Laity

In religious organizations, the laity (/ˈləti/) consists of all members who are not part of the clergy, usually including any non-ordained members of religious orders, e.g. a nun or a lay brother.[1][2] In both religious and wider secular usage, a layperson (also layman or laywoman) is a person who is not qualified in a given profession or does not have specific knowledge of a certain subject.[3] The phrase "layman's terms" is used to refer to plain language that is understandable to the everyday person, as opposed to specialised terminology understood only by a professional.[4][5]

Terms such as lay priest, lay clergy and lay nun were once used in certain Buddhist cultures, especially Japanese, to indicate ordained persons who continued to live in the wider community instead of retiring to a monastery. Some Christian churches utilise lay preachers, who preach but are not clergy. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints uses the term lay priesthood to emphasise that its local congregational leaders are unpaid.[6]

  1. ^ Laity Archived 2020-10-13 at the Wayback Machine at the Catholic Encyclopedia
  2. ^ "lay person — definition of lay person by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia". Thefreedictionary.com. Archived from the original on 1 January 2019. Retrieved 24 June 2014.
  3. ^ "Definition of LAYPERSON". www.merriam-webster.com. Archived from the original on 15 October 2020. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  4. ^ Baum, Caroline (8 September 2011). "A Layman's Guide to the President's Jobs Speech: Caroline Baum". Bloomberg. Archived from the original on 20 May 2015. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
  5. ^ Murphy, Martin (February 2013). Theological Terms in Layman Language. Martin Murphy. ISBN 978-0-9856181-5-5. ...simple words like faith or not so simple words like aseity are explained in plain language.
  6. ^ "How do Mormon congregations work?". news-nz.churchofjesuschrist.org. Retrieved 16 October 2022.

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