Lesson 40
Beliefs and Religion
1. agnostic: a thinker who disclaims any knowledge of God. The agnostic does not deny God but denies the possibility of knowing him.
2. apocalyptic: pertaining to a revelation; foretelling imminent disaster and total destruction. Apocalypse refers to the last books of the New Testament.
3. apocryphal: of questionable authority and authenticity; false or counterfeit. The Apocrypha includes the 14 books of the Septuagint found in the Vulgate but considered uncanonical by the Protestant because they are not part of the Hebrew Scriptures.
4. apostate: one who forsakes his faith or principles
5. apotheosis: deification; an exalted or glorified ideal.
6. benediction: a blessing, an invocation of divine blessing, usually at the end of a religious service. A newly married man is called a benedict, suggesting that marriage brings to a bachelor many blessings.
7. blasphemy: any irreverent or impious act or utterance
8. deist: believer in the existence of God as the creator of the universe who after setting it in motion abandoned it, assumed no control over life, exerted no influence on natural phenomenon, and gave no supernatural revelation. Deism is a natural religion based on human reason and morality.
9. infidel: a person who does not believe in any religion; among Christians or Muslims, one who does not accept their particular beliefs. This word infidelity denotes unfaithfulness to moral or martial obligations.
10. mantra: a mystical formula of invocation or incantation in Hinduism and Buddhism. The word comes from mens, the Latin meaning “mind” and the ancient Sanskrit word for “scared counsel” or “formula”
11. ontology: the branch of philosophy dealing with the nature of being
12. pantheism: the doctrine that the universe, conceived of as a whole, is God.
13. sacrilegious: disrespectful or irreverent toward anything regarded as sacred. The term is derived from the Latin sacrilegium, “one who steals sacred things,” which of course is one form of sacrilege.
14. syncretism: the attempt or tendency to combine or reconcile differing beliefs, as in philosophy or religion. It comes from the Greek syn (together) and kret (Cretain) and refers to the uniting of Cretan cities against a common enemy.
15. theodicy: a vindication of divine justice in the face of the existence of evil. Theodicee was the title of a work by Leibnitz in 1710. The word combines the Greek roots for “god” and “judgment”
Exercises
I. Which Word Comes to Mind?
In each of the following, read the statement, then circle the word that comes to mind.
1. In the Middle Ages this would have brought the harshest punishment
(ontology, blasphemy, apocryphal)
2. God and nature are synonymous
(benediction, pantheism, apocalyptic)
3. This person could be a Christian, Muslim, or Jew, depending on what you are
(infidel, mantra, apotheosis)
4. An attempt to explain why God permitted the rise of Hitlerism
(theodicy, apostate, sacrilegious)
5. If you can’t beat them, join them
(agnostic, syncretism, deist)
6. The absolute best of its kind
(apotheosis, sacrilegious, apocryphal)
7. Doomsday is coming
(blasphemy, apocalyptic, ontology)
8. Belief that differing faiths can be reconciled
(agnostic, pantheist, syncretist)
9. A blessing
(mantra, benediction, blasphemy)
10. An unauthorized version
(sacrilegious, apocryphal, blasphemy)
II. True or False?
In the space provided, indicate whether each statement is true or false
____ 1. The apocryphal writings have been universally accepted as part of the Bible
____ 2. An apostate is one who has changed his religious beliefs.
____ 3. Pantheists emphasize the importance of religious services
____ 4. The sacrilegious person holds a place of honor in the community of believers
____ 5. The apocalyptic view is definitely pessimistic
____ 6. The agnostic is inclined to say, “Thank God for my blessings.”
____ 7. The apostate finds solace in his mantra
____ 8. Ontology attempts to answer the question: What is reality?
____ 9. Sacrilegious and blasphemous behavior is typical of an apostate
____ 10. Mantras are part of the worship in Buddhism and Hinduism
III. Synonyms or Antonyms
Find and circle the two words on each line that are either synonyms or antonyms.
1. apostate apocryphal heretic biblical
2. blasphemous apotheosis degradation occult
3. infidel mantra religion invocation
4. canonical apocryphal apocalyptic orthodox
5. laity benediction denominational anathema
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