Glossary

Terms starting with I — browse A–Z or jump to the blog.

Terms — I

22 terms

Glossary
Icons and Statues

Icons and statues are sacred images — of Christ, Mary, and the saints — used as aids to prayer and expressions of faith. Their veneration is not idolatry but recognition of the reality of the Incarnation.
Glossary
Idolatry

Idolatry is the worship of any creature — ancient gods, money, power, or pleasure — in place of the one true God, violating the first commandment.
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Immaculate Conception

The Immaculate Conception is the dogma that the Virgin Mary was preserved from all stain of original sin from the first moment of her conception.
Glossary
Immortality

Immortality is a significant concept in Catholic theology or moral teaching.
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Impediment

Impediment is a significant concept in Catholic theology or moral teaching.
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Incredulity

Incredulity is a significant concept in Catholic theology or moral teaching.
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Indulgences

An indulgence is the remission of temporal punishment due to forgiven sin — not the forgiveness of sin itself — obtained through the Church from the treasury of Christ's merits.
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Indulgences

An indulgence is the remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven.
Glossary
Infant Baptism

Infant Baptism is the practice of baptizing children shortly after birth to cleanse them from original sin and incorporate them into the family of God.
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Infant Baptism

Infant Baptism is the ancient and universal practice of baptizing newborns — rooted in the reality of Original Sin, the necessity of grace, and the conviction that God's saving love precedes all human response.
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Initiation

Initiation is a significant concept in Catholic theology or moral teaching.
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Inspiration

Inspiration is a significant concept in Catholic theology or moral teaching.
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Intelligent Design

Intelligent Design is the argument that features of nature are best explained by an intelligent cause — affirmed by the Church as a philosophical truth, while scientific questions about mechanisms remain open.
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Intelligent Design

Intelligent design is the view that the complexity and order of the universe point to a purposeful Creator.
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Intercession

Intercession is prayer offered on behalf of others — a participation in Christ's own priestly prayer for all humanity, extended through the faithful and the saints.
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Intercommunion

Intercommunion is a significant concept in Catholic theology or moral teaching.
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Irreligion

Irreligion is a significant concept in Catholic theology or moral teaching.
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Isaac

Isaac is the son of Abraham and Sarah — the miraculous child of the divine promise and a profound type of Christ, who was bound for sacrifice as Isaac was on Mount Moriah.
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Isaiah

Isaiah is the great Old Testament prophet called the 'fifth evangelist' — whose Servant Songs and virgin-birth prophecy describe Christ's suffering and redemption with remarkable precision.
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Islam

An Abrahamic monotheistic religion founded on the teachings of Muhammad.
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Israel

Israel is a significant concept in Catholic theology or moral teaching.
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Israelites

The Israelites are the descendants of Jacob, the chosen people with whom God made a covenant.