Home›Purificatory Practices›TraditionBrowse ByTraditionThis page groups practices by the culture that gives them their inherited meaning. Wikipedia notes that Roman religious cultus was "an activity fundamental to Roman identity even when Rome as a political center had become fully urbanized." Browsing by tradition lets a visitor read every practice belonging to one culture together, rather than finding them scattered by category.FactsLearn MoreTraditionSourcesComments (0)Reader Challenges (0)FactsOverviewWhat Defines This GroupingWell-attestedPractices undertaken to remove a condition the tradition treats as impurity and to restore fitness for worship or for ordinary life - ablution before prayer, bathing, confession, the sweeping out of leaven, exorcism, purification by smoke. Impurity here is a ritual status rather than dirt or sin, and its causes and remedies are set by each tradition's own law. 2Contested UseContested or Appropriated Modern UseWell-attestedSourced to the subject's own accountTwo practices grouped here, smudging and the sweat lodge, are English names for ceremonies belonging to particular Native American nations, several of which those nations hold closed. The Lakota Summit V declaration of June 1993 objected by name to their conduct by people without standing. The atlas records that they exist and publishes no procedure. 3DirectoryCategoryWell-attestedPractices 1StatusStanding as a Comparative CategoryWell-attestedA standard analytic category in the study of religion 2Learn MoreThe purificatory practices This group gathers purificatory practices, the acts by which practitioners cleanse themselves of impurity or sin in preparation for worship or as a discipline in itself: ritual washing, bathing, fasting and other rites of purification. The concern with purity before the sacred is nearly universal. The browser will find purificatory practices from across the traditions. The entries describe each practice's form and meaning, noting the conception of purity and pollution that underlies it.TraditionFilter Results42 entriesAdherents Today MaximumAll95,000,000 (1)110,000,000 (1)260,000,000 (1)1,406,000,000 (1)Adherents Today MinimumAll78,000,000 (1)80,000,000 (1)220,000,000 (1)1,406,000,000 (1)Bankruptcy FilingsAll28 (1)Basis of the Education Facility CountAllThe Body's Own Published Statistics (1)Basis of the Health Facility CountAllThe Body's Own Published Statistics (1)Basis of the Membership FigureAllChurch-Reported Rolls (11)Independent Survey (16)National Census (11)Scholarly or Demographic Estimate (17)Basis of the Wealth FigureAllAudited Annual Report (5)Journalistic or Scholarly Estimate (5)Regulator Filing (1)The Body's Own Published Statistics (3)Calendar SystemAllJulian (Old Calendar) (2)Church FamilyAllAnglican (5)Church of the East (1)Eastern Catholic (2)Eastern Orthodox (10)Lutheran (3)Oriental Orthodox (5)Restorationist (1)Roman Catholic (1)Date of Separation End YearAll451 (2)900 (1)1204 (2)1555 (1)1571 (1)1815 (1)1846 (1)1850 (1)1876 (1)1908 (1)1913 (1)1925 (1)1946 (1)2019 (1)Date of Separation Start YearAll451 (4)760 (1)1054 (3)1346 (1)1448 (1)1521 (1)1534 (2)1666 (1)1736 (1)1772 (1)1810 (2)1811 (1)1833 (1)1868 (1)1876 (1)1883 (1)1885 (1)1993 (1)2018 (1)Defining Doctrinal PositionAllAffirms the Filioque: the Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son (1)Chalcedonian: two natures in the one person of Christ (Chalcedon, 451) (4)Chalcedonian: two natures in the one person of Christ (Chalcedon, 451) (18)Christ's Second Appearing already fulfilled in the movement's own founding (1)Halakha binding and not subject to historical revision (2)Halakha binding, but developing through scholarship (1)Halakha binding, with secular education, work and civic participation affirmed rather than merely tolerated (1)Halakha informative rather than binding on the individual (1)Miaphysite: one incarnate nature of the Word, divine and human united (2)Miaphysite: one incarnate nature of the Word, divine and human united (3)Rejects the Filioque: the Spirit proceeds from the Father (1)Rejects the Filioque: the Spirit proceeds from the Father (10)Strict dyophysite: two distinct natures held in two qnome (concrete hypostases), not Chalcedon's two natures in one hypostasis (1)The godhead confessed as both Father and Mother (1)The practice of the first generations as the sole binding precedent (1)The Qur'an is God's uncreated speech (1)The tzaddik or rebbe as spiritual intermediary and head of the community (2)The tzaddik or rebbe as spiritual intermediary and head of the community (2)The written Torah alone; the rabbinic Oral Torah not accepted (1)The written Torah alone; the rabbinic Oral Torah not accepted (1)Trinitarian: one God in three persons (6)Trinitarian: one God in three persons (10)Documented Accused CountAll5 (1)6 (1)19 (1)21 (1)237 (1)390 (1)800 (1)1670 (1)1880 (1)2900 (1)4392 (1)Education Facility Count As OfAll2023-12-31 (1)GovernanceAllA federation of autonomous member organisations (2)A single central governing body over the whole movement (1)Authority in trained scholars, with no central office (4)Autonomous local bodies under a national umbrella association (1)Congregational: each congregation self-governing (3)Delegated representation from congregations up to a general conference (2)Episcopal: governed by bishops (11)No central authority (9)Priestly office passing by descent (2)Self-governing churches under patriarchs, deciding in synod (16)Synodal: governed by synods of clergy and lay delegates (3)Universal primacy of a single bishop (1)Health Facility Count As OfAll2023-12-31 (1)How the Expectation Is EnforcedAllCodified Obligation With Consequences (4)Codified Obligation, Ruled Unenforceable (1)Customary Norm (8)Obligation to Support, No Set Rate (4)Preached Expectation, Not Enforced (4)Liturgical LanguageAllAramaic (3)Church Slavonic (6)Classical Arabic (2)Classical Armenian (Grabar) (2)Classical Japanese (2)Classical Syriac (3)Coptic (2)Geez (4)Georgian (1)Greek (liturgical) (5)Hebrew (9)Latin (1)The vernacular (15)Membership Figure As OfAll1840-01-01 (1)1910-01-01 (1)1912-01-01 (2)1917-01-01 (1)1923-01-01 (1)1924-01-01 (1)1939-01-01 (1)1970-01-01 (1)1972-01-01 (1)1988-12-31 (1)1991-01-01 (1)1991-05-25 (1)1996-01-01 (1)2000-04-01 (1)2002-01-01 (1)2005-01-01 (1)2006-01-01 (1)2007-01-01 (3)2008-01-01 (2)2009-01-01 (1)2010-01-01 (4)2011-01-01 (5)2013-01-01 (7)2014-01-01 (3)2015-01-01 (3)2016-01-01 (2)2016-12-31 (1)2017-01-01 (1)2017-10-30 (1)2017-11-08 (1)2018-01-01 (3)2019-01-01 (2)2020-01-01 (6)2021-01-01 (3)2021-03-21 (1)2021-05-11 (1)2021-05-12 (1)2022-01-01 (8)2022-05-03 (1)2023-01-01 (2)2023-04-29 (1)2023-12-31 (1)2024-01-01 (4)2024-03-01 (1)2024-12-31 (2)2025-01-01 (1)2025-08-01 (1)2026-08-14 (1)2026-08-16 (1)OrdinationAllCelibacy required of the ordained (2)Married clergy permitted (20)No ordination; authority rests on learning or on the whole body (2)No successor by deliberate choice (1)Office passes by descent (3)Open to women and men (9)Ordination is into a monastic order, not to a congregation (1)Restricted to men (20)The full female ordination lineage is held lapsed; revival contested (1)Varies between provinces or member bodies (5)Origin Period End YearAll52 (1)301 (1)337 (1)340 (2)410 (1)431 (1)451 (2)900 (1)988 (1)1100 (1)1204 (1)1219 (1)1448 (1)1527 (1)1530 (1)1559 (1)1571 (1)1596 (1)1600 (1)1667 (1)1772 (1)1789 (1)1797 (1)1810 (1)1846 (1)1850 (2)1867 (1)1908 (1)1913 (1)1946 (1)1970 (1)1988 (1)Origin Period Start YearAll30 (3)42 (1)49 (1)295 (1)320 (2)326 (1)390 (1)431 (1)760 (1)988 (2)1219 (1)1300 (1)1517 (1)1527 (1)1534 (3)1596 (1)1652 (1)1740 (1)1747 (1)1775 (1)1789 (1)1800 (2)1802 (1)1810 (1)1845 (1)1850 (1)1868 (1)1876 (1)1880 (1)1988 (1)Position on JustificationAllFaith Alone (2)No Communion Wide Standard (1)Position on MarriageAllMarriage is held to be a lifelong, monogamous, indissoluble union; remarriage after divorce is not sanctioned while a spouse lives (2)Marriage is held to be monogamous, with remarriage after divorce sanctioned under specified conditions (6)No single uniform teaching on marriage's terms holds across the body (1)Position on PredestinationAllElection Affirmed Reprobation Unstated (1)Single Predestination (1)Unsettled (1)Position on SexualityAllSame-sex marriage is performed and LGBT clergy are ordained on equal terms with heterosexual clergy (4)Same-sex orientation or practice is held to bar full membership or participation (3)Same-sex sexual relationships are held contrary to teaching; LGBT individuals are welcomed as members but not ordained, and same-sex unions are not blessed (10)Same-sex unions may be blessed, but ordination is not extended to partnered LGBT clergy (1)The body holds no single settled position; the question is actively and openly contested within it (3)Position on the EucharistAllNo Communion Wide Definition (1)Sacramental Union (1)Spiritual Reception by Faith (1)Position on UsuryAllInterest is permitted but bound by ethical constraints against exploiting the poor (1)Principle of WorshipAllNormative (3)Relation to the StateAllDisestablished (6)Established (2)No Establishment (8)Privileged Never Established (8)Varies by Province (7)Rule Established or Last ChangedAll2000-01-01 (1)2007-11-28 (1)2010-10-24 (1)2019-01-01 (1)Sacraments RecognisedAllTwo (3)Settlement TotalAll500,000 (1)137,300,000 (1)1,500,000,000 (1)5,590,000,000 (1)Standard Rate ExpectedAllFive percent. (1)Ten percent. (4)Standing as a Comparative CategoryAllA standard analytic category in the study of religion (1)Standing of Holy OrdersAllHistoric Episcopate (1)Historic Episcopate Locally Adapted (1)Historic Episcopate Received Not Required (1)Status TodayAllHistorical; not practised continuously (1)Living tradition, practised today (42)Wealth Figure As Of YearAll2007 (1)2008 (1)2009 (1)2014 (1)2016 (1)2023 (1)2024 (6)2025 (2)Show ResultsBrowseCompareAnglican CommunionTradition1 entryAnglicanismTradition1 entryArmenian Apostolic ChurchTradition2 entriesAssyrian Church of the EastTradition1 entryBeta IsraelTradition2 entriesBreslov HasidismTradition4 entriesChabad-LubavitchTradition4 entriesChurch of CyprusTradition2 entriesChurch of EnglandTradition1 entryChurch of GreeceTradition2 entriesChurch of IrelandTradition1 entryChurch of SwedenTradition1 entryConservative JudaismTradition1 entryCoptic OrthodoxyTradition2 entriesEastern OrthodoxyTradition2 entriesEcumenical Patriarchate of ConstantinopleTradition2 entriesThe Episcopal ChurchTradition1 entryEritrean Orthodox Tewahedo ChurchTradition2 entriesEthiopian Orthodox Tewahedo ChurchTradition2 entriesEvangelical Lutheran Church in AmericaTradition1 entryGeorgian Orthodox ChurchTradition2 entriesGreek Orthodox ChurchTradition2 entriesHaredi JudaismTradition4 entriesHasidic JudaismTradition4 entriesKaraite JudaismTradition1 entryLutheranismTradition1 entryMaronite ChurchTradition1 entryModern Orthodox JudaismTradition4 entriesOld BelieversTradition1 entryOriental OrthodoxyTradition2 entriesOrthodox JudaismTradition4 entriesReform JudaismTradition1 entryRoman CatholicismTradition2 entriesRomanian Orthodox ChurchTradition2 entriesRussian Orthodox ChurchTradition2 entriesSalafismTradition1 entrySect ShintoTradition1 entrySerbian Orthodox ChurchTradition2 entriesShakersTradition1 entryShrine ShintoTradition1 entryUkrainian Greek Catholic ChurchTradition1 entryUkrainian Orthodox ChurchTradition2 entriesSources1. Divinity Atlas Directory Taxonomy, First Edition Category Treetier 12. Encyclopedia of Religiontier 1Mircea Eliade (ed.); Lindsay Jones (ed., 2nd ed.), Macmillan Reference, 2005s.v. PurificationView the Source3. Declaration of War Against Exploiters of Lakota Spiritualitytier 1Lakota Summit V, 1993the holders' own accountDivinity Atlas Directory Prose, First Edition Category Descriptionstier 1Comments (0)No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.Sign in to join the discussion.Reader Challenges (0)No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.