German or a Swiss German dialect as a first language and are also fluent

in English. They make limited use of technology, often staying off

electricity grids and driving horses and buggies rather than cars.

Old Order Amish typically worship in homes rather than church buildings
and affiliate with one of dozens of networks with differing rules. They
attend Amish-run schoolhouses through the eighth grade. In a landmark
1972 case, Wisconsin v. Yoder, the Supreme Court ruled that the state
could not require compulsory school attendance among the Amish people
past the eighth grade without violating their freedom of religion.
AP Stylebook editors have added new entries and modified entries to the
Religion chapter. Details are below. A bishop is typically the highest authority in a congregation.
As a Stylebook Online subscriber, you can receive these updates whenever As of 2021, there were about 360,000 Amish in 31 states and Canada,
the Stylebook editors make them. From your subscriber homepage, click with the highest concentrations in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indiana,
on "my account dashboard," then go to "email settings" and choose "yes." according to the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies at
Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania.
Every time you log into AP Stylebook Online, you can easily find recent
updates by clicking on "New Entries" or "Recent Changes" on your See Anabaptists.
subscriber homepage.

Anabaptists (new)
AP Stylebook: Religion updates
The term refers to members of a Christian tradition that emerged from the
radical edge of the Protestant Reformation in Europe.

African Methodist Episcopal Church (new) Core beliefs have included separation of church and state, adult (not
infant) baptism, church discipline, separation from the corruption of the
Historically African American Methodist denomination based in the United larger society, nonresistance to evil (a term many prefer to pacifism and
States. including a refusal to do military service) and a strict interpretation of the
Bible, particularly Jesus' Sermon on the Mount with its demanding
The church grew out of the Free African Society, founded in 1787 by Black requirements for forgiveness, simplicity and love of enemies.
churchgoers in Philadelphia who objected to segregation policies at their
Methodist church, where the congregation included white and Black Interpretations of these principles vary widely among modern-day
members. Anabaptists in four main movements:
traditionalist Amish and Hutteritesand the more
The denomination experienced major growth during the Civil War and diverse Brethren and Mennonites, who range from traditionalist to highly
Reconstruction. Today, its members are in 39 countries on five continents. assimilated. Conservative Anabaptists sometimes describe themselves
The AME and AME Church are acceptable on second reference. as Plain People, marked by separatism from mainstream society and
modest, plain dress that includes head coverings for women.

The term Anabaptist — originally pejorative but now widely accepted —

Amish (new) means rebaptizer because early Anabaptist converts rejected the validity
of their baptism as infants in a state church, then underwent baptism as
A separatist Christian group formed in 17th century Europe in a schism adults when joining the new movement. Not part of the Baptist tradition,
with other Anabaptists. They began immigrating to North America in the though they share some beliefs.
18th century and are no longer in Europe.

The Amish, named for early leader Jakob Ammann, mainly sought a
greater degree of separation from outside society and shunning of Apostles' Creed (new)
transgressors.
A statement of core Christian beliefs, developed a few centuries after
Almost all are Old Order Amish, with shared beliefs including tight church Christ's death.
discipline and shunning of those excommunicated; a refusal to do military
service or take oaths; and a strict interpretation of the Bible.

Known as part of the Plain People, they are marked by plain, modest dress Assemblies of God (new)
and grooming — including long dresses and head coverings for women
and beards but no mustaches for married men. They speak Pennsylvania
The world's largest Pentecostal denomination, founded in 1914 in Hot
Springs, Arkansas, with 300 people at the founding convention. It now
ecumenical (new)
encompasses more than 12,000 churches in the U.S. and claims more
This term is not interchangeable with interfaith; it refers to collaboration
than 69 million members worldwide.
among different Christian denominations.

beatification (new) Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church (new)

See canonization.
See Oriental Orthodox churches.

Catholic, Catholicism (updated) Haggadah (new)

Use Catholic Church, Catholic or Catholicism in the first references to
The text Jews use during Passover.
those who believe that the pope, as bishop of Rome, has the ultimate
authority in administering an earthly organization founded by Jesus Christ.

Given the majority of Catholics belong to the Latin (Roman) rite, it is Haredi, Haredim (new)
acceptable to use Roman Catholic Church on first reference if the context
is clearly referring to the Latin rite. For example: the Roman Catholic (plural) A Hebrew term for ultra-Orthodox Jews. The word translates
Archdiocese of Indianapolis. However, when referring to the pope, the literally as "trembling" in awe of God.
Vatican or the universal church, Catholic Church should be used since it
encompasses believers belonging to the Latin and Eastern churches that
are in communion with Rome. Similarly, the U.S. Conference of Catholic
Bishops includes bishops from Eastern churches as well as Roman Catholic
Hasidic (new)
bishops.
A term describing a movement within ultra-Orthodox Judaism. Its origins
Lowercase catholic where used in its generic sense of general or universal, are rooted in Jewish mysticism and spiritual revival. Often used as an
meanings derived from a similar word in Greek. umbrella term for all ultra-Orthodox. Members are collectively referred to
as Hasidim.
See Roman Catholic Church.

High Holidays, High Holy Days (new)

Communion, Holy Communion (new)
Both are acceptable for the period of the Jewish calendar that includes
See sacraments. Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashana. See Jewish congregations.

cult (new) humanism, humanist (new)

A loaded term to be used with caution. A philosophy emphasizing the importance of human beings, without
relying on belief in deities or supernatural forces.

denomination (new)
kosher (new)
Use with caution; some Christian bodies object to this label.
Describes any food that complies with Judaism's strict set of dietary
regulations.
devout (new)
Use sparingly if at all; better to be specific about a person's religious mark of the beast (new)
practice, i.e. He attends Mass daily.
A phrase in the New Testament's Book of Revelation conveying an
allegiance to Satan.
 The term applies to a group of churches that have roots in the earliest
days of Christianity and split from other churches after the Council of
Mennonites (new) Chalcedon in the year 451 due to differing interpretations of the divinity of
Jesus. They are distinct from Eastern Orthodox churches, though they
A diverse group of Anabaptists who emerged soon after the start of the
share many practices and cooperate in some areas.
Protestant Reformation. Named for early leader Menno Simons.
Major churches in this tradition include the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo
Core beliefs have historically included separation of church and state,
Church; the Coptic Orthodox Church, based in Egypt; and the Armenian
adult (not infant) baptism and nonresistance to evil (a term many prefer
Apostolic Church. Most have parishes in the United States and other areas
to pacifism).
of the diaspora.
Interpretation varies widely across dozens of Mennonite groups in North
America and the world. Some, including Old Order Mennonites, resemble
the Amish in their plain dress and use of horse-and-buggy transportation. polytheism (new)
Other traditionalists are more open to modern technology but maintain
conservative theology. More assimilated groups wear modern dress, use A religion espousing the belief in more than one god. See monotheism.
technology and modern worship music and resemble other evangelical or
liberal Protestant denominations.

The most progressive group, the Mennonite Church USA, is active in religious orders (new)
ecumenical and peacemaking efforts. The Mennonite World Conference, an
umbrella group of many denominations, counted about 1.5 million people Capitalize the names and the related terms applied to members of the
in member churches globally in 2018, about half in Africa and about orders: He is a member of the Society of Jesus. He is a Jesuit.
250,000 in North America.

See Anabaptist and Amish. Roman Catholic Church (updated)

The church teaches that its bishops have been established as the
Messianic Jews (new) successors of the apostles through generations of ceremonies in which
authority was passed down by a laying-on of hands.
Messianic Jews follow Jewish law but believe that Jesus is the Messiah.
The major denominations of Judaism reject Messianic Judaism as a form of Responsibility for teaching the faithful and administering the church rests
Judaism. with the bishops. However, the church holds that the pope has final
authority over their actions because he is the bishop of Rome, the office it
teaches was held by the Apostle Peter at his death.
monotheism (new) The Curia serves as a form of governmental cabinet. Its members,
appointed by the pope, handle both administrative and judicial functions.
A religion espousing the belief in only one god. See polytheism.
The pope also chooses members of the College of Cardinals, who serve as
his principal counselors. When a new pope must be chosen, they meet in a
Noah's Ark (new) conclave to select a new pope by a two-thirds majority vote. In practice,
cardinals are mostly bishops, but there is no requirement that a cardinal
be a bishop.

"nones" (new) In the United States, the church’s principal organizational units are
archdioceses and dioceses. They are headed, respectively, by archbishops
The "nones" are the fastest-growing group in surveys asking Americans and bishops, who have final responsibility for many activities within their
about their religious identity. They describe themselves as atheists, jurisdictions and report directly to Rome.
agnostics or "nothing in particular" — though the term is not
A caution: Roman Catholic, which refers to the Latin branch of
interchangeable with atheist nor agnostic. Define the term when used. Use
Catholicism, is not the appropriate first reference when referring to the
quote marks in first use and no quote marks thereafter. For example: The
pope, the Vatican or the universal church. Catholic Church should be used
poll found that 30% of the "nones" — people who describe themselves as
instead, since it encompasses believers belonging to the Latin (Roman)
atheists, agnostics or "nothing in particular" — meditate. See agnostic,
and Eastern churches. Similarly, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops
atheist.
includes bishops from Eastern churches as well as Roman Catholic
bishops. See Catholic, Catholicism.

Oriental Orthodox churches (new)

The church counts more than 1 billion members worldwide. In the United
States estimates vary, but it is the largest single body of Christians in the
Sikhi, Sikhism (new)
nation.
A distinct, independent religion founded in the Punjab region of South Asia
Roman Catholics believe in the Trinity — that there is one God who exists in the late 15th century by Guru Nanak, who promoted the idea of a
as three divine persons — the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. They singular divine (God) and a life of spiritual reflection and selfless service.
believe that the Son became man as Jesus Christ.
Guru Nanak propagated Sikhi through the composition of devotional
In addition to the Holy Eucharist, there are six other sacraments — hymns and by challenging conventional religious practices such as
baptism, confirmation, penance (often called the sacrament of purifications, image worship, pilgrimages and religious austerities. With
reconciliation), matrimony, holy orders, and the sacrament of the sick more than 27 million Sikhs worldwide, it is among the world's largest
(formerly extreme unction). religions.

The clergy below pope are, in descending order of prominence, cardinal, The most visible aspect of Sikh identity is the turban, which covers a
archbishop, bishop, monsignor, priest and deacon. In religious orders, Sikh's unshorn hair, and can be worn by men and women alike. Take care
some men who are not priests have the title brother. not to imply that only Sikh men wear turbans or keep their hair long. Sikh
men and Sikh women are equally forbidden from cutting their hair.
Capitalize pope when used as a title before a name: Pope John XXIII, Pope
Francis. Lowercase in all other uses. See religious titles. The initiated Sikh identity includes five articles of faith — kesh (unshorn
hair), kanga (small comb), kara (steel bracelet), kirpan (religious article
The first-reference forms for other titles follow. Use only last names on resembling a knife) and kachera (soldier-shorts) — and distinguishes
second reference. someone who has formally committed to the values of Sikhism by
accepting initiation.
Cardinals: Cardinal Daniel DiNardo. The usage Daniel Cardinal DiNardo, a
practice traceable to the nobility’s custom of identifications such Sikhi was founded and established by 10 successive leaders (gurus) who
as William, Duke of Norfolk, is still used in formal documents but lived from 1469-1708. The last of those leaders, Guru Gobind Singh,
otherwise is considered archaic. passed the authority of guruship to two entities for eternity—the Guru
Granth Sahib (the scriptural canon) and the Guru Khalsa Panth (the
Archbishops: Archbishop Gregory Aymond, or the Most Rev. Gregory community of initiated Sikhs).
Aymond, archbishop of New Orleans.
Sikhi recognizes no clergy. Individuals have direct access to their own
Bishops: Bishop Thomas Paprocki, or the Most Rev. Thomas Paprocki, spiritual experience, and any Sikh can play a leadership role in the
bishop of Springfield, Illinois. worship. A Sikh leader trained in all aspects of maintaining decorum in
a gurdwara (Sikh house of worship), including reading from and caring for
Monsignors: Monsignor Martin Krebs. Do not use the Guru Granth Sahib, is called a granthi.
abbreviation Msgr.Do not use the Rt. Rev. or the Very Rev. — this
distinction between types of monsignors no longer is made. While the vast majority of Sikhs live in Punjab, and most Sikhs living
elsewhere are of Punjabi background, not all Sikhs are Punjabi, and not all
PRIESTS: the Rev. James Martin. Punjabis are Sikh.
See religious titles. Sikhi is the term Sikhs use for their faith. Sikhism and the Sikh religionare
also acceptable.

sacraments
Zoroastrianism (new)
Capitalize the proper names used for a sacramental rite that
commemorates the life of Jesus Christ or signifies a belief in his A monotheistic religion predating Christianity and Islam founded some
presence: the Lord’s Supper, Holy Communion, Holy Eucharist. 3,800 years ago by Zoroaster. It was the dominant religion in Persia
before the Arab conquest. It stresses good deeds, and fire plays a central
Lowercase the names of other sacraments: baptism, confirmation,
role in worship as a symbol of truth and the spirit of God.
penance (now often called the sacrament of reconciliation), matrimony,
holy orders, and the sacrament of anointing the sick (formerly extreme
unction).

See entries for the major religious denominations and religious

references.