The adjective "religious" means that the experience occurs in connection with religious activities or is interpreted in context of a religion. Marghanita Laski writes in her study "Ecstasy in Religiou ...
Orthodoxy represents the majority of Eastern Christianity. The Orthodox trace their bishops back to the apostles through apostolic succession, venerate saints, especially Mary the Mother of God as the ...
According to Orthodox theology, the purpose of the Christian life is to attain theosis, the mystical union of mankind with God. This union is understood as both collective and individual. St. Athanasi ...
Almost from the very beginning, Christians referred to the Church as the "One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church". The Orthodox Church claims that it is today the continuation and preservation of t ...
In Roman Catholic teaching, such states do not come about even with the ordinary aid of divine grace. Mystical theology, then, comprises among its subjects all extraordinary forms of prayer, the highe ...
"Mysticism" is derived from the Greek μυω, meaning "I conceal", and its derivative μυστικ??, mystikos, meaning 'an initiate'.Definitions Parson warns that "what might at times seem to be a ...
Marcion of Sinope, c. 150, had a much shorter version of the gospel, that differed substantially from was has now become the standard text of the gospel of Luke. Marcion's version of the gospel was fa ...
The word gospel derives from the Old English gōd-spell (rarely godspel), meaning "good news" or "glad tidings". The word comes from the Greek euangelion, or "good news". The gospel was considered th ...
In Anglicanism, the term "laity" refers to anyone who is not a bishop, priest, or deacon in the Church. In the Anglican tradition, all baptized persons are expected to minister in Christ's name. The o ...
The Second Vatican Council in the 1960s introduced the most significant changes to Catholic practices since the Council of Trent four centuries before. Initiated by Pope John XXIII, this ecumenical co ...
The Church teaches that, immediately after death, the soul of each person will receive a particular judgement from God. This teaching also attests to another day when Christ will sit in a universal ju ...
Individual countries, regions, or major cities are served by particular Churches known as dioceses or eparchies, each overseen by a Catholic bishop. Each diocese is united with one of the worldwide "s ...
The Church's hierarchy is headed by the Bishop of Rome, known as the Pope (Latin: papa; "father"), who is the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church composed of the Latin Church and the Eastern Catho ...
Main article: Buddhist monasticismIn Buddhist societies, a religious order is one of the number of monastic orders of monks and nuns, many of which follow under a different school of teaching, such as ...
The Catholic Church sees the Mass or Eucharist as "the source and summit of the Christian life", to which the other sacraments are oriented. The Catholic Church believes that the Mass is exactly the s ...
