The belief that God's existence cannot be known.

Belief that objects, such as plants and stones, or natural events, like thunderstorms and earthquakes, have a discrete spirit and conscious life. EXAMPLE is Shintoism in Japan.

Belief that there is no god.

A religious group which is self sufficient, meaning their interaction with other religious communities is confined to little more than loose cooperation and shared ideas. EXAMPLE: Islam and Protestant denominations.

A large and fundamental division within a religion.

A Hindu social class system that controlled every aspect of daily life, a set of rigid social categories that determined not only a person's occupation and economic potential, but also his or her position in society

Stories about how the universe came into being

A division of a branch that unites a number of local congregations in a single legal and administrative body.

A religion in which a person is likely to be born into, rather than convert to. Such religions usually do not have missionaries or are not seeking new believers. Judaism, Hinduism and Shinto would all be examples.

A religious movement characterized by a return to fundamental principles, usually including resistance to modernization and an emphasis on certainty through literal interpretation of scriptures.

During the middle Ages, a neighborhood in a city set up by law to be inhabited only by Jews; now used to denote a section of a city in which members of any minority group live because of social, legal, or economic pressure.

A religion in which central authority exercises a high degree of control.

A person of a particular faith that travels in order to recruit new members into the faith represented.

Belief in one God.

A follower of a polytheistic religion in ancient times.

Journey to a sacred place undertaken as an act of religious devotion; the purpose may be to venerate a certain saint or ask some spiritual favor, beg for a physical cure or perform an act of penance, or express thanks or fulfill a promise.

Belief in many gods.

A relatively small religious group that has broken away from some other religious organization to renew what it considers the original vision of the faith.

Astronomical event that happens twice each year, when the tilt of Earth's axis is most inclined toward or away from the Sun, causing the Sun's apparent position in the sky to reach its most northernmost or southernmost extreme, and resulting in the shortest and longest day of the year.

A blending of beliefs and practices from different religions into one faith.

An indifference to religion and a belief that religion should be excluded from civic affairs and public education.

A belief system that espouses the idea that there is one true religion that is universal in scope. Adherents of universalizing religious systems often believe that their religion represents universal truths, and in some cases great effort is undertaken in evangelism and missionary work.

Place names based on religious influences. For example, many towns and cities have been named for Christian missions that once stood there.

A set of beliefs and practices followed by those committed to the service and worship of God.

A belief system in which followers have an obligation to convert people to their religion.

It is the legal framework within which public and some private aspects of life are regulated for those living in a legal system based on Muslim principles.

These places hold special importance for followers of specific faiths. They may be burial grounds, temples, or other locations believed to possess holy qualities or spiritual value.

Boundaries between the world's major faiths.

Boundaries within a single major faith.