A Lexicon of Neologisms.  Mikhail Epstein (Emory University)

 


 

                       Religion. Beliefs

 

 

ghostalgia n (ghost + Gr algos – pain, grief, distress; cf. nostalgia) - a mystical longing or wistful affection for ghosts, angels, miracles,  aliens,  and other otherworldy characters and mysterious phenomena.

 

Ghostalgia is a form of nostalgia in that we experience the other world as our genuine lost home.

 

I am agnostic, but sometimes I feel ghostalgic.

 

During deep political or economic crises,  ghostalgia can  grip the souls of entire nations.

 

 

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relicious  adj (relic + religious)  – religiously devoted to relics, to the preservation of the past.

 

Nothing in contemporary life carries meaning for him. He is  a deeply relicious person, not simply nostalgic.

 

Some people think that Eastern Orthodox spirituality is more relicious than truly religious.

 

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slavior n (to (en)slave + suffix ior, like in savior) – the prince of this world, the one who imitates the Savior and promises to save people but makes them slaves. 

 

Outwardly the distinction between Savior and Slavior may be as subtle as one letter difference in their names.

 

For many old-believers, the Slavior is already here, in our very midst, and they refuse to serve this self-appointed sovereign.

 

                                                    

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theomonism n ( from Gr theos , God, and Gr monos, one)  - unity in God, the integration of various religious traditions and denominations achieved through their common faith in one God, in the oneness of God. As a term, theomonism is the reversal of the term  monotheism,  and is believed to be its historical outcome.

 

There are three major stages in the religious development of humanity. Many gods – many faiths: polytheism. One God – many faiths: monotheism, such as Judaism, Christianity and Islam. One God – one faith: theomonism. Monotheistic religions  share a faith in one God that will ultimately lead them to unity: from monotheism to theomonism.  The more various faiths  approach their common goal, the closer they are to each other.

 

 


                           PreDictionary. A Lexicon of Neologisms