The religion tag has no wiki summary.
18
votes
11answers
1k views
Use of “separation of church and state” in non-Christian countries
Does the term separation of church and state also apply in non-Christian countries, for example Egypt? Can we say separation of mosque and state? Is there a generic, politically correct alternative ...
10
votes
5answers
842 views
Opposite of “miracle”?
Are there any English words that mean "an unlikely calamity" in that same way that "miracle" can mean "an unlikely beneficial event"? My thesaurus only provides antonyms of "miracle" that mean "a ...
7
votes
3answers
1k views
Belief in god but not in religion
What do we call a person who believes in god but not in a particular religion?
5
votes
6answers
182 views
Is there an expression that sums up “improperly conflating two ideas that are really separate issues”? [closed]
I'm intrigued by a local sign-holder who was improperly labeled "atheist" for carrying a sign that asserted that there was no after-life for a person's consciousness. The person expressed a belief in ...
5
votes
1answer
385 views
Capitalising the first letter of a reference to God?
like "He", "His", "Thy", "the Creator", "the Omnipotent", etc.
What is the origin of this practice? When should I capitalise words like this? for any deity? only the deity of the Abrahamic faiths?
4
votes
3answers
391 views
Words based on the names of gods [closed]
While the word christen means "to baptise" or "to make Christian", in another sense, it has shed its religious connotations to simply mean "to name" or even "use for the first time". Is there any ...
4
votes
3answers
199 views
“I don't know” is to “agnostic” as “I don't care” is to what adjective?
Atheists reject that God exists and agnostics do not know if God exists. What is the word for people who do not care if God exists? Does some word moonlight for that or is there a specific term (apart ...
4
votes
2answers
146 views
“At the first” in the Bible
Why is the article the used in the following verse of the Bible?
At the first God made the heaven and the earth.
To me at first, which according to OED means at the beginning; in the initial ...
3
votes
3answers
356 views
Is there a word to describe a state of not identifying with any common explanation of God?
I am trying to describe one who is neither agnostic nor atheist but does not accept any religious order as his own.
3
votes
2answers
101 views
Word for collection of religion's essential writings
I'm looking for a single word to describe the collection of all letters, scriptures and books specific to a religion, something like teachings but with a stronger emphasis on the written aspect.
3
votes
2answers
327 views
What is the style of writing used in the Summa Theologica called?
St. Thomas Aquinas' Summa Theologica has a very distinctive and consistent style. It seems as though his style of writing starts with a proposition and then lists some objections, then a reply, then a ...
3
votes
1answer
268 views
What do you call a government when the rulers are gods?
I'm familiar with most -ocracies. And I don't mean a Theocracy (rule by religious officials). This would probably make more sense in a Fantasy setting (say D&D) where deities actually come down ...
1
vote
2answers
1k views
The etymology of “religion” comes from “legere” meaning to read + “re” meaning again. Or does it? (more inside) [closed]
The etymology of religion as mentioned in the title comes from Etymonline.
And that's very interesting. It makes sense too.
My question is, how do the phrases, "to read", "to choose", "to gather", ...
0
votes
3answers
206 views
What drives the usage of 'God', 'Jesus', and 'Jesus Christ' as expletives? [closed]
I grew up in a conservative Christian home, and was taught that we do not 'take God's name in vain'.
Interestingly, among some churches I grew up in, the consensus was that the common usage of God or ...
0
votes
1answer
42 views
Is “there's no sin on you” standard?
In some translations of the Holy Quran, the following translation comes up:
And if you decide on a foster suckling-mother for your children, there is no sin on you, provided you pay (the mother) ...
0
votes
0answers
129 views
A single verb meaning to declare God free of evil and imperfection [closed]
Can anybody provide a single verb that means to declare God free from all evil and imperfection?
