A division of a branch that unites a number of local congregations into a single legal and administrative body.

A set of beliefs concerning the origin of the universe.

1. A local assembly of persons brought together for common religious worship.

The class or distinct hereditary order into which a Hindu is assigned, according to religious law

A large and fundamental division within a religion.

1. A religion that does not have a central authority but shares ideas and cooperates informally.

The belief that God does not exist.

The belief that objects, such as plants and stones, or natural events, like thunderstorms and earthquakes, have a discrete spirit and conscious life.

The belief that the existence of God can’t be proven or disproven empirically.

Literal interpretation and strict adherence to basic principles of a religion (or a religious branch, denomination, or congregation).

During the Middle Ages, a neighborhood in a city set up by law to be inhabited only by Jews; now used to denote a section of a city in which members of any minority group live because of social, legal, or economic pressure.

A religion in which a central authority exercises a high degree of control.

An individual who helps to diffuse a universalizing religion.

1. A community built around an ideal way of life, often based on a religion.

1. A religion that attempts to appeal to all people, not just those living in a particular location.

Combining several religious traditions.

1. An astronomical event that happens twice each year, when the tilt of Earth’s axis is most inclined toward or away from the Sun, causing the Sun’s apparent position in the sky to reach its northernmost or southernmost extreme, and resulting in the shortest and longest days of the year.

Belief in or worship of more than one god.

A journey to a place considered sacred for religious purposes.

The doctrine of or belief in the existence of only one God.