Religious
Religious is a term with both a technical definition and folk use.
One whom practices any
religion. In the lexicon of the Church, especially the
Roman Catholic,
Anglican, and
Orthodox,
religious as a
noun usually refers to a member of a
religious order of
monks,
nuns, friars, clerics regular, or other individuals who take the three vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience (the
evangelical counsels). Neither of those groups should be identified as
clergy, which in Catholicism includes
bishops,
priests and
deacons.
Though seemingly redundant, there are also "religious priests" used in reference to priests who are members of orders, such as the
Society of Jesus or the
Franciscans. Such clergy are differentiated from diocesan priests who serve under a
bishop or
archbishop who has jurisdiction over a geographically defined
diocese. Monks and Nuns are part of the religious ministry.
See also: Religious orderThe term religious is often used in the common
vernacular as a foil to the term
spiritual. In this sense, religious may carry a
pejorative sense of overly adhering to
dogma or
ritual at the expense of partaking in relationship with the divine.
"Religious" can also be used similarly to "heavy" or "deep" to describe a thing or idea the user deems profound. This term can also be used as the slang word "cool."
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Spiritual*
Religion*
Emergent Church
