I have run across this particular word in every book I've read these past few weeks, so I decided to share it with you here, finally. The book where I found this word today is E. O. Wilson's The Creation. I assume that many of you will find it surprising to find this specialized word in so many non-theological books.
magisterium (maj-uh-STEER-ee-uhm) [Latin, the office of a teacher or other person in authority, from magister, master. Also see magisterial]
-noun Roman Catholic Church
- the authority and power of the church to teach religious truth.
- The authority to teach religious doctrine.
Usage: I am puzzled that so many religious leaders, who spiritually represent a large majority of people around the world, have hesitated to make protection of the Creation an important part of their magisterium.
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Stephen Jay Gould is responsible for its popularity, with his doctrine/theory/desperate-attempt-to-neuter-the-whole-debate of "Non-Overlapping Magesteria", where science gets the "what?" and "how?" questions and religion gets the "why?" - or, as he put it, "science tells us how the heavens go and religion how to go to heaven."
So, how is The Creation?