what does excommunication mean?
145105
In the Catholic church ,it means you can go to mass but take any sacraments.
349506
Ex-officio means by virtue of one's office.  What this normally means is that a person can serve on a committee because of the position they hold.  For instance, in many organizations, the President is a non-voting ex-officio member of all committees meaning they are considered a member of the committee, but they may not vote.  Ex-offico is often understood to mean non-voting but does not in the phrasing alone mean that.\n\nA standing committee is a committee that exists on a permanent basis.  Even after there is a change of officers it will continue to function.  It normally has a fairly wide mandate which can encompass many different areas.\n\nIt differes from an "ad-hoc" committee which exists for a set period of time in order to work on a specific problem.
55114
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.\n\nMy Meaning: Live a good honest life and treat everyone with respect, until they do something morally or ethically wrong and no longer deserve your respect.  If they say they are sorry, and they REALLY are, and they do what they can to fix/repair/make amends, then forgive them, and give them respect...again.  Then Repeat.
1023581
It means you have not chosen a specific religion, or follow a specific diety.\n\nA better interpretation would be, "without faith"
753949
The context in Luke is putting anything above God in your life. If you do that you are not worthy of Him. You have to hate everything in your life compared to Him. That's what it is saying. It has no connection with the Law in Exodus....   Jim
811266
Exigent is defined as "requiring precise accuracy".\n\nI became more exigent over his pronunciation.
161755
Be respectful of THOSE (plural) given leadership over you. Many pastors are on a control trip and think that no decision in the church should take place without thier permission. That is not true from the New Testament. I would respect those duties lined out for pastors and deacons in the New Testament, if they overstep that or expect more, let them stew in their own juices (and expect that they probably will)
723034
It means:\n"You have 3 days to accept this mission, or this message will self-destruct!"
425802
It denotes a member of the Blessed Virgin Mary order.
118146
I'm not terribly sure about this but I think that someone who is ordained is someone that has felt the calling to do something...in almost all cases this has to do with reverends.  It's never really used any other way.\n\nSomeone who is licensed to preach is someone that is accepted by a major baptist organization such as the Southern Baptist Convention.  Usually they feel the calling too, they just have the paperwork and the classes given in Seminary as well.
425554
ex-is a prefix\n\nIt originates from the Latin 'ex' meaning: former,from out of, free from, without.\n\n(so ex-wife could actaully mean 'free from - wife') hehe...
550873
It probably means that a church is being split into two different groups or sides with no middle ground.  For example, the church members may be extremely liberal or extremely conservative with no members that fall in between.  I'm just guessing, though.
103720
It means "from the office"  -- that is, it refers to something which is so because of the authority of a person's office or position.  In a courtroom, a judge's authority might be said to be "ex officio."
650613
It's not a religion.  It refers to the type of governance the church uses.  Congregational means the the local church chooses its leadership.  Ecclesiastical is like the Catholics who have a central leadership.
530514
Guess that means they like wallowing in excrement or filth, especially for sexual pleasure.  Oh, grosssssss!!!!!\n\nDid Mother Theresa really say that?
300123
1.\na. A religion or religious sect generally considered to be extremist or false, with its followers often living in an unconventional manner under the guidance of an authoritarian, charismatic leader.\nb. The followers of such a religion or sect.\n2. A system or community of religious worship and ritual.\n3. The formal means of expressing religious reverence; religious ceremony and ritual.\n4. A usually nonscientific method or regimen claimed by its originator to have exclusive or exceptional power in curing a particular disease.\n5.\na. Obsessive, especially faddish, devotion to or veneration for a person, principle, or thing.\nb. The object of such devotion.\n6. An exclusive group of persons sharing an esoteric, usually artistic or intellectual interest.\n\nSo, from meaning #6, I would say so.
1153370
The Illuminati does exsist. They haven't be "secret" for a long time now.  And of course the Knights Templer exsist as well.\n\nI beg to differ with another answerer, Opus Dei DOES exsist.  That's why the catholic church is in a uproar over Brown's book.  They don't want it said that the Vatican sanctioned a group of killers to hunt down "supposed" descendents of Christ.  The Holy Grail also exsists, but it is NOT a human person.