Data source: Gina A. Zurlo, ed., World Religion Database (Leiden/Boston: Brill, 2024).
| Glossary item | Definition |
|---|---|
| Sabras | Jews born in the post-l948 State of Israel. |
| sadhus | Hinduism’s holy beggars. Total: 25 million. |
| Saktists | Worshippers of Shakti/Devi (Hindu Divine Mother) who is also depicted as Kali, Durga, and Parvati (consort of Shiva). |
| salvation religion | A religion offering its devotees salvation (e.g. Christianity, Omoto-kyo (Japan), etc.). |
| Samaritans | Children of Israel (Bene-Yisrael) or Shamerim (Observant Ones), a small Jewish sect. Total adherents: (AD 2000) 500. |
| sample_design | Sample design denotes the way the sample was chosen. |
| Sample_universe | The part of the population that could possibly be included in the survey. |
| samsara | (Sanskrit). In Hinduism and Buddhism, successive reincarnations, the indefinitely-repeated cycles of birth, misery and death caused by karma. |
| Sanatanists | (Sanskrit: Old Ways; or Idol-Worshippers). The vast bulk (98%) of all Hindus, consisting of Vaishnavites, Saivites, and Saktists (qv). |
| scheduled castes | Official term in India (after 1949) for low caste persons, or persons outside the traditional Indian caste system, previously called Outcastes, Untouchables, or Harijans (Children of God). |
| schism | A form of division or separation in the Christian church or from a church or religious body; a division, separation, secession, split, break-off faction, clique, etc. |
| Seceders | Kharijites (qv). |
| Second World | Formerly used of the Communist world, and still used now of the Communist/ex-Communist world. |
| sect | A comparatively small recently-organized exclusive dissenting religious body, usually considered heretical. |
| sectarian | An adherent of a particular religious sect, a dissenter, often of bigoted views. |
| secular | Relating to the worldly or temporal in contrast to the spiritual or eternal; civil, non-religious. |
| secular religions | See quasi-religions. |
| secularism | A view of life or of any particular matter holding that religion and religious considerations should be ignored or purposely excluded. |
| secularization | The act or process of transferring matters under ecclesiastical or religious control to secular or civil or lay control; the process whereby religious thinking, practice and institutions lose social significance. |
| Sefardis | (Sephardis). The smaller of the two great divisions of Jews; often loosely used to include Oriental Jews; speaking Ladino, dating from medieval Spain, now scattered from North Africa to Afghanistan, speaking Arabic, Persian, Aramaic; 14% of world’s Jews today. |
| Self-Religionists | Followers of varieties of religion centering on benefiting followers personally and helping them live prosperous lives. |
| seminaries | Centers for the training of the ordained ministry or priesthood, equipped with premises, plant and personnel; preparing persons of secondary or higher education for ordination; covering religious and secular major seminaries, theological colleges and advanced Bible schools of all churches and also independently-run; excluding smaller Bible schools and minor seminaries. |
| Sephardis | See Sefardis. |
| Seveners | Ismailis (qv). |
| Shaffiites | Followers of Shafiiya, one of the 4 schools or rites of Sunni Muslim law. |
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