Data source: Gina A. Zurlo and Todd M. Johnson, eds., World Christian Database (Leiden/Boston: Brill, 2024).
| Glossary item | Definition |
|---|---|
| Romanian rite | Byzantine rite for Catholics under Rome, used in Romania; completely suppressed by state since 1948. |
| Romanism | Catholicism (qv). |
| Rome | Catholicism, or the capital city where its world headquarters are. |
| rounding | The expressing of a number with only a convenient degree of exactness, as by dropping decimals beyond a stated number of places or by substituting zeros for final integers or digits. |
| rural area | Defined in many countries as an administrative district with a population of under 2,000. |
| rural dean | In Anglicanism, an ecclesiastic ranking immediately under an archdeacon and appointed as a diocesan official to supervise the affairs of a group of parishes in the archdeaconry. |
| rural deanery | The area of jurisdiction under a rural dean. |
| rural missions | In the field of rural and agricultural missions, Christian organizations significant at the national or wider levels number over 250. |
| ruralites | Rural dweller, person residing in the countryside rather than in an urban area. |
| Russellites | A nickname for Jehovah’s Witnesses (qv). |
| Russian rite | Byzantine rite used by Catholics in the Russia and its former republics. |
| Ruthenians | Catholics using Byzantine rite of Ruthenian origin. |
| sabbatarian | A person or church which keeps the seventh day of the week (Saturday) as holy in conformity with the letter of the Decalogue (Ten Commandments), in contrast to Christians who observe Sunday instead. |
| Sabbath | The seventh day of the week (Saturday). |
| sabbath school | A school held on the Sabbath (Saturday) for purposes of religious education. |
| Sabras | Jews born in the post-l948 State of Israel. |
| sacrament | A religious act, ceremony, or practice that is considered specially sacred as a sign or symbol of a deeper reality; in many denominations 2 in number (baptism and the eucharist), in others 7 in number. |
| sacramentalist, sacramentarian | One placing great emphasis on religious ritual and the role and function of sacraments. |
| Sacred Congregation for the Eastern Churches | Founded in 1862, the branch of the Roman Curia dealing with Eastern- rite and Uniate Catholic Churches. |
| Sacred Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. | Founded in 1622 as SC for the Propagation of the Faith (Propaganda), the central Catholic body with jurisdiction over foreign missions. |
| sadhus | Hinduism’s holy beggars. Total: 25 million. |
| saints | A theological and biblical term for the entire company of all baptized Christians; in a number of denominations, the usual term for all church members. |
| Saktists | Worshippers of Shakti/Devi (Hindu Divine Mother) who is also depicted as Kali, Durga, and Parvati (consort of Shiva). |
| salvation | The saving of man from the power and effects of sin; deliverance, redemption, restoration, reconciliation with God, liberation, healing, help, wholeness, preservation, etc. |
| Salvation Army | See Salvationists. |
Data on 18 categories of religion, including non-religious, by country, province, and people.
Data on all religions, Christian activities, and trends.
Membership data, year begun, and rates of change.
Population and religion data on all major cities & provinces.
Detailed information covering religion, culture, and geography.
A repository of historical data, including a chronology of Christianity from the 1st to 21st centuries.