Antisectarian
Glossary
This glossary has been written to encourage debate and discussion.
It has been written from a Scottish perspective. This means terms used within Scotland may not have equivalent meaning when transferred to another part of the world. It has also to be remembered that terms are evolving and developing all the time and what is offered here reflects the discussions as it stands when this was written in June 2004.
Keyword search
| Bahai | The Bahá'í faith is one of the youngest of the world's major religions. It was founded by Baha'u'llah in Persia (now Iran) in the 19th century. Bahái's believe that spiritual life goes hand in hand with the practical life. They see social and economic development projects as an expression of faith in action. They recognize all of the Jewish, Christian and Muslim prophets. |
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| Belief | An expression of firmly held opinion of personal morals or values or of a position (e.g. political, scientific). This belief may exist regardless of the existence of proof. Disbelief constitutes belief that an idea is false. Unbelief is a lack of belief in either the truth or falsehood of an idea. |
| Bias | A predisposition or prejudice towards something or someone. Bias may be inclined positively or negatively in relation to people, situations and events. |
| Bigotry | A belief that one's own opinion is superior to others resulting in intolerance of others. For example, intolerance of other faiths, ethnic groups etc. A person who subscribes to this view is known as a bigot. |
| Buddhism | Buddhism, founded by Siddhartha Gautama in India in 2600 BC is a spiritual tradition that focuses on personal spiritual development and the attainment of a deep insight into the true nature of life. This makes Buddhism different from many other faiths for it is not centered on the relationship between humanity and God. There are over 150,000 Buddhists in Britain. |