| Common Evangelical usage | Usage by many others | Comments |
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Religious tolerance
requires a person to accept that all religions are equally accurate, true and good.
| Religious Tolerance requires a person to value and fight for the
freedom of all persons to follow their own faith. | Same phrase; totally different definitions. One relates to the nature of
truth; the other is a human rights issue. |
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A Christian is defined as a person who has trusted Jesus
as their personal Lord and Savior and has been
born again.
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A Christian is defined as a person who seriously, thoughtfully
considers themselves to follow Christ's teachings. *
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By the first definition, about 35% of U.S. adults are
Christians; by the second. it is about 75%.
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The Bible is the Word of God.
| Diverse beliefs:
 |
The Bible contains the word of God.
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The Bible contains the varying beliefs of its authors. |
| Many non-Evangelicals reject those Bible passages
that condone slavery, genocide, executing non-virgin brides,
torturing prisoners, etc., as being opposed to the will of God. |
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"Christianity"
is a personal relationship with Jesus.
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"Christianity" is one of many of the world's
major religions.
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The term "Pagan"
generally refers to a polytheist who lived in Bible times. Sometimes, "Pagan" is
used as a general purpose 'snarl' word.
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A "Pagan" (a.k.a. Neopagan) is a
follower of Asatru,
Wicca,
Druidism, etc.
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Some Evangelicals define present-day followers of non-Abrahamic religions,
like Buddhism, Hinduism etc. to be
Pagans.
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A "cult" is
a Christian group that teaches beliefs that are not in accordance with
conservative interpretations of the Scriptures.
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A "cult" is a religious group that is
destructive and dangerous to their members. It is often led by a single,
charismatic leader.
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There are also at least seven other unrelated meanings
to the term "cult."
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Satan is a fallen, wholly
evil former angel who devotes his life to seeking whom he may destroy.
| Diverse beliefs: Satan is:
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A fallen, wholly evil quasi-deity. |
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A non-living symbol of evil |
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A force that stands for free will, pleasure, indulgence, &
reason. |
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"Other" in this case refers to
liberal Christians and followers of many other religions.
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"Lucifer" is another name for Satan.
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Wiccans and other
Neopagans
view "Lucifer" as a reference to the morning star -- the
planet Venus.
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"Lucifer" is Latin for "light
bringer."
|
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Satanism is a widespread
religion of Satan worshipers. It takes many forms: adult Satanism,
Wicca, Witchcraft, etc.
| Satanism is a very small religion. Wiccans are not
Satanists; they don't worship or even recognize the existence of Satan. |
The term "Witchcraft"
has at least 17 different meanings.
|
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Hell is a place of eternal
mental and physical
torment and isolation from God, where unsaved people go after death. The vast majority of
people will go there after death.
| Hell either does not exist, is intended to be
interpreted symbolically, or is simply isolation from God. |
"Other" in this case refers to
liberal Christians and followers of many other religions.
|
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The "Occult"
has Satanism at its core. Rituals are based on demonic powers and
fakery. Heavy metal and other rock music, fantasy
role-playing games etc. are often considered occult pastimes.
|
The "Occult" is simply a list of
unrelated, hidden activities that includes practices as varied as Satanism, the Masonic
Order, tea leaf readings, and tarot card reading.
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Many other definitions exist for the "Occult."
|
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"Crusade" is a common term used to
refer to evangelical drives to convert the public.
| To Jews, "Crusade" recalls the killing of
hundreds of thousands of defenseless Jews in Europe. To Muslims it
recalls unprovoked wars in the Middle East. |
Some Christians are recognizing that the term is
offensive to many. e.g. Wheaton College recently renamed its Crusaders
sports teams to The Wheaton Thunder.
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"Interfaithism" appears to be a term used only
by conservative Protestants. It means the belief that all religions
are equally valid and true; all lead to God.
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Many others use the term "pluralism" to refer
to the belief that all of the world's religions are true and valid
within their own societies.
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Unfortunately, the term "pluralism" is also used to
refer to the fact that a diversity of religions exist in a country.
It is a fact, not a belief.
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* This definition is used by this web site, by public opinion
pollsters, and by government census offices. Since there are many diverse and
often opposing beliefs about what Jesus' teachings actually were, the term
"Christian" includes persons and groups who hold very diverse beliefs and engage
in very diverse practices. It includes faith groups like the
Roman Catholic Church, Orthodox churches,
Jehovah's Witnesses, The Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons), the
Unification Church, the United Church, Progressive
Christianity, etc. -- many of which are considered non-Christian,
sub-Christian or even anti-Christian by some.
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