Infidel
Infidel is a term used in certain religions, especially Christianity and Islam, for one who has no religious beliefs, or who doubts or rejects the central tenets of the particular religion.
Infidel is an ecclesiastical term in Christianity around which the Church developed a body of theology that deals with the concept of infidelity, which makes a clear differentiation between those who were baptized and followed the teachings of the Church versus those who are outside the faith. The term
infidel was used by Christians to describe those perceived as the enemies of Christianity. When applied to non-monotheists, the usage of the word is similar to the appellations
heathen or
pagan. As such, the term
infidel has often been applied to atheists, whose disbelief is viewed negatively in both Christianity and Islam. After the ancient world the concept of otherness, an exclusionary notion of the outside by societies with more or less coherent cultural boundaries, became associated with the development of the monotheistic and prophetic religions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam.