| |
Sacrament |
In Christianity "an outward and
physical sign of an inward and spiritual grace". There are
two sacraments ordained by Christ in the New Testament, Baptism
and Holy Communion. There are a further five sacraments (Confirmation,
Penance, Ordination, Matrimony and Unction or Anointing) accepted
as such by the Roman Catholic Church and other churches. |
 |
| |
sadaqah |
A deed of kindness and charity (additional
to Zakah). |
|
| |
Saint Paul |
Biblical figure. Originally named Saul of Tarsus
he was a fierce opponent of Christianity until he underwent
a conversion and became an apostle, a great missionary and
the writer of a number of letters contained in the Bible. |
|
| |
salah / salat |
The obligatory prayers which Muslims pray five
times daily, one of the five Pillars of Islam. |
|
| |
salvation |
Central Christian belief that believers are
saved from eternal damnation. They enjoy eternal life in the
company of God. |
|
| |
samsara |
According to Hinduism, the cycle of life in
the world through a series of births, deaths and rebirths
which have been caused by karma. |
|
| |
samskara |
Any one of many rites of passage in Hinduism. |
|
| |
sant |
Within both Hinduism and Sikhism a holy person
with a following of devotees. |
|
| |
santokh |
Contentment, an important concept within Sikhism. |
No Audio |
| |
Satanism |
The worship of Satan or other central figures
from demonology. |
No Audio |
| |
Sathya Sai Baba |
A Hindu religious leader believed to be an
incarnation of Shiva and his consort, the founder and leader
of a sectarian movement. |
|
| |
sawm |
The fast in the month of Ramadan observed by
Muslims. |
|
| |
Second Coming |
This is the Christian belief that at the end
of time Jesus Christ will return and establish the new heavenly
Jerusalem. |
|
| |
Second Vatican
Council |
A gathering of Roman Catholic Bishops in Rome
from 1962 to 1965 at the instigation of Pope John XXIII. Out
of the debates and pronouncements of the Council came the
impetus for many new directions in Roman Catholicism. |
|
| |
Seder |
The ceremonial meal held in Jewish homes on
the first two nights of Pesach (first night only in Israel
and among progressive Jews). |
|
| |
Seder plate |
A plate used at a Pesach meal which holds foodstuff
with symbolic meaning. |
|
| |
Sefer Torah |
A handwritten parchment scroll of Torah, kept
in Jewish synagogues and read from at services. |
|
| |
Sephardim |
Jews from Spanish, Portuguese, North African
and Middle Eastern backgrounds. |
|
| |
Seventh Day Adventists |
A conservative Bible-based Christian group,
which is distinguished by its continued recognition of Saturday
as the appropriate day for rest and worship. |
|
| |
seva / sewa |
In Sikhism, service for the benefit of others
without any thoughts for oneself; the term is similarly used
in Hinduism, although here it may also refer to service to
a deity. |
|
 |
Shabbat (Shabbos) |
The seventh day of the week, Saturday, on which
Jews abstain from work. Jewish days begin at sunset and Shabbat
is welcomed by the lighting of candles on Friday evening. |
|
 |
Shahadah |
Islamic profession of faith that Allah is the
only God and that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah. |
|
 |
Shankara |
An influential Indian religious philosopher
(probably 8th century CE). |
|
|
Shariah |
The revealed law of Islam based on Qur'an and
Sunnah and elaborated by schools of law. |
|
| |
Shauvot |
The festival of Pentecost (or weeks) coming
50 days after the second day of Pesach. It is associated with
the wheat harvest and with the giving of the Torah to Moses
on Mount Sinai. |
|
| |
Shema |
The Hebrew word for 'hear', which is the first
word of a very important Jewish prayer from Deuteronomy in
the Torah, also known as the Shema ('Hear, O Israel, the Lord
is our God, the Lord is One'). |
|
| |
Shi'a |
Islamic groups that recognise a human spiritual
lineage through the family of the Prophet beginning with Ali,
the Prophet's cousin and son-in-law. The most prominent such
group recognises a line of 12 Imams, of which the twelfth
went into hiding at the age of four in 873 CE and will remain
alive but hidden until the end of the world when he will reappear. |
|
| |
Shirdi Sai Baba |
(1856-1918) Bhakti mystic. |
|
| |
Shiva |
Hindu god. To his devotees, Shiva is the Supreme
Lord who brings together opposites because he represents both
destruction and creation, good and evil, austerity and exuberance,
benevolence and ferocity. |
|
| |
Shivaratri |
A Hindu festival in honour of Shiva. |
|
| |
Shoah |
The murder of six million Jews in Europe by
the Nazis, also known as the Holocaust. |
|
 |
Sidharan Path |
A non-continuous reading of the entire Guru
Granth Sahib, often spread over 9 days. |
|
| |
Sikhism |
A religion founded by Guru Nanak and based
on his teachings and those of nine human successor Gurus and
subsequently the teachings of the holy book, the Guru Granth
Sahib. |
|
| |
Simchat Torah |
Literally 'rejoicing in the Torah. A joyous
annual Jewish festival at the end of Sukkot to mark the end
and the beginning of the cycle of Torah readings in synagogue. |
|
| |
Simran |
The recitation of God's name as practised in
Sikhism, Hinduism and other religious movements. |
|
| |
Smart, Ninian (1927-2001) |
Professor of religious studies. Author of many
books and of 'Schools' Council Working Paper 36' on religious
studies in secondary schools. Founder and former president
of the Shap Working Party on World Religions in Education. |
No Audio |
 |
stupa |
Buddhist monument originally derived from burial
mounds and often still used for that purpose. Often comprising
5 distinct shapes which correspond to the 5 elements. The
square base, earth; the dome, water; the spire, fire; the
cresent, air and the surmounting disc, space. |
|
| |
sukkah |
Temporary booths set up during the Jewish festival
of Sukkot in memory of the time the Israelites spent wandering
in the wilderness after their exodus from Egypt. |
|
| |
Sukkoth |
Autumn festival (usually mid-October). |
|
| |
Sunnah |
Literally 'custom'. The word is used in Islam
to refer to the words and deeds of the Prophet that are held
to be exemplary and are embodied in the hadith or traditional
literature. |
|
| |
Sunni |
The predominant Islamic group (approximately
90% of all Muslims), followers of the Sunnah (the custom and
code of the Prophet Muhammad). |
|
| |
sura |
One of the 114 sections or chapters of the
Qur'an. |
|
| |
Swami Narayan |
A Hindu religious leader and founder of a sectarian
group (sampradaya). |
|
| |
Sunyata |
Emptiness or voidness. The Buddhist teaching
that all that might one consider as existing is ultimately
insubstantial and impermanent. No more than a constantly changing
web of conditions. |
|
| |
Swami Vivekananda |
Bengali intellectual who became a disciple
of the saint Ramakrishna. He started the Ramakrishna Mission,
which works devotedly on behalf of the poor of India, transcending
caste and racial barriers. |
|
| |
swastika |
One of the oldest and most the complex symbols.
Prehistoric and found universally accepted except for parts
of Africa and Summaria. As used by the ancient Aryans it signifys
something auspicious. The word comes from Sanscrit meaning
'all is well'. The familiar symbol appears in both Buddhism
and Hinduism where it is associated with Vishnu and painted
on doors to protect against evil. |
|
| |
synagogue |
A Jewish place of congregational worship and
community gathering often called by the Yiddish word Shul. |
|
 |
syncretism |
The fusion of religious beliefs and practices
from different traditions where these interact in situations
of intercultural contact. |
No Audio |
