WORD LIST: Words to do with Religion

amen

a word used especially at the end of a prayer to show agreement with the prayer. It means let it be so.

angel

a spirit who is sent by God, usually as a messenger

baptize

to put someone in water, or to put water on them, as a sign of receiving them as a Christian

Christ

'the one [person] chosen and prepared by God' a title of Jesus which comes from the Greek language

Christian

a person who believes in, and follows, Jesus Christ

church

a community of Christians who meet together to worship; a building for Christian worship

Church, the

the whole 'body' of Christians all over the world

circumcise

to cut off the skin at the end of the male sex organ (this is a religious rule in some religions, but not the Christian religion)

devil

an evil spirit

Devil, the

the chief evil spirit, named Satan

glory

great love, praise and honor; the beautiful light around God

grace(of God)

God's love for people who do not deserve it. People cannot earn God's grace.

Heaven

the 'place' or state of happiness in which God lives and rules

Hell

the 'place' of great unhappiness to which people who reject God will go

Israelite

(in Bible times) any person descended from Jacob

Israelite

for or of the Israelite people

Kingdom

the 'place' where God rules (this may mean 'Heaven' but it may also mean 'in the hearts of a community of Christians')

Messiah

a word which means the same as 'Christ'. ('Messiah' is from the Jewish word, 'Christ' from Greek). The Jewish people looked for the Messiah to come to save them from oppression, as God had promised. Jesus claimed to be the Messiah and Christians believe that he was, and is.

priest

(in Bible times) a man who did religious duties for the Israelite people, so represented them before God

prophet

a person with a special instruction from God to speak God's words into the community

Satan

name of the chief evil spirit; the chief devil

sin

wrong-doing, especially against God's rules (which may be different from human ideas of right and wrong!)

Temple

a building used for religious purposes in some religions; in Bible times the temple was the chief building for Israelite religious worship, which powerfully represented the presence of God. Three Temples were built in Bible times. The ruins of the last one (which enemies destroyed in 70 AD) are still in Jerusalem.

worship

to honor and thank God by prayer and/or singing

worship

the act of worshipping