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| Common Evangelical usage | Usage by many others | Comments | ||||||
| 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 religious 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. | ||||||
| A Christian is a person who has trusted Jesus and is born again. | A Christian is a person who seriously, thoughtfully considers themselves to follow Christ's teachings. * | By the first definition, about 35% of U.S. adults are Christians; by the second. it is about 75%. | ||||||
| The Bible is the Word of God. | Diverse beliefs:
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Many non-Evangelicals reject those Bible passages that condone slavery, genocide, executing non-virgin brides, torturing prisoners, etc., as not reflecting the will of God. | ||||||
| "Christianity" is a personal relationship with Jesus. | "Christianity" is one of many of the world's major religions. | |||||||
| The term "Pagan" generally refers to a polytheist who lived in Bible times. Sometimes, "Pagan" is used as a general purpose 'snarl' word. | A "Pagan" (a.k.a. Neopagan) is a follower of Asatru, Wicca, Druidism, etc. | Some Evangelicals define present-day followers of non-Abrahamic religions, like Buddhism, Hinduism etc. to be Pagans. | ||||||
| A "cult" is a Christian group that teaches beliefs that are not in accordance with the Scriptures. | A "cult" is a religious group that is destructive and dangerous to their members. | There are also at least seven other unrelated meanings to the term "cult." | ||||||
| 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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"Other" in this case refers to liberal Christians and followers of many other religions. | ||||||
| "Lucifer" is another name for Satan. | Wiccans and other Neopagans view "Lucifer" as a reference to the morning star -- the planet Venus. | "Lucifer" is Latin for "light bringer." | ||||||
| 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. | ||||||
| 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. | ||||||
| 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, and tarot card reading. | Many other definitions exist for the "Occult." | ||||||
| "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. | ||||||
| "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. | 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. | 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. |
* This definition is used by this web site, by public opinion pollsters, and by government census offices.
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Home page > Religious info > Evangelical dictionary > here |
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or Home > "Hot" religious topics > Abortion > Evangelical dictionary > here |
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Home > Comparison of religions > Evangelical dictionary > here |
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Home > "Hot" topics > Homosexuality > Basic info > Evangelical dictionary > here |
Copyright © 2000 to 2005 by Ontario Consultants on Religious
Tolerance
Originally written: 2000-OCT-2-
Latest update: 2005-NOV-04
Author: B.A. Robinson
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