INDEX:
1. a religion
2. a religious group
3. things that you believe because of your religion
4. relating to religion
5. having strong religious beliefs
6. to do something because of your religious beliefs
7. to start to follow a particular religion
RELATED WORDS
: ↑ PRAY , ↑ BELIEVE (7)
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1. a religion
▷ religion /rɪˈlɪdʒ ə n/ [countable/uncountable noun]
a religion is a set of beliefs that a group of people have about a god, and the ceremonies, customs, and rules that go with these beliefs. Religions and religious beliefs in general when considered as a subject are known as religion :
▪ We spent hours discussing politics, religion, and poetry.
▪ the Catholic religion
▪ My parents’ religion is very important to them.
▪ The Buddhist and Shinto religions coexist in Japan.
▪ We respect all religions here.
be against somebody’s religion
be not allowed by their religion
▪ She can’t eat pork. It’s against her religion.
▷ faith /feɪθ/ [countable noun]
a religion, especially one of the large important world religions :
▪ People of all faiths are welcome in this building.
▪ One of the things our faith teaches us is that God created us in His own image.
▪ The tensions are growing between members of different faiths.
the Jewish/Christian/Islamic/Hindu etc faith
▪ Most of the island’s population belong to the Islamic faith.
▪ Godparents agree to educate their godchild in the practice of the Christian faith.
▷ creed /kriːd/ [countable noun]
a religion - use this when you are referring to the range of different religions that exist :
▪ The belief in Jesus as a prophet is a major part of several world creeds.
▪ Give everybody an equal chance, regardless of race, color, creed, or gender.
people of all creeds/people of every creed
▪ Mother Teresa offered her service and love to people of every caste and creed.
▪ Our church welcomes people of various races, colors, and creeds.
2. a religious group
▷ sect /sekt/ [countable noun]
a religious group that is part of a larger religious group, but has slightly different beliefs and ceremonies :
▪ Islam has two main sects: the Sunnis and the Shias.
▪ A monk named Kashyapa is regarded as the founder of the Zen sect of Buddhism.
▪ She is a member of a religious sect that was formed from various aspects of Asian religions.
▪ a fundamentalist sect
▷ church /tʃɜːʳtʃ/ [countable noun]
a smaller group within the Christian religion :
▪ The evangelical churches are particularly strong in the big cities.
▪ He took us to a Pentecostal meeting in one of the city’s many black churches.
the Catholic/Methodist/Mormon etc Church
▪ Even though I belong to the Catholic Church, I don’t agree with everything it says.
the Church of England/Scotland
▪ The Church of England finally agreed to accept the ordination of women priests.
▷ cult /kʌlt/ [countable noun]
an extreme religious group that is not part of an established religion, and that many people think is strange and possibly harmful to the people who get involved in it :
▪ Dozens of religious cults have appeared in the US, most making a fortune for their leaders.
▪ Members of the cult are not allowed to marry or own property without permission.
▪ A spokesman denied the group is a cult and said members could leave whenever they wanted.
3. things that you believe because of your religion
▷ beliefs /bɪˈliːfs/ [plural noun]
all the ideas that someone believes because of their religion :
▪ Martin Luther King was assassinated because of his beliefs.
▪ The religious beliefs and practices of Americans have hardly changed since the 1940s.
▪ She refused to change her strongly-held beliefs.
▪ They are acting in a way that directly contradicts Christian beliefs.
▷ faith /feɪθ/ [uncountable noun]
a strong belief in a particular god or religion :
▪ In spite of all that has happened, somehow she has held onto her faith.
▪ Instead of celebrating their religious faith, they are forced to conceal it for fear of reprisals.
faith in
▪ Nothing could shake his faith in God.
▪ The only reason I stayed in my marriage was because my faith in religion sustained me.
4. relating to religion
▷ religious /rɪˈlɪdʒəs/ [adjective only before noun]
▪ Religious education is compulsory in all English schools.
▪ All acts of religious worship were banned.
▪ The tutor discussed her own religious beliefs openly with the students.
▪ Record companies feared the album might cause offence to people on religious grounds.
▪ The walls were decorated with religious symbols.
▪ a religious festival
▷ holy /ˈhəʊli/ [adjective]
connected with God and religion, and therefore treated in a special way, or thought to have special qualities or powers :
▪ Jerusalem is a holy city for Jews, Christians, and Muslims.
▪ In Islam, only the Qur'an is considered holy.
▪ the holy month of Ramadan
▪ The priest sprinkled each member of the congregation with holy water.
▷ spiritual /ˈspɪrɪtʃuəl, ˈspɪrətʃuəl/ [adjective]
connected with the soul, the spirit, and religion, and not with physical things or ordinary human activities :
▪ She came seeking spiritual guidance.
▪ the spiritual leader of the Tibetan people
▪ Just as the emotional needs of the mentally disabled are overlooked, so too are their spiritual needs.
▪ The last sacrament represents the final step in Christ’s spiritual journey.
spiritually [adverb]
▪ Do you feel you’ve gained anything spiritually from the experience?
▪ Eliot considered modern society to be both culturally and spiritually empty.
▷ sacred /ˈseɪkrɪd, ˈseɪkrəd/ [adjective]
very holy and therefore treated with great respect :
▪ a choir specialising in sacred music
▪ the miraculous power of sacred relics
consider something sacred/regard something as sacred
▪ The Japanese regard Mount Fuji as a sacred mountain.
▪ Certain animals were considered sacred by the Aztecs.
▪ The olive tree was regarded as sacred to the goddess Athena.
▷ divine /dɪˈvaɪn, dəˈvaɪn/ [adjective]
connected with or coming from God :
▪ He offered a brief prayer for divine guidance.
▪ The death of a child is commonly seen by members of the tribe as divine punishment.
▷ faith-based/faith /ˈfeɪθ beɪst, feɪθ/ [adjective only before noun]
involving or run by people or a particular religion - use this especially about schools and official religious groups :
▪ The vast majority of people in the UK are opposed to more faith-based schools, saying they would be socially divisive.
▪ Community leaders and those involved in faith organizations met to discuss what could be done about the recent disturbances.
5. having strong religious beliefs
▷ religious /rɪˈlɪdʒəs/ [adjective]
▪ At one time, I was very religious and a regular church-goer.
▪ He’s always been a religious man, and I think that has helped him.
deeply religious
very religious
▪ Like many Victorians, Ruskin was deeply religious.
▪ Hooker was born on a Mississippi farm, to a deeply religious mother who disapproved of almost all music.
▷ practising British /practicing American /ˈpræktɪsɪŋ, ˈpræktəsɪŋ/ [adjective only before noun]
practising Catholic, Jew, Muslim etc is actively involved in a particular religion and keeps its rules, customs etc :
▪ Harri was the only practising Muslim in the class.
▪ Over 500 of the prisoners are practising Christians.
▷ devout /dɪˈvaʊt/ [adjective usually before noun]
believing very strongly in a particular religion and carefully obeying all its rules :
devout Muslim/Catholic/Jew etc
▪ Bernard was the most devout of all her sons.
▪ Rachel’s parents are devout Mormons.
▪ The shema is still repeated daily by devout Jews the world over.
devoutly [adverb]
▪ a devoutly religious family
▪ She approached the altar with her head bowed devoutly and her eyes closed.
▷ pious /ˈpaɪəs/ [adjective]
having strong religious beliefs and showing this in the way you behave :
▪ She reminded Corbett of a sweet, pious young nun he once knew.
▪ Ethelred was not the most pious of kings, and his clashes with the church were stormy and frequent.
pious Jew/Muslim/Catholic etc
▪ There are 613 commandments required of a pious Jew.
▷ orthodox /ˈɔːʳθədɒksǁ-dɑːks/ [adjective]
believing in, and following very closely, all the ideas, rules, and customs of one of the main religions, even when other people within the same religion do not always think they are important :
▪ Orthodox Christianity teaches that Jesus was raised to life three days after he was crucified.
▪ The Almoravids attempted to bring Africa back to orthodox Islamic practice.
orthodox Jew/Muslim/Christian etc
▪ This interpretation of Karma is rejected by orthodox Hindus.
▷ fundamentalist /ˌfʌndəˈment ə lɪst, ˌfʌndəˈment ə ləst/ [countable noun]
someone who believes strongly that the laws of their religion must be followed very strictly :
▪ The president’s announcement is bound to anger religious fundamentalists.
▪ When it comes to gay sex, fundamentalists and Catholics are more than willing to co-operate with each other.
Islamic/Muslim/Christian/Hindu etc fundamentalist
▪ The protest was led by a small group of Christian fundamentalists.
fundamentalist [adjective]
▪ He claimed to speak for traditional family values and found support from various fundamentalist groups.
▪ He belongs to the fundamentalist wing of the Umma party.
6. to do something because of your religious beliefs
▷ observe /əbˈzɜːʳv/ [transitive verb]
if you observe a religious custom, you do something on a particular day or in a special way because it is part of your religion :
▪ More than 90% of Jews said they observed the Day of Atonement.
▪ Hakeem is currently observing the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, and fasts between sunrise and sunset.
▪ Thursday is Ascension Day, when the church observes the bodily ascension of Christ into heaven.
▷ be/feel called to do something /biː, fiːl ˌkɔːld tə ˈduː something/ [verb phrase]
to do something because you feel that God is telling you to do it :
▪ Father really felt he was called to preach by God.
▪ Paul and his helpers were called to be missionaries for Jesus Christ.
▪ Back then, people believed they were called to the ministry.
7. to start to follow a particular religion
▷ become a Christian/Muslim/Buddhist etc /bɪˌkʌm ə ˈkrɪstʃ ə n/ [verb phrase]
▪ Saying the shahada is the first act through which you become a Muslim.
▪ Most surprising of all, she’s become a Buddhist.
▷ convert /kənˈvɜːʳt/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
if you convert to a particular religion, or if someone converts you, you join that religion :
▪ Alpha is a religious programme that aims to change your life, not just convert you.
convert to
▪ My grandmother converted to Hinduism while living in India.
▪ Within five years, he had converted thousands of Calvinists back to Catholicism.
▷ turn to Jesus/the Lord/God/Christ /ˌtɜːʳn tə ˈdʒiːzəs, ðə ˈlɔːʳd, ˈgɒd, ˈkraɪstǁ-ˈgɑːd/ [verb phrase]
to become a Christian - used especially by Christians :
▪ Do you turn to Jesus Christ our Lord and accept him as your Saviour?
▪ Our message is a simple one -- if you turn to God, God will bless and receive you.