Religion

Essenes: Jewish sect of the Second Temple period Essenes A Jewish sect active in the late Second Temple era, known for communal living, strict purity rules, ascetic practices, apocalyptic beliefs, and a likely connection to the Dead Sea…

Eternal flame: history, symbolism, and notable memorials Eternal flame An eternal flame is a continuously tended or self-sustaining fire used as a symbol of memory, devotion, or continuity. This article covers origins, types, engineering, and prominen…

Etruscan Religion: Beliefs, Rituals, and Cultural Legacy Etruscan religion Overview of the religion of the Etruscans (Rasenna): its core beliefs, priestly disciplines, divinatory techniques, pantheon, historical development, and influence on Roman religio…

Eucharist (Holy Communion) in Christian Tradition Eucharist The Eucharist, also called Holy Communion or the Lord's Supper, is a central Christian rite in which bread and wine are shared as Christ's body and blood; practices and meanings va…

Evangelical: meanings, beliefs, history, and contemporary uses Evangelical Evangelical describes a broad movement and set of emphases within Protestant Christianity, with varied regional meanings, historical roots in the Reformation and revivals, and wide…

Evangelical Church in Germany (Evangelische Kirche in Deutschland, EKD) Evangelical Church in Germany A federation of 20 regional Protestant churches in Germany—Lutheran, Reformed and United—coordinating worship, social work and ecumenical relations while each member church retains…

Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada A nationwide Lutheran denomination in Canada founded by a 1986 merger; organized into five synods, it supports liturgical worship, sacraments, ecumenical ties, and social ministry…

Evangelicalism: beliefs, history, and global presence Evangelicalism Overview of evangelicalism: core beliefs, historical development, global distribution, denominational forms, social influence, and notable figures in conservative Protestant Christ…

Evangelism (Christian preaching and witness) Evangelism Evangelism is the practice of proclaiming the Christian message about Jesus Christ, aimed at sharing faith, inviting conversion, and encouraging spiritual growth across cultures an…

Eve (Bible) Eve is the first woman in the Book of Genesis, described as created by God to be Adam’s companion. Her story explains origins, disobedience, and human mortality and has influenced…

Evening Prayer (Anglican) — Evensong Evening Prayer (Anglican) Evening Prayer, often called Evensong when sung, is the Anglican evening liturgy of psalms, canticles, readings and prayers, offered in sung or said forms across cathedrals, colleg…

Creatio ex nihilo (Creation from Nothing) Ex nihilo Doctrine that the world was brought into existence by a creator from no prior matter; a central idea in many theological and philosophical traditions, contrasted with creation from…

Excommunication (religious exclusion and disciplinary practice) Excommunication Excommunication is the formal removal or suspension of membership in a religious community. Practices, grounds, and consequences differ widely among faiths and historical periods.

Exodus — the second book of the Torah Exodus Exodus (Hebrew: Shemot) narrates the Israelites' departure from Egypt, the calling of Moses, the revelation at Sinai, and instructions for worship including the Ark of the Covenant…

Exorcism: Religious and Cultural Practices of Expelling Spirits Exorcism Exorcism refers to rituals aimed at removing unwanted spiritual presences from people, animals, or places. It appears in many religions and cultures and raises religious, medical a…

Ezra: priest, scribe, and leader of the post‑exilic community Ezra Ezra was a Jewish priest and scribe active in the 5th century BCE who led religious reforms after the Babylonian exile and is associated with the biblical Book of Ezra and the rest…

Fakir (Faqir): Ascetics, Sufi Mystics, and Cultural Images Fakir A fakir (faqir) denotes a religious ascetic, especially in Sufism and South Asian traditions; this article covers meanings, practices, history, cultural roles and common stereotype…

Fallen angel A fallen angel is a supernatural being cast out of heaven after disobedience; the figure appears across religious texts and literature with varying roles and meanings.

False prophet Definition and overview of the term “false prophet,” its religious and secular meanings, common characteristics, historical context, modern usage, and ways to evaluate prophetic cl…

Falun Gong (Falun Dafa): beliefs, practices, history and controversies Falun Gong Concise overview of Falun Gong (Falun Dafa): teachings, exercises, origins in China, growth in the 1990s, the 1999 crackdown, human rights concerns, international response and cont…

The Family International (formerly Children of God) Family International A Christian-based new religious movement founded in the late 1960s by David Brandt Berg, known for communal evangelism, controversial practices and later reforms under new leadersh…

Fasting in Islam (Sawm) Fasting in Islam Sawm (صوم) is the Islamic practice of daytime abstention observed chiefly during Ramadan. It is a religious, social and spiritual discipline with rules, exceptions, variations and…

Filioque clause A contested phrase added to the Nicene Creed meaning "and from the Son." Central to Western–Eastern Christian disagreement over the Spirit's procession, it shaped theology, liturgy…

Finnish paganism: beliefs, rituals and cultural legacy Finnish paganism Pre-Christian religion of Finland and Karelia characterized by animism, local gods (Ukko, Tapio, Ahti), shamanic specialists, sacred places and rites such as the bear ritual Peijai…

First Epistle of John: origin, themes, and significance First Epistle of John An overview of the First Epistle of John: authorship questions, historical context, major themes (love, truth, assurance), structure, and how the letter tests true teaching and eth…

First Epistle to the Thessalonians A concise overview of 1 Thessalonians: authorship, date, structure, major themes, historical context, and its significance in early Christian theology and practice.

Five Pillars of Islam: Overview, Practices, and Significance Five Pillars of Islam A concise, neutral explanation of the Five Pillars of Islam: their meanings, practice, origins, variations, and importance in Muslim life.

Five solas: Core theological principles of the Protestant Reformation Five solas Overview of the Five solas—Sola Scriptura, Solus Christus, Sola Gratia, Sola Fide, Soli Deo Gloria—their meanings, 16th‑century origins, theological roles, and ongoing significance…

Flag of Iran The national flag of Iran is a horizontal tricolor of green, white and red with a central emblem and border inscriptions. Adopted after the 1979–80 Revolution, its elements carry r…

Flag of Somaliland National flag used by the self-declared Republic of Somaliland: a horizontal tricolor with the Islamic declaration of faith, a central star, and colors reflecting history and ident…

Flying Spaghetti Monster The Flying Spaghetti Monster is the satirical deity of Pastafarianism, created in 2005 to protest teaching intelligent design. It functions as cultural critique, community identity…

Fornication: Definition, History, and Cultural Perspectives Fornication Fornication refers to consensual sexual intercourse between people who are not married to each other; the term has legal, religious, and social significance that has evolved over t…

Fortune-telling: Practices, History and Cultural Context Fortune-telling Overview of fortune-telling: common methods (tarot, astrology, palmistry), historical development, cultural roles, relation to religious divination, and modern uses and critiques.

Four Noble Truths Core Buddhist teaching that diagnoses suffering and prescribes a path to its end: the reality of suffering, its cause, its cessation, and the path leading to cessation.

Free Church of Scotland: history, beliefs, and denominational divisions Free Church of Scotland Overview of the Free Church of Scotland: its origins in 19th-century splits, Presbyterian beliefs and governance, major denominations, practices, and how it differs from the establ…

Freedom of religion Right to choose, change, practice or abstain from religion; legal protections, historical roots, common forms, limits, and examples of restriction worldwide.

Friar: Mendicant Religious Brothers in Christian Tradition Friar A friar is a member of a mendicant religious order in Christianity who lives a communal, service-oriented life in the world rather than in a cloistered monastery.

Fuke Zen: Komusō, shakuhachi, and the practice of suizen Fuke Zen Fuke Zen was a Japanese form of Zen associated with komusō monks who practiced suizen—meditation by playing the shakuhachi—flourishing from the medieval period to the Meiji era and…

Full communion (Christian ecclesiology): meaning, history and implications Full communion Full communion describes formal relations between Christian churches that recognize shared sacraments and essential doctrine while remaining distinct in governance or liturgy.

Fundamentalism: origins, characteristics, and contemporary significance Fundamentalism An overview of fundamentalism as a religious and ideological phenomenon: origins, defining traits, historical development, variety of forms, causes, controversies, and scholarly pe…

Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS) Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints An encyclopedic overview of the FLDS, a Mormon fundamentalist group known for its practice of plural marriage, its history, major communities, leadership controversies and legal sc…

Fushimi Inari-taisha — Head Shrine of Inari in Kyoto Fushimi Inari-taisha Major Shinto shrine in Fushimi, Kyoto, dedicated to Inari. Renowned for thousands of vermilion torii gates, kitsune (fox) imagery, mountain trails, and a network of subordinate Ina…

Galli (Gallus) — Priests of Cybele and Agdistis Galli Galli were eunuch priests associated with the Anatolian goddess Cybele (and Agdistis), known for ecstatic rituals, distinctive dress, and a complex social role in ancient Mediterra…

Gelug (Gelug-pa): School of Tibetan Buddhism Gelug Gelug is a major Tibetan Buddhist tradition founded by Je Tsongkhapa, emphasizing monastic discipline, scholastic study, the lamrim stages of the path, and tantric yoga integrating…

Gentile: meaning, history, and contemporary usage Gentile Gentile denotes a person who is not Jewish. This article explains the term’s origins, historical context, social uses, and related distinctions in religion and everyday language.

Germanic paganism: beliefs, deities, rites and historical development Germanic paganism Pre-Christian religious traditions of the Germanic-speaking peoples of northern and central Europe, their gods, rituals, sources, and legacy in later myth and culture.

Glory (religious concept) Glory (religion) Glory denotes honor, splendor, or the manifest presence of the divine in Judaism, Christianity and other faiths; a theological attribute, liturgical focus, and theme in art and wor…

Glossolalia (Speaking in Tongues) Glossolalia Glossolalia, commonly known as speaking in tongues, is the production of fluent but unintelligible vocalizations often used in religious worship, trance states, and psychological s…