0.1 Glossary  (Page 3/5)

Hinduism – A collective name for the variety of religious beliefs and practices of the people of India.

Ideology – A set of ideas utilising religion with a view to the attainment of non–religious, such as political or economic, aims.

Immanence – The belief that the ultimate lies within, in the depth of existence.

Indentured labourer – A worker from a foreign country who was contracted to work for a fixed period, typically ten years, and could then return to his or her native country.

Indigenous Knowledge System (IKS) – The knowledge that is part and parcel of the indigenous culture that has been transmitted over generations.

Indulgences: Documents for purchase that absolved sinners of their errant behavior

Institution – Religious group, with relatively permanent procedures and specialised roles, through which major religious functions are performed.

Interpretive research – An approach to research in which the researcher proceeds from the assumption that the world is constructed by human beings and that it is complex and ever changing, and it is therefore not at all possible to measure it with any accuracy.

Iron Age – The stage of development in which people used iron to make implements as tools and weapons.

Islam – The religion founded by the Prophet Muhammad in the sixth century CE.

Jainism – A religion related to Hinduism and Buddhism. It is only found in India.

Jati – In Hinduism, thousands of small, specialised family groups that pursue specialised tasks and do not marry outside their own ranks.

Judaism – The religion of the Jewish people.

Julian calendar – Forerunner of the Gregorian calendar, still in use by the Orthodox Church.

Karma – The belief that every action has a consequence, which may only show up in a later reincarnation.

Kosher – Food that is fit for human consumption under Jewish religious law.

Liberation Theology – A movement among Christian (mainly Catholic) theologians to reinterpret Christian teachings in the light of the suffering of poverty–stricken communities.

Liberation theology – the use of a church to promote social change via the political arena

Local religions – Religions that are practised in small local communities and into which one can only be born, not converted.

Lunar calendar – A calendar system that is based on the movements of the moon.

Makkah – Preferred spelling of "Mecca". The holy city of Islam.

Megachurch – a Christian church that has a very large congregation averaging more than 2,000 people who attend regular weekly services

Messianic movement – A religious movement that expects a Messiah to arrive soon and solve all problems. In some cases, this "messiah" may be seen as a general set of conditions, rather than a single person.

Methodology – The way in which people approach problems and their solutions; the study of such ways.

Middle East – The common name for Southwest Asia. The term is regarded as unacceptably Eurocentric in some circles.

Millennialism: The belief that the Kingdom of God would be established on earth and that God would reign on earth for a thousand years characterized by harmony and Christian morality