This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Bless sins (talk | contribs) at 19:29, 2 July 2007 (restore order per talk, also, I don't know which OR you are talking about, please respond on talk). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 19:29, 2 July 2007 by Bless sins (talk | contribs) (restore order per talk, also, I don't know which OR you are talking about, please respond on talk)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff) For other uses, see Infidel (disambiguation).An infidel (literally, "one without faith") is one who doubts or rejects central tenets of a religion, especially those regarding its deities. More generally, an infidel is one who doubts or rejects a particular doctrine, system, or principle. The word infidel derives its meaning from the Latin root infidēlis; a notion of being unfaithful or treacherous.
- In Judaism, heathens (pagan gentiles) are called acum (עכו"ם, an acronym of Ovdei Cohavim u-Mazzaloth עובדי כוכבים ומזלות literally "Star-and-Constellation Worshippers"). Heretical Jews may be called minim ("sectarians"), the name used in the Talmud for early Christians. Unlike in Islamic use, the Hebrew kofer (כופר, cognate of the Arabic "kafir") is usually applied to apostate Jews. The other term, mainly for atheists is "epikoros" (אפיקורוס, literally, an "Epicurean").
- In Roman Catholic Christianity, the term "infidel" refers to those who do not believe in the divinity of Jesus, regardless of what they do believe, encompassing such diverse groups as pagans, atheists, Muslims and Jews. A heretic, in contrast, is an individual who believes in the divinity of Jesus, but also knowingly holds beliefs that contradict Catholic dogma, while a schismatic is an individual who does not hold beliefs contrary to Catholic dogma, but denies the authority of the Catholic Church.
- In Islam, the Arabic word kafir (كافر) refers to a person who denies Allah or the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Some consider the term derogatory, and thus Muslim scholars discourage its usage due to the Quran's command to use kind words. The term is usually translated into English as "infidel" or "unbeliever". The Turkish equivalent of "kafir" is giaour.
- In Sikhism, the word "Malechh" is used for non-believers. The term Malechh has been used in the Sikh scriptures to denote those whose "desires are filthy, and who are deemed the lowest of the low, complete outcasts."
The term "heretic" (one who falls astray from true doctrine) and "infidel" (one who does not believe doctrine at all) may not necessarily hold the same meaning.
See also
- Agnosticism
- Antitheism
- Apostasy
- Atheism
- Blasphemy
- Brights movement
- Heresy
- Internet Infidels
- Metaphysical naturalism
- Spanish Inquisition
- Faith and rationality
References
- 1910 Catholic Encyclopedia
- Sheikh Muhammad Al-Mukhtar Al-Shinqiti (2005). "General Fatwa Session, "...kafir is now a derogatory term..."" (HTML). Living Shariah > Live Fatwa. Islamonline.net. Retrieved 2007-02-23. The scholar quotes Al-Baqarah 2: 83.