Glossary of Religious Words and Terms
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- Catholic
- The word means "Universal". The catholic faith is seen as the faith of the universal church throughout the world and through the centuries. In a particular sense, it is used by the church based in Rome, The Roman Catholic Church, as a claim to its own universality.
- Chancel
- This is the part of the church, in traditional churches, set aside for the clergy and the choir. Within the chancel is the sanctuary with the altar.
- Circumcision
- The removal of the foreskin. The word derives from the Latin for 'cut around'. For Jews, the ceremony of Brit Milah (the covenant of cutting) takes place on the eighth day of the boy's life and is performed by a specially trained rabbi called a mohel.
- Communion
- Holy Communion is another term for the Eucharist or the Lord's Supper, where the bread (or wafer) and the wine represent the body and blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, given in death for the sins of the world.
In a more general sense it is the fellowship and sharing between believers. - Confirmation
- Confirmation is a ceremony for those Christians who wish to declare their full commitment to the faith of the Church and who, thereby, accept the vows made on their behalf at baptism. In the Church of England and Roman Catholic Church, confirmation is performed by a bishop. He lays his hands on the person's head and asks God to confirm the believer with His Holy Spirit. In the Eastern Orthodox Churches, confirmation takes place immediately after baptism.
- Creed
- This is a statement of beliefs or a confession of faith expressing the main beliefs of a religion. In Christianity, the creed has various forms (e.g. Apostles' Creed, Nicene Creed or Athanasian Creed).
These pages will be added to in the future. If there is a religious term or word you do not understand, why not e-mail us? It can then be added to the glossary.