The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (1097 page)

Inter-Varsity Fellowship
(IVF).

Since 1974 the Universities and Colleges Christian Fellowship. It was established in 1927 to encourage links between student members of
evangelical
Christian Unions. The International Federation of Evangelical Students unites similar groups throughout the world.

 
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Intinction
.

A method of administering
communion
, by dipping the eucharistic bread into the wine.

 
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(Lat.
introire
, ‘go in’). The opening act in the
mass
. It consists of a psalm or part of a psalm with
antiphon
and
gloria
Patri, sung as the celebrant enters the church.

 
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Invention of the Cross
.

The legendary discovery
(Lat.,
inventio
) of the cross of Jesus at
Calvary
by St Helena, the mother of
Constantine
. The legend developed from the 5th cent. on. The feast is now called the
Exaltation of the Cross
in both E. and W.

 
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(dispute about the right of laity to make certain Church appointments): see
GREGORY VII
.

 
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Invincible ignorance
.

Ignorance according to Roman Catholic understanding, which cannot be eradicated, even by the utmost effort, being a consequence of circumstances which were not chosen.

 
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Invisible religion
.

Religious beliefs and practices which are held in parallel with (or in association with) those of the official religion to which the person concerned belongs: it is thus closely associated with non-official religion. They include such items as superstition and the paranormal. More broadly, the ‘Invisible Religion thesis’ is the argument of T. Luckmann (in the book of that title in its Eng. tr., 1967) that
Durkheim
and
Weber
were correct in identifying religion as the key to understanding society and the place of individuals in society. In his definition, religion is that which enables individuals to transcend their biological nature, thus making religion virtually synonymous with
culture
.