Religion

Buddhist calendar A family of lunisolar calendars used across parts of Southeast Asia, derived from Indian calendrical systems and adapted to local religious and civil needs.

Bulgarian Orthodox Church Autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Church of Bulgaria. Traces roots to 9th-century Christianization, organized under a Patriarch and Holy Synod, with deep cultural influence and about…

Burial: practices, history and modern considerations Burial Burial is the interment of a human or object in the ground. This article outlines common methods, cultural meanings, historical practices including mass graves, and modern alternat…

Burig (Purik): Tibetan Muslim community of Ladakh and Baltistan Burig The Burig or Purik are a distinct Tibetan-origin Muslim community concentrated in Ladakh and neighbouring Baltistan, especially around Kargil and Leh, combining Tibetan cultural tr…

Cain (Biblical figure) Cain Cain, the firstborn son of Adam and Eve in Genesis, is known for killing his brother Abel and for being marked and exiled; his story has been widely interpreted across Jewish, Chri…

Caliph: office, history, and significance in Islamic governance Caliph A caliph is a successor leader in Islam whose role combines religious legitimacy and political authority. This article outlines the term’s meaning, historical development, function…

Caliphate: the Islamic office of political and religious leadership Caliphate A caliphate is a polity led by a caliph—considered a successor to Muhammad—whose authority combined political, judicial and religious roles. The institution evolved through early r…

Calvinism: Origins, Beliefs, and Historical Influence Calvinism Calvinism is the Reformed branch of Protestant Christianity associated with John Calvin. This article explains its doctrines, history, church life, and influence, and distinguishes…

Canaan (son of Noah): traditions, confusion, and the flood narrative Canaan (son of Noah) Survey of traditions that identify a son of Noah named Canaan, how this differs from the biblical Canaan, Qur'anic accounts of Noah's disbelieving son, and historical interpretatio…

Candomblé: an Afro-Brazilian religious tradition Candomblé Candomblé is an Afro-Brazilian religion rooted in West and Central African beliefs, developed in Brazil with vibrant ritual life centred on orixás, terreiros, music, dance and ance…

Cao Đài (Caodaism) — a syncretic Vietnamese religion Cao Dai Cao Đài is a 20th‑century syncretic religion founded in Vietnam that blends elements of Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism and Christianity with spiritist practices and a distinctive o…

Cardinal (Catholic Church) Senior clergy in the Roman Catholic Church who advise the pope, govern major dioceses and departments, and elect a new pope in a conclave. Known for red vestments and membership in…

Cargo cults: origins, beliefs, practices, and cultural significance Cargo cult Religious movements that arose in Melanesia and nearby regions after contact with outsiders, marked by ritual imitation of Western material exchange to recover or attract manufactu…

Carmelites: history, spirituality, and global presence Carmelites The Carmelites are a Roman Catholic religious order originating on Mount Carmel in the 12th century, known for contemplative prayer, Marian devotion, and influential mystics such a…

Catechism of the Catholic Church A comprehensive, authoritative presentation of Roman Catholic doctrine first published in 1992, organized for teaching, reference, and pastoral use; accompanied by a concise Compen…

Catharism: the medieval dualist Christian movement Catharism Catharism was a medieval Christian dualist movement centered in southern France. Known as 'the pure ones', Cathars held ascetic beliefs and were suppressed by the Church during the…

Cathedral: definition, history, architecture, and role in Christianity Cathedral A cathedral is the principal church of a Christian bishopric, housing the bishop’s seat (cathedra). This article explains its definition, architecture, history, functions, and vari…

Cathedral‑Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar Cathedral-Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar Baroque basilica and cathedral in Zaragoza, Spain, venerating the Virgin Mary as Our Lady of the Pillar; important pilgrimage site, notable for its domes, towers, historic statue a…

Catholic Church: overview, structure, history, beliefs, and global presence Catholic Church Overview of the Catholic Church: its name and origins, organizational structure, core beliefs and practices, historical development, global distribution, and distinctive teachings.

Catholicism: Beliefs, Structure, History and Practices Catholicism Catholicism is the faith, liturgical life, moral teaching and institutional tradition of churches in communion with the Bishop of Rome. Overview of beliefs, rites, history and soci…

Celtic Christianity: origins, practices, and cultural legacy Celtic Christianity Survey of early medieval Christian communities in Ireland, Britain and nearby islands: their monastic structures, liturgical and devotional distinctives, art and literature, notabl…

Celtic Polytheism: Beliefs, Deities, and Historical Development Celtic polytheism Overview of the pre-Christian religious systems attributed to the ancient Celts, their practices, principal gods, historical changes under Rome and Christianity, and modern revival…

Celtic Reconstructionist Paganism: Beliefs, Practices and Historical Basis Celtic Reconstructionist Paganism Celtic Reconstructionist Paganism (CR) seeks to revive and reconstruct pre-Christian Celtic religious practices using historical sources, archaeology, language, and folklore as a g…

Chabad (Lubavitch): Hasidic movement, beliefs, history and outreach Chabad Chabad, also called Lubavitch, is a Hasidic movement known for its intellectual approach to mysticism, wide international outreach through shluchim and Chabad Houses, and a distinc…

Chalcedonian Creed (Council of Chalcedon, 451) Chalcedonian Creed Definition and significance of the Chalcedonian Creed: its Christological formulation, historical context at the Council of Chalcedon (451), reception among Christian communions, a…

Chaldean Catholic Church An Eastern Catholic sui iuris church of Iraqi origin that uses the East Syriac liturgy, is in full communion with the Bishop of Rome, and serves communities in the Middle East and…

Chaldean Christians Christian community centered on the Chaldean Catholic Church, rooted in Syriac liturgy and Eastern Aramaic language, historically based in Iraq and spread through a global diaspora…

Chaldean Rite (East Syrian Rite) Chaldean Rite An overview of the Chaldean or East Syrian Rite: its liturgical characteristics, historical development, major churches that use it, and its present-day communities and distinction…

Chalice A chalice is a footed drinking vessel used especially in liturgical rites. It has distinctive parts, varied materials and long religious and cultural significance across traditions…

Chandranath Temple — Hilltop Hindu shrine on Chandranath Hill, southeastern Bangladesh Chandranath Temple Chandranath Temple, a hilltop Hindu shrine on Chandranath Hill in southeastern Bangladesh, serves as a regional pilgrimage site known for its devotional rituals, scenic views and a…

Chapel (Christian place of worship) Chapel A chapel is a small or specialized Christian place of worship, often private or institutional, distinct from a parish church and used for prayer, rites, memorials, and services in…

Chaplain: role, duties, training and contexts of pastoral care Chaplain An overview of chaplains — clergy or secular pastoral caregivers who work outside parish congregations in hospitals, prisons, armed forces, schools and other institutions.

Chapters and Verses of the Bible How and why the Bible is divided into chapters and verses: origins, development, variations between Jewish, Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox traditions, and practical uses for cit…

Charismatic Movement A Christian renewal movement that emphasizes present-day gifts of the Holy Spirit—such as tongues, prophecy and healing—appearing across many denominations from the mid-20th centur…

Chastity Chastity is a concept of sexual self-restraint and moral conduct that varies by culture and religion, ranging from abstinence to fidelity and disciplined sexual behavior within acc…

Chatteshwari Temple, Chittagong Chatteshwari Temple An 18th-century Hindu temple in central Chittagong, Bangladesh, dedicated to the goddess Kali and regarded locally as the city's guardian deity; important for worship, festivals, a…

Cheondoism (Cheondogyo): Korea's Donghak‑derived religious movement Cheondoism Cheondoism, originally called Donghak and founded by Choe Je‑u in 1860, is a modern Korean religion stressing the immanence of Heaven, human dignity, social reform and a syncretic…

Chief Rabbinate of Israel The Chief Rabbinate of Israel is the national Orthodox Jewish religious authority overseeing rabbinical courts, kashrut, marriage, conversion and other communal religious matters w…

Chinese folk religion: beliefs, practices, and historical development Chinese folk religion Overview of Chinese folk religion (民间信仰): syncretic beliefs, ancestor and local spirit worship, common practices, history of suppression and revival, regional varieties and notable…

Chinese Orthodox Church The presence of Eastern Orthodox Christianity in China, originating in Russian missions, shaped by 20th‑century upheavals and now a small, dispersed community with historic churche…

Chiriku Hachiman-gū (Chiriku Hachiman Shrine) Chiriku Hachiman-gū Chiriku Hachiman-gū is a Shinto shrine in Miyaki, Saga Prefecture, dedicated to Hachiman. It serves as a local religious, cultural, and community center with traditional architectu…

Chishti Order (Chishtiyya): A Sufi Tradition of Love and Service Chishti The Chishti Order is a Sufi school founded in the 10th century known for love, tolerance, devotional practice and service. It became especially influential in South Asia through sa…

Chorale: the Lutheran congregational hymn and its musical tradition Chorale A chorale is a Lutheran congregational hymn originating in the Reformation; singable, strophic tunes in Bar form later harmonized and used in organ preludes, cantatas and varied cl…

Chosen people: religious and social meanings of election Chosen people Overview of the religious concept of a 'chosen people', its theological meanings, historical uses (notably in Judaism), variations across faiths, social roles, controversies and di…

Christ Christ (title) Christ, from Greek Χριστός meaning "the Anointed One," is the title used in Christian tradition for the promised Messiah and central figure believed to bring salvation.

Christadelphians A 19th-century, Bible-centered Christian movement, non‑Trinitarian and lay-led, emphasizing resurrection, the coming Kingdom, baptism by immersion and congregational autonomy; pres…

Christendom: the historical and cultural concept of the Christian world Christendom Christendom denotes the social, political and cultural sphere shaped by Christianity — historically used for a unified Christian polity and today applied to cultural influence, ins…

Christian (follower of Christianity) Christian Person who adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic faith centered on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ; overview of beliefs, history, major branches, practices, and global pre…