The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (1071 page)

Idealism
(Buddhist school of)
:

see VIJÑ
NAV
DA.

 
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Ideal type
.

A key concept and strategy in the study of religions, introduced by M.
Weber
. Because of the complex and fluid nature of social (and thus of religious) phenomena, Weber realized that observations of actual instances have to be described through the isolation of characteristic features: examples are ‘economic man’, ‘marginal man’,
‘sect’
,
‘church’
, ‘Gemeinschaft’ (a group in which social bonds are based on close personal ties of kinship and friendship), ‘Gesellschaft’ (secondary relationships prevail, i.e. of a formal, contractual, specialized, impersonal; or expedient kind). Weber insisted that ideal types are never found in pure, uncontaminated form.

 
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Ideology
.

The organization of ideas and related practices into a more-or-less coherent belief-system, carrying with it commitment. Although the term was first used by Destutt de Tracy in 1796 to apply to the study of the way in which ideas are related to their base in sensations, it has come to refer to belief-systems which aim to achieve goals, justifying particular actions or policies on the way and vigorously excluding others. ‘Ideology’ is most naturally understood of a political system, e.g. Fascism, totalitarianism, Maoism. Although the definition lends itself most naturally to such religious organizations as
Vatican
Catholicism, it is nevertheless an issue whether religions can rightly be thought of as ideologies.
Far more loosely, ideology is used simply as a substitute for ‘world-view’, and in that general sense religions as ideologies are sometimes discussed in relation to
secularization
—with secularization taken to be a contesting worldview. Popular though that usage is, it lacks rigour in dealing with the actual processes of change in belief-systems.

 
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Idiorrhythmic
.

Following the pattern of one's own life: monastic communities, especially on Mount
Athos
, where the monks pursue separate lives, meeting for
offices
and perhaps for communal meals on great feast days.

 
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(Gk.,
eidolon
, ‘image’, +
latreia
, ‘worship’). The attributing of absolute value to that which is not absolute, and acting towards that object, person, or concept as though it is worthy of worship or complete commitment. In a religious context, this most usually means treating as God that which is not God; and in particular acting towards a representation of God as though it
is
God. Thus idolatry is associated with the worship of idols, as though these are the actuality of God. In that sense, idolatry is extremely rare, since most religious worshippers are well-aware that the signpost is not to be confused with that which is signified. Judaism is unequivocally opposed to idol worship as is evidenced by the
Ten Commandments
(Exodus 20).
Rabbinic
law deals with prohibitions concerning contact with an idolator (
Avodah Zarah
, passim).
Islam is comparably opposed to idols (Arab.,
wathan
, pl.,
wuthun; sanam
,
asnam
), which must necessarily detract from the absolute supremacy and oneness of God.

 
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