Appendix C - Glossary

Glossary

Unless otherwise noted, Irish young people in this report are separated between:

Self-identified Christians select Christian from a list of religious affiliations
Non-Christians select Buddhist, Hindu, Jehovah’s Witness, Jewish, Mormon, Muslim, Other
No faith or no religious affiliation are atheists or agnostics, or choose “none of the above” from a list of religious affiliations
Catholics select Catholic
Non-Catholic Christians select Christian, Protestant, Evangelical Christian
Practising Christians identify as Christian; say their faith is very important in their life (agree strongly or somewhat); and have attended a religious service or gathering in the past month
Nominal Christians identify as Christian, but do not agree that religious faith is very important in their life today, have not made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ, and do not believe that their entrance to heaven depends on the confession of sins and acceptance of Jesus Christ as savior

Churched: attended a service within the past six months
Dechurched: formerly churched but have not attended a service in the past six months
Never churched: have never attended a church service besides a special event such as a wedding or a funeral
Corporate spiritual life: applies to those who identify as Christian and participate every six months in at least two of the following: Bible study, Christian study, group prayer, communion and serving in church
Private / personal spiritual life: applies to those who identify as Christian, agree strongly or somewhat that their religious faith is important in their lives today, are not less spiritual than when they were 12 years old, and do at least two of the following: pray the rosary, read the Bible on their own or pray on their own
Christian event: may include festival, retreat, weekend away, community outreach event, pilgrimage, local mission trip or overseas mission trip