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Religion: Refers to identifiable communities which base their acts of believing and their resulting communal experiences on postulated, non-falsifiable alternate realities (pg. 17).

Theological definition of religion

1) Religion is believing in God.

2) Religion is belief in spiritual beings

3) The life of God in the soul of a man (pg. 3)

4) Religion is a mystery, at once awesome and attractive (pg.3).

Moral definition of a religion: Makes the central criterion of religion a code of correct behavior general affirmed by believers as having its source in an unquestioned and unquestionable authority (pg.4).

Psychological definition of religion:

1) Religion is a result of seeking comfort in the word which, dispassionately considered, is a terrifying wilderness (pg. 5)

2) Religion is some kind of profound inner experience (pg. 5)

Sociological definition if religion:

1) Religion is the opium of the people (pg. 6).

2) Religion is the conservation of values (pg.6)

3) Religion is the cooperative quest after completely satisfying life (pg.6).

A substantive definition of religion: Focuses on the content and religious belief in God or the supernatural entities that transcends powers (pg.9).

Functional definition of religion: Emphasize the way religion works, usually, operationally in our lives- psychologically or socially such as achieving some goal or end, or meeting psychological needs or providing a cohesive force within society (pg.9).

Phenomenology: Is a philosophical movement attributed to the German philosopher, Edmund Husseri that provides a method for knowing or investigating the way we know reality (pg.25).

Epoche: A state where all judgements about non-evident matters are suspended in order to induce a state of freedom from worry and anxiety (pg. 29).

Epoche and eidetic intuition: These are tools used for building up an objective picture of a phenomena of existence. It is normally used by phenomenologist when setting structures of existence by naming objects, noting relations and describing processes (pg. 29).

Reductionism: The practice of finding explanations for any subject of investigation by reference to single causative factor or family of related causative factors (pg.34).

Intersubjectivity: Philosophical or a sociology term commonly used for describing the psychological relation between people, especially in matters of religion (pg. 31).

1) Social science reductionism – reduction of religion to causative agents in social sciences as the primary reference (pg. 34).

2) Religious reductionism – Finding explanations in religion with the reference of religious events over time as the causative agents.

Anthropomorphizism: Defining God by reference to human characteristics, which are believed to actually human beings by alienating people from the true inner selves, thereby inhibiting them from maximizing their own best qualities (pg. 40).

The Kurova Guva ceremony: A series of divine preparations, hat exemplifies the use of phenomenological method, done by first consulting a diviner, who is able to tell the congregation about obstacles, if any, for performing the ceremony by the Shona-speaking Vashawasha (pg. 74). The aim of the ceremony is to provide means, whether mechanical or otherwise, of appeasing family ancestors and other deceased family members.

Phenomenological method of evaluation is systemic examination of religion done over ages through:

1) Performing epoche (pg. 51). Epoche is a tool that for ensuring that no judgement is expressed concerning the objective world.

2) Fostering emphatic interpolation (pg. 55). This is considered more of an attitude than an empirical method.

3) Maintaining epoche (pg. 55)

4) Describing phenomena (pg. 56)

5) Naming phenomena (pg. 56)

Myth: According to Elliade, this is a cosmogonic appearance or an explanation to a situation or a primeval event, which becomes simply by being expressed, a paradigm for all the time and operates in a sacred place (pg. 92).

According to Ninian Smart, a myth is a moving picture of sacred. (pg. 95). It must tell a story a about sacred things-divided into good and evil. It must tell the relationship between the sacred and the world.

A myth:

1. Tells of a sacred manifestation (hierophany) (pg.99).

2. Relate stories of origin of structures (pg.99).

3. Provide for believers a picture of the sacred (pg.99).

4. Contain stories of divine beings and their interactions with humans and the world (pg.99).

5. Use local stories, divinities and events to point towards a universal reality (pg.99).

6. Are true for the believer both in religions which stress the historicity of the sacred stories and those which do not (pg.99).

Rituals: According to Elliade, this is an occurrence that take place in sacred places, and are characterized by fixed patterns that use symbols which are derived from and relate to a specific primeval event (pg. 94).

Rituals:

1. Manifest the sacred through a re-enactment of the original hierophany (pg.99).

2. Re-establish structures and thus transform and re-new the believer’s existence by making space and time scared (pg.99).

3. Bring the pictures of the sacred to life (pg.99).

4. Re-enact stories of divine beings and re-enforce their inter-relationships with humans and the world (pg.99).

5. Use local stories, divinities and events to bring believer into the present of the universe (pg.99).

6. Makes the rituals true by transposing the believer into space and time of the sacred story (pg.99).

According to Ninian Smart, a rituals are transactions and events between divinities and men and often told in ceremonies, providing linkage between tools of ceremonies and myths (pg.95).