Vocabulaire Avancé pour le TOEFL - Religion

the study of religions and faiths

théologie

the quality of being linked with theology or the human spirit as opposed to material or physical items

spiritualité

a religious group with beliefs or practices, especially extreme or unusual ones, that separate them from the rest of the people with the religion

secte

a religious leader, especially a Muslim or Christian one

ecclésiastique

people who are officially chosen to lead religious services in a church or other religious institution

clergé

a religious leader or teacher in Buddhism, Hinduism, or Sikhism

gourou

a priest or priestess serving as a mediator through whom the gods were thought to give their message in classical antiquity

oracle

a religious teacher, scholar, or leader of Judaism

rabbin

a place of worship and religious study for Jews

synagogue

a Mongolian or Tibetan Buddhist monk

lama

a revered person in South Asia regarded with love and respect

mahatma

a priest or minister who is in charge of a church

pasteur

someone with beliefs against the doctrines of a particular religion

hérétique

someone who is sent to a foreign country to teach and talk about religion, particularly to persuade others to become a member of the Christian Church

missionnaire

a person believing in a religion that worships many deities, especially one that existed before the major world religions

païen

a title or a way of addressing clergymen

révérend

a member of an Islamic sect that tries to become united with God through prayer, meditation, and living a simple and strict life

soufi

someone who delivers spiritual speeches, often an associate of the clergy

pasteur

a moral or religious speech, usually given during a church service

sermon

a speech or a piece of writing that is meant to advise people on the correct way of behaving

homélie

a person in some religions and cultures believed to be capable of contacting good and evil spirits and curing people of illnesses, especially in some cultures in northern Asia and North America

chaman

a follower of Sikhism

sikh

a person belonging to an English religious group of the 16th and 17th centuries who wanted church rituals made simpler and who believed it was important to work hard and control oneself, while pleasure was unnecessary or even wrong

puritain

a religious person who travels to a sacred place for a holy cause

pèlerin

(in Judaism) divinely sent king who will save the Jewish people

Messie

a person who lives a very simple life in solitude as a religious practice

ermite

someone who is killed because of their beliefs

martyr

any of the four books of the New Testament that is about the life and teachings of Jesus Christ

évangile

any one of the twelve disciples of Jesus

apôtre

any of the letters in the New Testament, written by the apostles

épître

someone who believes it is impossible to know whether God exists or not

agnostique

someone who does not believe in the existence of God or gods

athée

a school of Mahayana Buddhism, originally formed in Japan, emphasizing the value of meditation and intuition rather than reading religious scripts or ritual worship

zen

a religious cult involving witchcraft and the worship of spirits, especially common in parts of the Caribbean

vaudou

(in Christianity) the concept of God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

la Trinité

the state in which a person or their spirit is delivered from their sins and saved by Christ

salut

the return to life of Christ on the third day after his death on the cross, according to the New Testament

la Résurrection

the act of disrespectfully treating a sacred item or place

sacrilège

a mass at which people honor and pray for the soul of a dead person, especially in the Roman Catholic Church

requiem

the belief that after someone’s death, their spirit comes back to life in the form of a new body, especially in Buddhism and Hinduism

réincarnation

a statement about events that have not yet occurred but are believed to be inevitable or possible, especially one made by a divine person

prophétie