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margin: 0 0 0.5em 0.5em; text-align:left; border: 1px solid #484329; width:175px;"> <tbody><tr> <td style="font-size: 95%; text-align:center; color:White; background-color:#484329"><b>Preach to the choir</b><br /><a href="/wiki/Religion" title="Religion"><font size="4" color="White"><b>Religion</b></font></a> </td></tr> <tr> <td style="background-color:#c9c69d;" align="center"><a href="/wiki/Category:Religion" title="Category:Religion"><img alt="Icon religion.svg" src="/w/images/thumb/b/b7/Icon_religion.svg/100px-Icon_religion.svg.png" decoding="async" width="100" height="100" srcset="/w/images/thumb/b/b7/Icon_religion.svg/150px-Icon_religion.svg.png 1.5x, /w/images/thumb/b/b7/Icon_religion.svg/200px-Icon_religion.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="200" data-file-height="200" /></a> </td></tr> <tr> <td style="font-size: 95%; color:White; background-color:#484329; text-align:center;"><b>Crux of the matter</b> </td></tr> <tr> <td style="font-size: 95%; background-color:#c9c69d;"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Christianity" title="Christianity">Christianity</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Judaism" title="Judaism">Judaism</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Islam" title="Islam">Islam</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Hinduism" title="Hinduism">Hinduism</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Buddhism" title="Buddhism">Buddhism</a></li></ul> </td></tr> <tr> <td style="font-size: 95%; color:White; background-color:#484329; text-align:center;"><b>Speak of the devil</b> </td></tr> <tr> <td style="font-size: 95%; background-color:#c9c69d;"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Satanism" title="Satanism">Satanism</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Atheism" title="Atheism">Atheism</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Antitheism" title="Antitheism">Antitheism</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Agnosticism" title="Agnosticism">Agnosticism</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Deism" title="Deism">Deism</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Secularism" class="mw-redirect" title="Secularism">Secularism</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Humanism" title="Humanism">Humanism</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Paganism" title="Paganism">Paganism</a></li></ul> </td></tr> <tr> <td style="font-size: 95%; color:White; background-color:#484329; text-align:center;"><b>An act of faith</b> </td></tr> <tr> <td style="font-size: 95%; background-color:#c9c69d;"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Excommunication" title="Excommunication">Excommunication</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Blasphemy" title="Blasphemy">Blasphemy</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Holy" title="Holy">Holy</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Higher_Power" title="Higher Power">Higher Power</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/God" title="God">God</a></li></ul> <div class="vte plainlinks" style="font-size:smaller; text-align:center;"><a href="/wiki/Template:Religion" title="Template:Religion">v</a> - <a href="/wiki/Template_talk:Religion" title="Template talk:Religion">t</a> - <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://rationalwiki.org/w/index.php?title=Template:Religion&action=edit">e</a></div> </td></tr></tbody></table> <p><b>Evangelism</b> involves the act of <b>proselytizing</b> a position — usually <a href="/wiki/Christianity" title="Christianity">Christianity</a> or some other <a href="/wiki/Religion" title="Religion">religion</a>, but not always — on the basis of some "<a href="/wiki/Truth" title="Truth">truth</a> value". The term is also used for the promotion of various philosophies in politics and in technical fields, particularly in computing, and has become <a href="/wiki/Marketing" class="mw-redirect" title="Marketing">marketing</a> <a href="/wiki/Jargon" class="mw-redirect" title="Jargon">jargon</a>. The term, believe it or not, is formed from the noun evangel and the suffix -ism.<sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-1">[1]</a></sup> "Evangel" itself ultimately comes from the Greek word ευαγγελος ("euangelos"), meaning "bringing good news".<sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-2">[2]</a></sup> </p><p>Evangelism, as a form of <a href="/wiki/Public_relations" title="Public relations">public relations</a>, tends to focus on the positives of the message it aims to spread, sometimes even <a href="/wiki/Milk_before_meat" class="mw-redirect" title="Milk before meat">misrepresenting the message</a> to make it more palatable to newcomers. For example, <a href="/wiki/Scientology" class="mw-redirect" title="Scientology">Scientology</a> refers to this technique as "gradient", which they claim helps new members understand difficult concepts<sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-3">[3]</a></sup> (read: <a href="/wiki/Bullshit" title="Bullshit">bullshit</a> about <a href="/wiki/Aliens" class="mw-redirect" title="Aliens">aliens</a> and <a href="/wiki/Dianetics" title="Dianetics">Dianetics</a>). Meanwhile, <a href="/wiki/Mormonism" title="Mormonism">Mormons</a> use the somewhat less technical phrase "<a href="/wiki/Milk_before_meat" class="mw-redirect" title="Milk before meat">milk before meat</a>".<sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-4">[4]</a></sup> Both concepts implicitly recognize the difficulties that outsiders often have with accepting weird doctrines. </p><p>Most denominations of <a href="/wiki/Christianity" title="Christianity">Christianity</a> and <a href="/wiki/Islam" title="Islam">Islam</a> insist on trying to bringing in new members, sometimes even with the threat of violence. Various parts of the <a href="/wiki/Bible" title="Bible">Bible</a>, like <a href="/wiki/RationalWiki:Annotated_Bible/Matthew#Matthew_28:19" title="RationalWiki:Annotated Bible/Matthew">Matthew 28:19-20</a> ("Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you[...]") make it a divine mandate to bring new members into the fold. </p><p>Not all religions actively engage in proselytization. For example, <a href="/wiki/Judaism" title="Judaism">Judaism</a> does not prohibit proselytization, but historically, Jews have rarely sought out converts for a variety of reasons. According to Reuven Firestone, before their turn towards <a href="/wiki/Monotheism" title="Monotheism">monotheism</a>, the Israelites believed that each tribe had its own specific god, and each god had power only over their specific tribe, so to them, it didn't make sense to bring in people from other tribes. Therefore, when their religion took a more monotheistic turn, the idea of conversion was still foreign to them. In addition, centuries of <a href="/wiki/Antisemitism" title="Antisemitism">antisemitic</a> persecution has also dampened enthusiasm for proselytization.<sup id="cite_ref-firestone_5-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-firestone-5">[5]</a></sup> It has also been argued that laws prohibiting Jewish proselytization under the <a href="/wiki/Roman_Empire" title="Roman Empire">Roman Empire</a> and general Gentile hostility to Jews led followers to focus inward rather than seek out new members,<sup id="cite_ref-firestone_5-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-firestone-5">[5]</a></sup> though this narrative has been challenged by scholars such as Louis H. Feldman.<sup id="cite_ref-6" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-6">[6]</a></sup> </p><p><a href="/wiki/Native_American" title="Native American">Native American</a> religions are also generally averse to evangelism. Native religious traditions are considered specific to each tribe, and many of these practices are tied to particular geographic features or regions.<sup id="cite_ref-7" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-7">[7]</a></sup> As a result, a lot of Native Americans are uneasy about the idea of converting people who aren't of Native descent<sup id="cite_ref-8" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-8">[8]</a></sup> (and having non-Natives involved in Native American ceremonies in general),<sup id="cite_ref-9" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-9">[9]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-10" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-10">[10]</a></sup> because in their eyes, that would be bringing in outsiders who have no ties to their particular culture and therefore do not belong. </p><p>Meanwhile, <a href="/wiki/Shinto" title="Shinto">Shinto</a> — which is based more around <a href="/wiki/Japan" title="Japan">Japanese</a> geography and culture than around <a href="/wiki/Dogma" title="Dogma">dogma</a><sup id="cite_ref-11" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-11">[11]</a></sup> — generally lacks the concept of "conversion" altogether.<sup id="cite_ref-12" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-12">[12]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-13" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-13">[13]</a></sup> With that said, in the 1860s and 1870s, the government of Japan did attempt to promote Shintoism under the <i>kyōdōshoku</i> system to counterbalance Christian evangelism, with limited success.<sup id="cite_ref-14" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-14">[14]</a></sup> </p><p>The <a href="/wiki/Druze" title="Druze">Druze</a> also do not allow people to convert to their religion, or from it for that matter.<sup id="cite_ref-15" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-15">[15]</a></sup> </p> <h2><span class="mw-headline" id="See_also">See also</span><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Evangelism&action=edit&section=1" title="Edit section: See also">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></h2> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Christian_evangelism" title="Christian evangelism">Christian evangelism</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Evangelicalism" title="Evangelicalism">Evangelicalism</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Televangelist" class="mw-redirect" title="Televangelist">Televangelist</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Missionary" title="Missionary">Missionary</a></li></ul> <h2><span class="mw-headline" id="References">References</span><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Evangelism&action=edit&section=2" title="Edit section: References">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></h2> <div class="references-small" style="font-size:90%;"> <div class="mw-references-wrap mw-references-columns"><ol class="references"> <li id="cite_note-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-1">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.dictionary.com/browse/evangelism">Evangelism</a>, <i>Dictionary.com</i></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-2">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/evangel">Evangel</a>, <i>Merriam-Webster</i></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-3">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.scientologyhandbook.org/study/sh1_3.htm">Barriers to Study</a>, <i>The Scientology Handbook</i></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-4">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.exmormon.org/tract2.htm">To Those Who Are Investigating "Mormonism"</a> by Richard Packham (Last revised June 15, 2011) <i>Recovery from Mormonism</i></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-firestone-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">↑ <sup><a href="#cite_ref-firestone_5-0">5.0</a></sup> <sup><a href="#cite_ref-firestone_5-1">5.1</a></sup></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://renovatio.zaytuna.edu/article/why-jews-dont-proselytize">Why Jews Don't Proselytize</a> by Reuven Firestone (June 12, 2019) <i>Renatio</i></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-6">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/24659643">Proselytism by Jews in the Third, Fourth, and Fifth Centuries</a> by L. H. Feldman (June 1993) <i>Journal for the Study of Judaism in the Persian, Hellenistic, and Roman Period</i>, Vol. 24, No. 1, pp. 1-58</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-7"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-7">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20050306085913/http://college.hmco.com/history/readerscomp/naind/html/na_032600_religion.htm">Religion</a> by George E. Tinker, <i>Encyclopedia of North American Indians</i>, Houghton Mifflin Company</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-8"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-8">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.native-languages.org/religion.htm">Seeking Native American Spirituality: Read This First!</a> by Orrin Lewis, <i>Native Languages of the Americas</i></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-9"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-9">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.newagefraud.org/olh3.html">DLN Issues : The Selling of Indian Culture Protection of Ceremonies O-mini-c'i-ya-pi</a> by Chief Arvol Looking Horse, <i>New Age Frauds and Plastic Shamans</i></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-10"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-10">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.culturalsurvival.org/publications/cultural-survival-quarterly/spiritual-hucksterismthe-rise-plastic-medicine-men">Spiritual Hucksterism:The Rise of the Plastic Medicine Men</a> by Ward Churchill (May 7, 2010) <i>Cultural Survival</i></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-11"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-11">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/shinto/ataglance/glance.shtml">Shinto at a glance</a> (Last updated October 7, 2011) <i>BBC</i></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-12"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-12">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.meijijingu.or.jp/en/about/aboutshinto/">About Shinto</a>, Meiji Jingu</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-13"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-13">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.patheos.com/blogs/pagantama/2016/11/14/what-is-shinto-a-shinto-priest-explains/">What is Shinto? A Shinto Priest Explains</a> by Megan Manson (November 14, 2016) <i>Patheos</i></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-14"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-14">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://d-museum.kokugakuin.ac.jp/eos/detail/?id=9922">Shinto Missionaries: Civilizing the People</a>, <i>Encyclopedia of Shinto</i>, Kokugakuin University.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-15"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-15">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Druze">Druze</a>, <i>Encyclopedia Britannica</i></span> </li> </ol></div></div> <div role="note" class="plainlinks stubtemplate" style="margin:auto; text-align:center; background-color: #f9f9f9; padding: .5em; border: 1px solid #aaa; width: 300px; font-style:italic;">This <a href="/wiki/Category:Religion" title="Category:Religion">religion</a>-related article is a 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