Infidel
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- 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[1]; a notion of being unfaithful or treacherous.
- In Islam, the Arabic word kafir (كافر) refers to non-Muslims, often in a derogatory sense [2], and is usually translated into English as "infidel" or "unbeliever". The Turkish equivalent of "kafir" is giaour.
- 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, "heretic" referred to those who do not believe in the divinity of Jesus. The official word used by the Roman Catholic church was "heretic" (with a meaning closer to that of a false twist on a doctrine), not "infidel".
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.
