HSC Studies of Religion II key terms

The foundational spiritual reality in Aboriginal belief that ties Country, ancestral beings, law and ceremony into one ongoing creative order, neither purely past nor finished.

Land to which an Aboriginal group holds spiritual, kinship and custodial responsibility; it is a living relative and source of identity, law and ceremony rather than property.

The interconnected worldview of Australia's First Peoples, expressed through relationship with Country, ancestral law, kinship obligations, ceremony, songlines and oral transmission across generations.

A system of social and spiritual relationship that assigns every person rights, obligations and marriage rules, structuring ceremony, inheritance and mutual care within and beyond the local group.

A route across Country traced by songs and stories of ancestral journeys; it records law, water sources and sacred sites and is performed in ceremony to keep Country alive.

A widely known ancestral being associated with water, creation and law in many Aboriginal traditions; its stories vary between groups and carry ritual and moral obligations.

Recognised senior members who hold and transmit knowledge, law and ceremony; their authority rests on cultural learning and service rather than age alone.

A protocol in which a Traditional Owner welcomes visitors to Country, usually opening a significant event; it recognises continuing custodianship and is distinct from an Acknowledgement of Country.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children removed from families under government policies, chiefly across the twentieth century, whose ongoing grief and loss shape Indigenous spirituality and reconciliation.

Recognition in Australian law of Indigenous rights and interests in land and waters arising from traditional law and custom, established by the Mabo decision and the Native Title Act 1993.

The national process of building respectful relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians through recognition of history, truth-telling, justice and shared commitment to change.

The first five books of the Hebrew Bible, understood by Jews as divinely revealed teaching and law; it is read in the annual cycle and forms the core of synagogue worship.

The collected rabbinic discussion of Jewish law and ethics, comprising Mishnah and Gemara, studied in pairs and yeshivot as the framework for applying Torah to daily life.

A binding agreement between God and the Jewish people, beginning with Abraham and renewed at Sinai, expressing mutual commitment, election and moral responsibility.

The commandments of Jewish law; tradition counts 613, guiding worship, ethics, diet and family life, and shaping a life of obedience and sanctification.

The body of Jewish law developed through Torah, Talmud and later legal codes, determining permitted practice and interpreted by rabbinic authorities across communities.

The dietary laws governing permitted foods, their preparation and separation of meat and dairy; they mark Jewish identity and are observed with varying strictness among communities.

The weekly Sabbath from Friday sunset to Saturday nightfall, observed with candle lighting, Kiddush, synagogue prayer and rest from work as a sign of creation and covenant.

The Jewish house of prayer, study and assembly; its layout centres on the ark holding Torah scrolls and a raised reading platform, supporting communal worship and education.

The quorum of ten adults required for certain public prayers, including the reading of Torah and Kaddish, expressing the communal nature of Jewish worship.

The covenant of circumcision performed on a male infant on the eighth day, marking entry into the Jewish people and the Abrahamic covenant.

Written rulings by rabbinic authorities answering specific questions of law and practice, showing how halakhah develops in response to new circumstances and technologies.

The Christian teaching that one God exists as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, three distinct persons of one substance, expressed in creeds and shaping worship and prayer.

The belief that the eternal Son of God took human flesh in Jesus Christ, fully divine and fully human, grounding Christian claims about revelation and salvation.

The raising of Jesus from the dead on the third day, proclaimed as victory over sin and death and the basis of Christian hope for eternal life.

Deliverance from sin and its consequences into right relationship with God, understood by Christians as God's gift received through faith and lived out in discipleship.

The unearned favour and enabling power of God; Christian traditions differ on how it relates to human freedom, faith and good works in the process of salvation.

A fourth-century statement of Christian faith affirmed in many liturgies, summarising belief in the Trinity, incarnation, crucifixion, resurrection and the church.

An outward sign of inward grace instituted by Christ; traditions recognise different numbers, with baptism and Eucharist held by most as central to Christian life.

The central Christian memorial meal of bread and wine, understood variously as thanksgiving, sacrifice, real presence or ordinance, and celebrated weekly or regularly.

The rite of water signifying cleansing, new birth and incorporation into the Christian community; traditions differ over infant or believer's baptism and its sacramental status.

The movement seeking visible unity among Christian churches through dialogue, shared prayer and cooperation in service, while respecting doctrinal differences.

Structured conversation and cooperation between people of different religious traditions, aiming at mutual understanding, respect and joint action on shared social concerns.

The core obligations of Sunni Islam: declaration of faith, prayer, almsgiving, fasting in Ramadan and pilgrimage to Mecca, shaping individual and communal devotion.

The declaration that there is no god but Allah and Muhammad is his messenger; its sincere recitation marks entry into Islam and summarises Islamic belief.

The absolute oneness and uniqueness of God in Islamic belief, rejecting any association of partners with God and grounding worship, ethics and community life.

The prescribed ritual prayer performed five times daily facing Mecca, with set movements and recitations, preceded by ablution and often offered in congregation.

The obligatory annual almsgiving on qualifying wealth, usually calculated at a set proportion, purifying wealth and providing for the needy within the community.

The pilgrimage to Mecca required once of able Muslims, performed in the month of Dhu al-Hijjah and involving rites such as circling the Kaaba and standing at Arafat.

The broad body of Islamic guidance derived from the Quran and Sunnah, interpreted by jurists to inform worship, ethics, family life and finance.

The human interpretation and application of Islamic law by jurists, producing schools of jurisprudence that differ on details while sharing core sources.

Reports of the sayings and actions of Muhammad, transmitted and assessed for reliability, which alongside the Quran inform law and devotional practice.

The normative example of Muhammad's words and conduct, recorded in hadith and followed by Muslims as a model for worship, ethics and daily behaviour.

The Muslim place of communal prayer and learning, typically including a prayer hall oriented towards Mecca, a niche indicating direction and facilities for ablution.

In general Sunni usage, the person who leads congregational prayer; in Shia Islam the term carries a distinct doctrinal meaning concerning divinely guided leadership.

The branch of Islam holding that leadership of the community passed through Ali and his descendants, with distinctive devotional practices and jurisprudence.

The majority branch of Islam, emphasising the Quran, Sunnah and consensus of scholars, with four main schools of jurisprudence and no central clerical hierarchy.

The grave sin of associating partners with God or worshipping anything besides God, directly contradicting tawhid in Islamic teaching.