I see the term "gentile" and was wondering if this applies strictly to Christians or does it apply to others as well such as Buddhists, or pantheists, etc. What I'm wondering is whether or not it is accurate anymore to label myself as a "gentile". Thank you! :)
Does this include atheists too? And what exactly does "gentile" mean? Thanks again!
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Favorite Answer
In modern usage, the word can refer to any non-Jew. However, it did originally refer to Christians.
"As in the King James Bible, from the 17th century onward Gentile was most commonly used to refer to non-Jews. This was in the context of European Christian societies with a Jewish minority. For this reason 'Gentile' commonly meant persons brought up in the Christian faith, as opposed to the adherents of Judaism, and was not typically used to refer to non-Jews in non-Western cultures."
Funky Bird, the Jewish Pastafarian
If you're not a Jewish individual, then you're a Gentile. It's pretty much an "A or not-A" situation :-)
So... if you're a Buddhist or a pantheist or a Wiccan or a follower of some other faith, then you're a Gentile. It's not only for Christians; it's just saying "Joe/Jane isn't a member of the tribe."
The only other group I know of that uses it is the Mormon church; they consider anyone who is not Mormon to be a "gentile."
Dictionary.com explains its origins:
"1350–1400; Middle English < Latin gentīlis, equivalent to gent-, stem of gēns gens + -īlis -ile"
Edit: An atheist is *probably* a Gentile, but not always; there ARE Jews (people born of a Jewish mother) who are atheists. Unless they actually adopt some other religion, we don't consider them to be Gentiles; they ARE still members of the tribe.
Anonymous
"Gentile" is a term that applies to anyone who is not Jewish, in the same sense how Muslims refer to anyone who is not Muslim a Infidel. It is Latin for someone outside of a specific tribe. So Gentiles are Christians, Muslims, Hindus etc.
This also includes Messianic's as gentiles as well.
Cheers!
Anonymous
A Gentile is a non-Jew plain and simple.
yes this includes atheists as well if you are not a Jew then you are a gentile.
I seriously do not understand why anyone is giving a thumbs down for this.
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