types:
religionist
a person addicted to religion or a religious zealot
Christian
a religious person who believes Jesus is the Christ and who is a member of a Christian denomination
Buddhist
one who follows the teachings of Buddha
agnostic
a person who claims that they cannot have true knowledge about the existence of God (but does not deny that God might exist)
anointer
one who anoints as a religious ceremony
celibate
an unmarried person who has taken a religious vow of chastity
Mandaean,
Mandean
a member of a small Gnostic sect that originated in Jordan and survives in Iraq and who believes that John the Baptist was the Messiah
missionary,
missioner
someone sent on a mission--especially a religious or charitable mission to a foreign country
Moonie
an often derogatory term for a member of the Unification Church
oblate
a lay person dedicated to religious work or the religious life
Ebionite,
Nazarene
a member of a group of Jews who (during the early history of the Christian Church) accepted Jesus as the Messiah; they accepted the Gospel According to Matthew but rejected the Epistles of St. Paul and continued to follow Jewish law and celebrate Jewish holidays; they were later declared heretic by the Church of Rome
novice,
novitiate
someone who has entered a religious order but has not taken final vows
pagan
a person who follows a polytheistic or pre-Christian religion (not a Christian or Muslim or Jew)
Parsee,
Parsi
a member of a monotheistic sect of Zoroastrian origin; descended from the Persians; now found in western India
penitent
(Roman Catholic Church) a person who repents for wrongdoing (a Roman Catholic may be admitted to penance under the direction of a confessor)
prophet
someone who speaks by divine inspiration; someone who is an interpreter of the will of God
religious
a member of a religious order who is bound by vows of poverty and chastity and obedience
Sabbatarian
one who observes Saturday as the Sabbath (as in Judaism)
sacrificer
a religious person who offers up a sacrifice
tritheist
someone (not an orthodox Christian) who believes that the Father and Son and Holy Ghost are three separate gods
Friend,
Quaker
a member of the Religious Society of Friends founded by George Fox (the Friends have never called themselves Quakers)
Old Catholic
a member of the church formed in the 19th century by German Catholics who refused to accept the infallibility of the Pope
Copt
a member of the Coptic Church
Jihadist
a Muslim who is involved in a jihad
Sunni,
Sunni Muslim,
Sunnite
a member of the branch of Islam that accepts the first four caliphs as rightful successors to Muhammad
swami
a Hindu religious teacher; used as a title of respect
chela
a Hindu disciple of a swami
Hare Krishna
worshipper of Krishna and member of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
Moor
one of the Muslim people of north Africa; of mixed Arab and Berber descent; converted to Islam in the 8th century; conqueror of Spain in the 8th century
Apostle
(New Testament) one of the original 12 disciples chosen by Christ to preach his gospel
arianist
an adherent of Arianism (the belief that Jesus Christ was not truly God)
assassin
a member of a militant Muslim sect known during the Crusades for murdering enemies
ayatollah
a high-ranking Shiite religious leader who is regarded as an authority on religious law and its interpretation and who has political power as well
begum
a Muslim woman of high rank in India or Pakistan
theist
one who believes in the existence of a god or gods
congregant
a member of a congregation (especially that of a church or synagogue)
flagellant
a person who whips himself as a religious penance
friar,
mendicant
a male member of a religious order that originally relied solely on alms
monastic,
monk
a male religious living in a cloister and devoting himself to contemplation and prayer and work
Benedictine
a monk or nun belonging to the order founded by Saint Benedict
guru
a Hindu or Buddhist religious leader and spiritual teacher
Guru
each of the first ten leaders of the Sikh religion
hakim
a Muslim ruler or governor or judge
Holy Roller
a member of a religion that expresses ecstatic fervor
imam,
imaum
(Islam) the man who leads prayers in a mosque; for Shiites an imam is a recognized authority on Islamic theology and law and a spiritual guide
Jesuit
a member of the Jesuit order
Melchite,
Melkite
an Orthodox Christian or Uniate Christian belonging to the patriarchate of Alexandria or Antioch or Jerusalem
Melchite,
Melkite
an eastern Christian in Egypt or Syria who adheres to the Orthodox faith as defined by the council of Chalcedon in 451 and as accepted by the Byzantine emperor
Mon
a member of a Buddhist people living in Myanmar and adjacent parts of Thailand
mujahid
a Muslim engaged in what he considers to be a jihad
mujtihad
an Islamic scholar who engages in ijtihad, the effort to derive rules of divine law from Muslim sacred texts
Mollah,
Mulla,
Mullah
a Muslim trained in the doctrine and law of Islam; the head of a mosque
Nazarene
an early name for any Christian
pantheist
someone who believes that God and the universe are the same
pilgrim
someone who journeys to a sacred place as an act of religious devotion
puritan
someone who adheres to strict religious principles; someone opposed to sensual pleasures
Saracen
(historically) a Muslim who opposed the Crusades
Shaker
a member of Christian group practicing celibacy and communal living and common possession of property and separation from the world
stylite
an early Christian ascetic who lived on top of high pillars
Sufi
a Muslim who represents the mystical dimension of Islam; a Muslim who seeks direct experience of Allah; mainly in Iran
superior
the head of a religious community
Tractarian
a follower of Tractarianism and supporter of the Oxford movement (which was expounded in pamphlets called `Tracts for the Times')
votary
one bound by vows to a religion or life of worship or service
Wahabi,
Wahhabi
a member of a strictly orthodox Sunni Muslim sect from Saudi Arabia; strives to purify Islamic beliefs and rejects any innovation occurring after the 3rd century of Islam