religious order

a religious society of women who live together as sisters (especially an order of nuns)

a Christian religious sect in southern France in the 12th and 13th centuries; believers in Albigensianism

a group in the Anglican Church that emphasizes the Catholic tradition (especially in sacraments and rituals and obedience to church authority)

a 16th century sect of Anabaptists centered in Germany who had an absolute disdain for human knowledge

an orthodox Anabaptist sect separated from the Mennonites in late 17th century; settled chiefly in southeastern Pennsylvania

a Jewish sect that recognizes only the Hebrew Scriptures as the source of divinely inspired legislation and denies the authority of the postbiblical tradition of the Talmud; the sect arose in Iraq in the eighth century

one of the two main branches of orthodox Islam; mainly in Iran

one of the two main branches of orthodox Islam

a Hindu sect worshiping Shiva

a Hindu sect worshiping Shakti

Hindu sect worshiping of Vishnu

any of several sects of Orthodox Judaism that reject modern secular culture and many of whom do not recognize the spiritual authority of the modern state of Israel

a religious sect founded in the United States in 1966; based on Vedic scriptures; groups engage in joyful chanting of `Hare Krishna' and other mantras based on the name of the Hindu god Krishna; devotees usually wear saffron robes and practice vegetarianism and celibacy

sect founded in the 6th century BC as a revolt against Hinduism

a Chinese sect claiming to follow the teaching of Lao-tzu but incorporating pantheism and sorcery in addition to Taoism

the branch of Shinto recognized as the official state religion of Japan

any branch of Shinto other than Kokka

(plural) the lay members of a male religious order

a group of person living under a religious rule

a Christian sect founded by George Fox about 1660; commonly called Quakers

a celibate and communistic Christian sect in the United States

a Christian sect of dissenters that originated in southern France in the late 12th century adopted Calvinist doctrines in the 16th century

a Zoroastrian sect that claims Zurvan was the ultimate source of the universe

any of several monastic orders observing a rule derived from the writings of St. Augustine

a Roman Catholic monastic order founded in the 6th century; noted for liturgical worship and for scholarly activities

a Roman Catholic mendicant order founded in the 12th century

an austere contemplative Roman Catholic order founded by St. Bruno in 1084

a Roman Catholic order of mendicant preachers founded in the 13th century

a Roman Catholic order founded by Saint Francis of Assisi in the 13th century

a Roman Catholic order founded by Saint Ignatius of Loyola in 1534 to defend Catholicism against the Reformation and to do missionary work among the heathen; it is strongly committed to education and scholarship