Dictionary of Terms

1. a priori - Knowledge, judgments, and principles which are true without verification or testing.  It is universally true.  
2. Abortion - the termination of a pregnancy.
3. Absolution - the act of releasing someone from their sin by God, through the means of a priest.
4. Actual grace - God's interventions, whether at the beginning of conversion or in the course of the work of sanctification.
5. Actual sin - any sin that a person commits.
6. Agnosticism - The belief that it is not possible to know if there is or is not a God.
7. Annunciation - When the angel Gabriel told Mary that she was to be the mother of the Messiah.
8. Apocrypha - The word apocrypha means hidden. It is used in a general sense to describe a list of books written by Jews between 300 and 100 B.C. More specifically, it is used of the seven additional books accepted by the Catholic church as being inspired in 1546. The entire list of books of the apocrypha are: 1 Esdras, 2 Esdras, Tobit, Judith, the Rest of Esther, the Wisdom of Solomon, Sirach, (also titled Ecclesiasticus), Baruch, The Letter of Jeremiah, Song of the Three Young Men, Susanna, Bel and the Dragon, The Additions to Daniel, The Prayer of Manasseh, and 1 and 2 Maccabees.
9. Assumption - In Catholicism, the taking of the body and soul of Mary, by God, into glory.Catholic doctrine, apparently, does not state whether or not Mary died, but tradition holds that she died and was immediately afterward assumed into heaven both body and soul.  
10. Atheism - This word comes from two Greek words, a the negator, and theos, God. Atheism teaches that there is no God of any kind, anywhere, anytime.  Some atheists claim to "exercise no belief in a god" the same way they would exercise no belief in pink unicorns.  Logically, an atheist would be an evolutionist.
11. Baptism - One of seven sacraments that takes away original sin and actual sin.
12. Baptismal Regeneration - The belief that baptism is essential to salvation, that it is the means where forgiveness of sins is made real to the believer.
13. Bishop - In Catholicism, the head of a diocese, successor of the apostles.
14. Blessed Sacrament - the elements of the communion supper, bread and wine, which become the body and blood of Christ. It is offered at the altar in the church.
15. Capital sins - the seven causes of all sin: pride, covetousness, lust, anger, gluttony, envy, sloth.
16. Celestial Kingdom -  in Mormonism, the highest level of Heaven in which faithful Mormons have the potential of becoming Gods.
17. Confession - telling sins to a priest and the Lord forgives the person through the priest.
18. Confessional - a small compartment where the priest hears the confessed sins of a sinner.
19. Confirmation - a ceremony performed by a bishop that is supposed to strengthen a person and enable him to resist sin. It is usually done at the age of 12. The Bishop dips his right thumb in holy oil and anoints the person on the forehead by making the sign of the cross and says, "Be sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit."
20. Consecration - a moment during the ceremony of the mass where God, allegedly through the priest, changes bread and wine into the body and blood of Jesus.
21. Consubstantiation - an inclusion of one substance in another where the body and blood of Christ co-exist in the elements of the Supper. It suggests that a third substance is formed. The body and blood of Christ are "in, with, and under" the elements. There is no permanent relationship with the elements. Instead, the association is limited to the sacramental action. The transformation is effected by the Word of God and not by a priest.
22. Contrition - extreme sorrow for having sinned with a deep repentance concerning that sin.
23. Cult - In the context of Christianity, and in particular, CARM, it is a group that uses the Bible but distorts the doctrines that affect salvation sufficiently to cause salvation to be unattainable. A few examples of cults are Mormonism, Jehovah's Witnesses, Christian Science, Christadelphians, Unity, Religious Science, The Way International, and the Moonies.
24. Deism - The belief that God exists but is not involved in the world. It maintains that God created all things and set the universe in motion and is no longer involved in its operation.
25. Diocese - an area of many parishes presided over by a bishop.
26. DNA - deoxyribonucleic acid, the building blocks of life that
27. Documentary Hypothesis - The theory, also known as JEDP, states that the first five books of the Bible, called the Pentateuch consisting of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, were not written completely by Moses, but by different authors.
28. Embryonic Recapitulation - the evolutionary theory that embryos reconstruct evolutionary forms in their development.
29. Entropy - the phenomenon that all things are moving towards chaos and that all usable energy in the universe is decreasing.
30. Equivocate - to confuse the meaning of a single term by changing contexts.  For example, an equivocation of the term evolution would be as follows:  "Evolution states that one species can change into another.  We see that cars have evolved into different styles.  Therefore, since evolution is a fact in cars, it is true in species."
31. Evolution - The theory that all living things on earth evolved from a single source and driven by genetic mutation and natural selection gave rise to all the various life forms on earth.  This evolutionary process was without the intervention of a divine being or beings. 
32. Eucharist - The elements of the communion supper where the bread and wine are the body and blood of Christ.
33. Extreme Unction - A sacrament given to a person who is ill or in danger of dying. It is intended to strengthen the person's soul and help his love be pure so they may enter into heaven. It is done through prayer and the anointing of oil. This is also known as Anointing of the Sick or the Sacrament of the Sick.
34. Guardian Angel - a special angel assigned by God to each person in order to protect and guide that person with the goal of reaching heaven.  
35. Habitual grace - the permanent disposition to live and act in keeping with God's call  
36. Hadith - the deeds and sayings of Mohammed that have been collected and are used in an almost sacred reference by Muslims.
37. Heresy - denial of the truths found in the Catholic Church.  
38. Hermeneutics - the theory behind and methodology on interpretation of literature, especially of Scripture.
39. Holy Chrism - In Roman Catholicism, the special oil used in the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Orders.  
40. Holy Orders - In Roman Catholicism, one of the seven sacraments by which men, bishop, deacons, and priests, are given the power and authority by a bishop to offer sacrifice and forgive sins.  
41. Holy Water - In Roman Catholicism, special water that has been blessed by a priest, bishop, etc. or a liturgical ceremony. It is used to bring a blessing to a person when applied.  
42. Host - In Roman Catholicism, the bread in the communion supper that is changed into the body of Christ.  
43. Hypostatic Union - the Christian teaching that in the one person of Christ, are two natures: the divine and human.
44. Intelligent Design - the movement that seeks to demonstrate intelligent design from examining biological structures and sighting you reducible complexity and a specified complexity.
45. Immaculate Conception - In Roman Catholicism, the teaching that Mary was conceived without original sin.
46. Indulgence - In Roman Catholicism, a means by which the Catholic church takes away some of the punishment due the Christian in this life and/or purgatory because of his sin.
47. JEDP -  The theory, also known as the Documentary Hypothesis, states that the first five books of the Bible, called the Pentateuch consisting of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, were not written completely by Moses, but by different authors.
48. Laity - the members of the Catholic church who are not in the clergy.
49. Lent - a forty day period between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday. Usually it is accompanied by some form of prayer and fasting.
50. Logic - From the Greek “logos” meaning “word.” Logic is study of the principles of reasoning. A set of premises that are examined and arranged so as to bring a conclusion. If A = B and B = C, then A = C.
51. Mass - In Roman Catholicism, a reenactment of the sacrifice of Christ on the cross in a ceremony performed by a priest. This ceremony is symbolically carried out by the priest and involves Consecration where the bread and wine are changed into the body and blood of Jesus.
52. Mortal Sin - In Roman Catholicism, a serious and willful transgression of God's Law. It involves full knowledge and intent of the will to commit the sin. If left unrepentant, can damn someone to eternal hell.
53. Open Theism - the theological position that the future is open, undetermined, and unknown to God.
54. Original Sin - In Roman Catholicism, the inherited sin nature of Adam that resulted from Adam's sin.
55. Paradigm - a set of assumptions and or presuppositions that prescribe a way of looking at things.
56. Parish - In Roman Catholicism, a subdivision of a diocese with the priest as its head.
57. Passion - The sufferings of Christ from the time of the Last Supper to His Crucifixion.  
58. Penance - In Roman Catholicism, a means by which all sins committed after baptism are removed. The means are assigned by a priest and usually consist of special prayers or deeds performed by the sinner.
59. Peter - the first pope.
60. Pope - In Roman Catholicism, Christ's representative on earth. He is the visible successor of Peter.
61. Presuppositionalism - A Christian presuppositionalist presupposes God's existence and argues from that perspective to show the validity of Christian theism.
62. Priest - one who mediates between God and man and administers the sacraments and graces of God. He has received the Holy Orders.
63. Purgatory - In Roman Catholicism, a place of temporary punishment where the Christian is cleansed from sin before they can enter into heaven.
64. Qur'an - the sacred book of the Islamic faith consisting of 114 chapters.
65. Redaction Criticism - Redaction Criticism of the Bible is the theory that different copyists and commentators of the early biblical writings embellished and altered the biblical texts throughout early Jewish and Christian history to make them appear more miraculous, inspirational, and legitimate than they really are.
66. Relic - a part of the body of a saint including clothing, jewelry, etc. The relic is considered holy due to its association with the saint.
67. Rosary - In Roman Catholicism, a string of beads containing five sets with ten small beads. Each set of ten is separated by another bead. It also contains a crucifix. It is used in saying special prayers, usually to Mary where the rosary is used to count the prayers.  
68. Sacerdotalism - The teaching that ordination imparts special abilities/powers necessary for the operation of the ministry.  Also, the teaching that grace is administered through the one so ordained.
69. Sacrament - an outward sign instituted by Christ to give grace.
70. Sacramentals - In Roman Catholicism, special prayers, deeds, or objects used to gain spiritual benefits from God.
71. Sanctifying grace - a stable and supernatural disposition that perfects the soul itself to enable it to live with God, to act by his love.
72. Saint - A very holy person. Usually, it is someone who has been dead for many years and has been canonized by the Catholic Church. Saints do not have to pass through purgatory.
73. Scapular - In Roman Catholicism, two small cloth squares joined by a string. One cloth is positioned in the front and the other in the back. Indulgences are attached to the them.  
74. Sign of the Cross - In Roman Catholicism, a sacramental. It is the movement of the right hand from the forehead to the chest and then left and right upon the shoulders.
75. Theism -The teaching that there is a God and that He is actively involved in the affairs of the world. This does not necessitate the Christian concept of God, but includes it.
76. Theodicy - the study of the problem of evil.
77. Tradition - In Roman Catholicism, handing down through the centuries from mouth to mouth of the teachings of Jesus. It began with the apostles and continues unbroken to the present bishopric of the Catholic Church.
78. Transubstantiation - In Roman Catholicism, the teaching that the bread and wine in the communion supper become the body and blood of the Lord Jesus at the Consecration during the Mass.  
79. Trinity - the Christian teaching that God exists as three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
80. Venerate - to honor, admire, and regard with respect.
81. Venial Sin - In Roman Catholicism, a sin but not as bad as Mortal Sin. It lessens the grace of God within a person's soul.
82. Vertebrates - organisms that have backbones.
83. Vicar of Christ - In Roman Catholicism, the Pope.
84. Worldview - A world view is a set of presuppositions and beliefs that someone uses to interpret and form opinions about his humanity, purpose in life, duties in the world, responsibilities to family, interpretation of truth, social issues, etc.