect: A small religious group that has recently split away from an established religion. The early Jewish Christian group under James, the Brother of Jesus, in Jerusalem circa 30 CE would have been considered a sect of Judaism at the time.
-	Sectarian: Acceptance and adherence to a particular faith group. Often implies rejection of religious beliefs by those outside of the group. Most world conflict today involves violence inspired by sectarian beliefs.
-	Secular: something that is free of religion.
-	Secularization: A process in which religious consciousness, activities, and institutions lose social significance
-	Security, eternal: The concept that once a person is saved, that they cannot lose their salvation. Christian faith groups have different beliefs on this topic.
-	Seder: A Jewish ceremonial meal held on the first day (and sometimes also on the second day) of Passover. It recalls the alleged Exodus of the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt, variously dated as 1440 to 1290 BCE. The meal and associated rituals are typically held in the home.
-	Selah: A biblical term used 71 times by itself in the Psalms. It invites the reader to pause and to meditate or reflect on the message. One example is Psalms 3:2: "Many there be which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God. Selah."
-	Separationist: A person or movement advocating the dividing of a country into two or more parts. Evangelical Christian use: A person or group advocating the separation of church and state in accordance with the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
-	Sephardi: Jews who are descended from persons who lived in Spain and Portugal. See also Ashkenazi.
-	Septuagint: A Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures, made in Egypt, perhaps in the third century BCE. This was the version known to, and used, by the early Christians. Many theologians believe that a mistranslation in Isaiah contributed to the Christian belief in the virgin conception of Jesus.
-	Serpent Seed doctrine: The belief that Eve's sin in the Garden of Eden was to engage in sexual intercourse with the serpent. Together, they produced Cain. Various faith groups identify the descendents of Cain in various ways: They are: "Jews according to the Christian Identity Movement, Communists/Atheists according to the Unification Church, Whites according to the Nation of Yahweh, and the lost according to William Branham." 4
-	Service: In a religious sense, a formal worship meeting of a group of believers.
-	Sexism: Any attitude, action or institutional structure which systematically treats an individual or group of individuals differently because of their gender. The most common form of sexism is discrimination against females. However, it occasionally is manifested as preferential treatment for women. A secondary meaning is the belief that one gender -- normally female -- is inherently inferior to other genders (male and intersexual). See also racism, religism, and homophobia.
-	Sexual Orientation: There are at least three quite different meanings to this term. This makes it imperative in reports, essays, legislation etc. to define what the author(s) define the term to mean: - Gays, lesbians, sociologists, psychologists, researchers into human sexuality, members of liberal and some mainline faith groups normally define this as a measure of a person's feelings of sexual attraction to males and females. In congressional testimony in support of the ENDA bill, the American Psychological Association (APA) stated: "Sexual orientation is a component of sexuality that is characterized by enduring emotional, romantic, sexual and/or affectional attractions to individuals of a particular gender. Thus, sexual orientation refers to more than just certain behaviors. Persons may or may not express their sexual orientation in their behaviors. Some people may engage in sexual behaviors with persons of the same gender but not identify themselves as gay. On the other hand, homosexual intimate relationships, like their heterosexual counterparts, do not always include sexually overt behavior. Three sexual orientations are commonly recognized: homosexual, attraction to individuals of one's own gender; heterosexual, attraction to individuals of the opposite gender; and bisexual, attractions to individuals of both genders." 7 - Evangelical Christians and some mainline faith groups sometimes define the term more broadly as a measure of a person's sexual behavior with men and women, animals, and children. They define sexual orientations as including heterosexuality, homosexuality, bestiality, pedophilia. They consider only the first to be normal and natural. Many conservative Christians do not acknowledge the existence of bisexuals, believing people to be either heterosexual or homosexual, based on their behavior. They often use the term 'sexual preference' in place of 'sexual orientation,' thus implying that orientation is a choice. - The Traditional Values Coalition (TVC) has created a unique definition of the term "sexual orientation" that differs greatly from the meaning used by others. They took a list of 30 sexual paraphilias -- defined as sexual arousal in response to sexual objects or situations, and including incest, necrophilia, pedophilia, masochism, sadism, voyerism -- and redefined them as sexual orientations. They state: "A person’s sexual orientation can include sexual attraction to children, animals, feet, and a whole range of bizarre behaviors that are listed in the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). In fact, there are 30 sexual orientations listed in the DSM." 8,9 - Shalom: A Hebrew word for peace; often used as a greeting and farewell. - Shamanism: This is a "system of religious and medical beliefs and practices that centers on the shaman, a specific type of magico-religious practitioner...who specializes in contacting and controlling the supernatural." 10 Usually male, his main task is healing. Shamanism was originally centered in central Asia and Siberia. - Shari'ah: A code of Islamic law. In some cases, Shari'ah provides for very severe punishment -- even amputation or execution -- for some transgressions that are seen as minor in the West. - Shaytan: The Muslim name of the evil entity called Satan -- the Devil in Christianity. - Shechitah: A Hebrew term for the ritual sacrifice of animals. - Sheep stealing: The practice of some Christian faith groups who attempt to convert other Christians to membership in their denomination. - Shema: A Jewish prayer, customarily repeated morning, evening and just before going to sleep. It begins: "Hear, Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One." See Deuteronomy 6:4-9 - Shepherding: An relationship in which an experienced Christian, a shepherd, is selected to supervise a new convert. In some denominations, the senior person closely controls almost every aspect of the convert's life. This has major potential to generate spiritual abuse. - Shi'a (a.k.a. Shi'ite): The second largest tradition within Islam. - Shinto: This is the indigenous religion of Japan. Starting about 500 BCE (or earlier) it was originally "an amorphous mix of nature worship, fertility cults, divination techniques, hero worship, and shamanism." 11 It later became the state religion of the country. Church and state were separated just after World War II. - Sheol: A Jewish underworld. A place of the dead in which good and the evil persons alike share an energyless existence separated from God. Mistranslated as "Hell" in the King James Version of the Bible. - Shiva: An mourning interval of seven days following the burial of a family member. - Shoa: (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 referred to as the Holocaust, although the latter term is sometimes used to refer to all of the ten to fourteen groups of victims, which included Jews, Roma (a.k.a. Gypsies), Russians, Poles, other Slavs,  homosexuals, Jehovah's Witnesses, political prisoners,  etc. - Shofar: A ram's horn used in some Jewish services. - Shul: A Yiddish word meaning synagogue. - Shunning: (a.k.a. Disfellowshipping): This is a method of disciplining or punishing a member who strays from the group's expected behavior or belief. Other members --often including friends and family -- are expected to have no contact with the shunned individual. In a high intensity faith group where a believer's entire support network is composed of fellow members, this can have disastrous consequences; some have been moved to commit suicide. Various forms of shunning are practiced by Amish and Jehovah's Witnesses - Sikhism: Although religious scholars generally view Sikhism as a blend of Hinduism and Islam, most Sikhs believe that their religion is unique without precursors, originating from a series of ten gurus, starting with Guru Nanak. Sikhs believe in a single deity, and reject class differences. There are about 18 million Sikhs in the world; most are concentrated in the Punjab region in northwest India.  - Sin: In the Bible, the Hebrew and Greek words which are translated as sin mean failing to hit the target or missing the mark. Most conservative Christians believe that, since God is pure and just, that a person who sins just once cannot come into God's presence unless they first attain salvation. - Sins, The Seven Deadly: The seven deadly sins are: sloth, covetousness, anger, lust, gluttony, envy, and pride. - Six directions: A Buddhist collection of paths: north, south, east, west, up and down. Wiccan, other Neopagan traditions, Native American spirituality and other Aboriginal religions recognize variations of this -- sometimes including center, and the four points on the compass that lie between the cardinal directions. - Skandas: In Buddhism, the five principal components of the personality: form, sensation, perception, impulse, and consciousness. - Slain in the spirit: (a.k.a. "falling under the Spirit's power," "falling before the Lord," resting in the spirit." A religious phenomenon, generally in Pentecostal or Charismatic meetings in which a person loses motor control over their body, and falls to the floor. It has variously been attributed to religious hysteria by mental health professionals and to a personal encounter with God by fellow believers. Its origins can be traced back to Methodist churches in the late 18th century. - Social Darwinism: An attempt to adapt Charles Darwin natural selection principles to human society, thus producing a culture that embraces the  "survival of the fittest." This is based on a misunderstanding of Darwin's theories. Natural selection, when applied to a society, also includes such factors as organizational ability, talent to inspire others, creativity, perseverance, mental flexibility, etc., in addition to physical fitness. - Sodomite: - In the Bible, the word refers to an inhabitant of Sodom. - In modern usage by religious conservatives: a homosexual. It is regarded as a derogatory term by most homosexuals, religious liberals, and some others. - A new meaning is gradually emerging: a person who is insensitive to the needs of the poor, sick, stranger, imprisoned, widowed, etc. This is derived from the growing belief that the sin described in Genesis 19 in the Bible refers to this lack of concern, and not to homosexual behavior or same-sex rape. - Sola Scriptura: (Latin for "by scripture alone"). This was a slogan of the Protestant Reformation that is still active among Protestant faith groups. It is the belief that the Holy Bible is: "... God's written word [and] is self-authenticating, clear (perspicuous) to the rational reader, its own interpreter ("Scripture interprets Scripture"), and sufficient of itself to be the final authority of Christian doctrine. 16 - Solstice: The date and time when the sun reaches its northernmost or southernmost extreme. On the summer solstice, the interval of daylight is at its maximum and the nighttime interval is at its minimum for the year. The reverse occurs at the winter solstice. The solstices happen about June 21 and December 21. Many religious holy days are synchronized to the equinoxes. Wiccans, other Neopagans, Native Americans and followers of many aboriginal religions worldwide celebrate the solstices. - Sorcery: There are two quite different meanings to this term: - the use of black magic to kill, injure, harm, dominate, manipulate or control other people. This is the primary meaning. - the (usually) benign use of magical powers to influence events or people. - Soteriology: From the Greek words "soteria" -- salvation, and "logos" -- word or reason . The theological study of salvation. - Soul: Equivalent to the Greek word "psuche" -- breath and the Hebrew word "nephesh" . This word has a variety of meanings, including: the seat of personality, the individual or person themselves, the immaterial component of a human, etc. Among Christians, dichotomists believe that a person is composed of a body and soul; trichotomists believe that a person consists of a body, soul, and spirit. Both argue their cases from biblical passages. - Soul Freedom: Freedom of conscience (a.k.a. freedom of thought) as applied to Bible interpretation. This is the concept that an individual has the right and privilege to interpret Scripture for themselves in the context of their religious community, using the best available scholarship. Robert Bellah wrote, in 1997: "What was so important about the Baptists, and other sectarians such as the Quakers, was the absolute centrality of religious freedom, of the sacredness of individual conscience in matters of religious belief." 17 - Soul sleep: The belief that, after death, one's soul sleeps until the day of resurrection. - Spell: a prayer, or verbal direction of magickal energies toward the accomplishment of some goal. 16 Wiccans and other Pagans often use spells, but are not permitted to use them to dominate, manipulate, control or harm another person. For example, a Wiccan is not permitted to cast a love spell to motivate another person to feel attraction towards them. - Spiritism: See necromancy. - Spiritualism: See necromancy. - Spirituality: This term is defined quite differently by monotheists, polytheists, humanists, followers of new age, Native Americans, etc. A common meaning is "devotion to metaphysical matters, as opposed to worldly things." Another is "Activities which renew, lift up, comfort, heal and inspire both ourselves and those with whom we interact." - Srivatsa (a.k.a. Swastika in German and English): A cross symbol with equal arms bent at a right angle:    This is an ancient positive symbol used by many religions around the world -- e.g.  Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Christianity, Judaism, and by the ancient Greeks, Germanic tribes, and Native Americans. 13. It was distorted and adopted by the Nazi regime in Germany; since the 1930s it has been considered a profoundly evil symbol throughout the west. - Star of David: A Jewish symbol consisting of a six-pointed star. - Stewardship: In general usage, stewardship is the wise management and use of resources, whether by an individual, corporation, government, etc. Among many religious conservatives it is the concept that God owns everything and has entrusted certain resources to individual believers who will eventually be held accountable for what they accomplished with those resources. - Stereotype: A process of generalization by which an entire group is found to be at fault because of the actions of a few of their members. One example is to blame all homosexuals for child molestation because of the actions of NAMBLA, a homosexual pedophile group which is composed of a handful of members. The term is sometimes used to refer to the condemnation of an entire group because of events that never happened.  One example was the German Nazi government who blamed the loss of World War I on the German Jews -- a very small minority at the time, numbering less than 1% of its citizens. - Stigmata: the presence of wounds on a person's body (usually a woman) in the places where Jesus is believed to have been injured at his crucifixion. Wound's usually appear on the palms of the person even though during his crucifixion, Jesus was either pierced through his wrists or his arms were tied to the crossbar. - Stupa: A Buddhist term that refers to a burial monument that stands for the Buddha and his attainment of enlightenment. - Subliminal Messages: Visual or audible messages shown in a way that prevents the conscious mind from recognizing them. Visual messages may be flashed on a screen too fast for the person to sense; audible messages may be played at too low a volume to be detected. Controlled tests have shown that they are completely ineffective. Some people still believe that such messages can enter the individual's subconscious mind and motivate them to take certain actions. See also backmasking. - Subordinationism: An early Christian heresy that Jesus is eternally subordinated to God the Father. This contrasts with the traditional Christian view that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are co-eternal, interdependent and one in substance -- without any form of heirarchy, order or ranking. The heresy has been adopted by many Evangelical Christians in recent decades. - Subordination of the Son, Eternal: See Eternal Subordination of the Son - Substance dualism: The concept that the brain and mind are separate entities: the brain is a physical entity controlled by chemical and electrical processes; the mind is not physical. - Succubus: A female demon who would visit men at night and engage in sexual activity. This belief was commonly held during the late Middle Ages and Renaissance. There were also male demons, called incubi who were believed to visit women. - Suffragan bishop: an assistant bishop in a diocese. - Sufiism: "Sufism or tasawwuf, as it is called in Arabic, is generally understood by scholars and Sufis to be the inner, mystical, or psycho-spiritual dimension of Islam." Some Muslims reject the concept that Sufism is part of Islam. 12 - Sunni: the largest tradition within Islam. - Sunyata: A Sanskrit term for "emptiness." It is a Buddhist term that asserts that "... everything one encounters in life is empty of absolute identity, permanence, or 'self'. This is because everything is inter-related and mutually dependent - never wholly self-sufficient or independent. 15 - Supercessionism: (a.k.a. Replacement Theology). This is the theological concept that, because the vast majority of Jews in the first century CE did not accept Jesus as their Messiah, God unilaterally terminated his covenants with the Jewish people and transferred them to the followers of Christianity.  It relegates Judaism to an inferior position and recognizes Christianity as the 'true' or 'spiritual' Israel. This concept was first developed by Justin Martyr (circa 100 to 165 CE) and Irenaeus of Lyon (circa 130 to 200 CE). It was largely accepted within the church by the 4th century. It has led to a great deal of persecution of Jews by Christians. Many conservative Protestants still believe in this principle. In opposition to supercessionism is the dual covenant theory. - Surah: Any passage from the Qur'an, the Islamic holy book. - Sutra: A Buddhist scripture that includes a teaching by Buddha. - Swastika: See srivatsa. - Sweat lodge: A Native American ritual for purification involving moist hot air in an enclosed space. - Synagogue: From the Greek word for "gathering." A Jewish house of worship. - Syncretistic Religion: A faith that is created from the merger of concepts from two or more religions. Santeria and Vodun are two examples. - Synergism: Two or more items interacting in such as way that the end result is greater than each item could have achieved separately. For example, a client who believes in Satan as an evil, quasi-deity who undergoes recovered memory therapy (RMT) is very likely to recover false memory of Satanic ritual abuse (SRA). Just believing in Satan or just undergoing RMT is much less likely to generate false memories of SRA. - Synoptic: From the Greek syn (together) and opsis (appearance). A term used to refer to the gospels Mark, Matthew and Luke. They are in general agreement with each other; each conflicts with the Gospel of John in theme, content, time duration, order of events, and style. "Only ca. 8% of ... [John] is parallel to these other gospels, and even then, no such word-for-word parallelism occurs as we find among the synoptic gospels." 14 - Synod: - In Roman Catholicism: any official church meeting. - Among Presbyterian denominations, a religious court between the presbytery and the general assembly. - Systematic theology: The study of God and his relationship with humanity.

References:

1. Rowan Moonstone & Durwydd MacTara, "Glossary of Terms Used Frequently in Wicca," at: http://www.msu.edu/
2. Dr. Monzur Ahmed publishes QiblaCalc, a Windows program that calculates the Qibla direction -- the direction of the Kabbah -- from any location on earth, as determined by a compass. See: http://www.starlight.demon.co.uk/
3. Al-Islam web site has a prayer time calculator at: http://prayer.al-islam.com/
4. "Watchman Fellowship's 2001 Index of Cults and Religions: Mysticism," at: http://www.watchman.org/
5. Kenneth Himma, "Finding a high road: The moral case for Salvific Pluralism," International Journal for Philosophy of Religion, (2002) 52: 1-33.
6. "Mission statement," Soulforce, at: http://www.soulforce.org/article/7
7. "Testimony of the American Psychological Association," 1997-OCT-23, at: http://www.apa.org/
8. "What is a 'sexual orientation'," Traditional Values Coalition, at: http://www.traditionalvalues.org/ This is a PDF file.
9. "Paraphilias," in Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision, American Psychiatric Association, (2000), Pages 566 to 582.
10. David Levinson, "Religion: A cross-cultural dictionary," Oxford University Press, (1998). Read reviews or order this book
11. "The Fountainhead of Miracles, Shinreikyo," has a home page at: http://www.shinreikyo.or.jp
12. Dr. Alan Godlas, "Sufism -- Sufis -- Sufi Orders: Sufism's Many Paths," at:
    http://www.arches.uga.edu/~godlas/Sufism.html
13. "Historical note on the Swastika," Falun Dafa, at: http://www.falundafa.org.il/
14. F.V. Filson, "The Literary Relations among the Gospels," essay in C.M. Laymon: "The Interpreter's One-Volume Commentary on the Bible," Abingdon Press, Nashville, TN, (1991)
15. "Shunyata" Wikipedia, at: http://en.wikipedia.org/
16. "Sola Scriptura," Wikipedia, 2007-JUL-19, at: http://en.wikipedia.org/
17. Robert N. Bellah, "Is There a Common American Culture?," The Journal for the American Academy of Religion, Volume 66, Number 3, (1998-Fall), Pages 613-625. Online at: http://www.robertbellah.com/

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