| Habit | An acquired pattern of behavior as a result of frequent repetition. |
| Hadith | Tradition of Muhammad's words and action which act as complementary to the Qu'ran. |
| Haggadah | Jewish liturgical text used during seder service; retelling of the Exodus events; not concerned with law, but contains parables, fables, sagas, tales, poems and prayers. |
| Hagim | Jewish calendar festivals of Pesach, Shavuot, Sukkot, Hannukah, and Purim. |
| Halakkah | Complete body of written Jewish legal and ethical codes moral, or devotional teaching derived from midrashic exposition of the Tanakh. |
| Hannukah | ('Dedication') Feast of Lights - Eight day Jewish festival consisting of lighting candles which commemorates the rededication of the temple by Judas Maccabeus in 164 BC. |
| Hanuman | Monkey god of Hinduism; can fly over large distances at great speed in support of Rama. |
| Hara Kiri | ('belly cutting') Practice of ritual suicide among Japanese warrior classes. |
| Harae | Shinto water purification prior to worship or ritual by washing. |
| Haramain | Islamic sacred sites (Mecca /Medina; non-Muslims are forbidden to enter this sacred zones. |
| Hare Krishna | Mantra used by devotees of Krishna to induce ecstatic union with the divine. |
| Harem | Islamic term for a private quarter restricted to women, secluded from the gaze of men. |
| Harijan | ('god's children') Gandhi termed this coin to refer to the untouchables in Hindu society. |
| Haumai | ('selfishness') Sikhism term referring to human nature. |
| Health | physical state of day to day soundness and well being. |
| Heaven (s) | Generally referring to the dwelling place of YHWH; Also refers to place where birds fly beneath the clouds or the visible universe where stars are located. |
| Hell | Habitation of the unrighteous dead after final judgment in Zoroastrianism, Islam, Judaism, Sikhism, Buddhism and Christianity; Purpose and duration are subject to theological debate. |
| Herd | instinct for association, dependence, and hierarchy in a social context. |
| Heredity | Physical characteristics, traits, and qualities transmitted genetically. |
| Heresy | A deviation or denial of Scriptural doctrine; a false doctrine. |
| Hierophany | Sacred thing, time, rite, place, relic, or people as windows of reality through which one perceives or experiences the Holy. |
| Hijra / Hegira | ('going forth') The migration of Muhammad, from Meccas to Medina. Crucial in formation of Islam, as Muhammad became social and political leader in Medina. |
| Hinayana Buddhism | (small vehicle) Salvation dependent on oneself; (Southern or Theravada) |
| Hinduism | Polytheistic Indian religion developed over thousands of years. |
| Holi | Hindu spring festival celebrates love of Krishna and Radha; emphasizes playfulness. |
| Holiness | Sacred power and otherness of the Divine; People are called to this moral standard as a way of life. Christianity offers the Holy Spirit as an aid to this endeavor. |
| Holistic Health | (New Age) Wellness to 'whole self" through natural remedies. |
| Holy Land | Pentecostal legalistic group; Salavation is performance based; mendicant pan handling. |
| Holy Spirit | IN Christianity, the instrument of God's actions in the world; The source of faith and the new life in the believer and the church; the presence of God. |
| Hope | General positive attitude, feeling, or sense of high expectation of positive results that present circumstances and current events will produce health, wealth, reward, and/or success. |
| Human Potential movement | Modern movement attempting to enable people to attain self-awareness, self-development, and self-mastery. (EST, Zen, Dyanetics, etc.) |
| Humanism | Deistic or atheistic belief stressing humanity as the highest ethical standard and goal. |
| Humility | The state of having a continual modest opinion of one's own importance; being teachable. |
| Hymn | Sacred song sung in the context of communal worship. |
©2006 Basic Progress