The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (1089 page)

 
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Indulgence
.

In Roman Catholic practice, a remission by the Church of the temporal penalty due to sin, even when forgiven, in virtue of the merits of Christ and the saints. The granting of indulgences is now generally confined to the pope. The unrestricted sale, in the later Middle Ages, of indulgences by professional pardoners, was an abuse against which the Reformation protested.

 
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Indus Valley civilization
.

Early civilization, known especially through the excavations of
Harapp
and Mohenjodaro (both now in Pakistan), the religious characteristics of which continued into
Vedic
religion after the
ryan
invasion. The civilization lasted
c.
2300–1750 BCE. The reconstruction of the religious beliefs is based mainly on the figures and images, and on scenes depicted on seals; the script has not been deciphered in a way that has met with universal assent. The worship of the Mother Goddess was prominent, in association with the tree of fertility.

 
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Infallibility
.

Inability to err, predicated by Roman Catholics of the
Church
or of some teaching office within it, e.g. the
papacy
or an ecumenical
council
, when expounding the Christian revelation. The term is a negative one, signifying preservation from error rather than inspiration, and it is predicated properly of people or institutions rather than of the statements they make.
In Islam, infallibility (Arab.,
‘i
mah
) is predicated by all Muslims of the Prophet
Mu
ammad
when mediating God's revelation (i.e. the
Qur’
n
), though otherwise he is an ordinary human, subject to error, etc.; by Sunni Muslims of the consensus of the community (
ijma‘
), and by Shi‘a Muslims of the
Im
ms
.

 
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