Smartipedia

Sadducees

The Sadducees were an aristocratic Jewish sect during the Second Temple period who controlled the Jerusalem Temple, rejected oral tradition and belief in resurrection, and disappeared after the Temple's destruction in 70 CE.

Pharisees

The Pharisees were an influential Jewish religious movement during the Second Temple period who emphasized oral tradition and strict observance of religious law, ultimately becoming the foundation for modern Rabbinic Judaism after the Temple's destruction in 70 CE.

Hypocrisy

Hypocrisy is the practice of advocating moral standards or beliefs that one's own behavior contradicts, arising from psychological biases and social pressures that create gaps between stated values and actual actions.

Diaspora

Diaspora refers to the dispersion of peoples from their homelands while maintaining cultural connections and transnational networks that distinguish them from simple migration patterns.

Mexican diaspora

The Mexican diaspora encompasses 37-40 million people of Mexican origin living globally, primarily in the United States, who maintain significant economic, cultural, and political ties to Mexico while adapting to and influencing their host societies.

Brazilian diaspora

The Brazilian diaspora encompasses over 4 million Brazilians and their descendants living worldwide, representing a significant migration phenomenon that has created global networks of Brazilian communities while maintaining strong economic, cultural, and political connections to Brazil.

Born Again Christianity

Born Again Christianity is a Protestant movement emphasizing personal spiritual rebirth through faith in Jesus Christ, characterized by biblical authority, individual conversion experiences, and active evangelism that has significantly influenced global Christianity and American culture since the 18th century.

Evangelicalism

Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement emphasizing personal conversion, biblical authority, and active evangelism that has become a major global religious force since its 18th-century origins.

Christian Missions

Christian missions are organized religious efforts to spread Christianity worldwide through evangelism, church planting, education, and humanitarian services, representing a major force in global religious expansion while generating ongoing debates about cultural impact and methodology.

Christians

Christians are the world's largest religious group, comprising 2.4 billion followers of Jesus Christ across diverse denominations united by core beliefs in his divinity, death, and resurrection for human salvation.

Canonical hours

Canonical hours are the traditional Christian practice of praying at eight specific times throughout the day, creating a rhythm of worship that sanctifies time and unites communities in regular prayer from dawn to night.

Brahmamuhurta

Brahmamuhurta is the sacred pre-dawn period in Hindu tradition, considered the most auspicious time for spiritual practices due to its association with mental clarity, atmospheric purity, and alignment with natural cosmic rhythms.