| 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.
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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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