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faith group

English translation: deliberate vagueness

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
English term or phrase:faith group
Selected answer:deliberate vagueness
Entered by: B D Finch

00:46 May 16, 2010
English language (monolingual) [PRO]
Social Sciences - Religion / Youth movements
English term or phrase: faith group
Either I’m getting old (which I am…) or I’ve lost touch with my native language (that might be true too…) but I was struck today on reading this http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8684977.stm on the BBC News website.

When I was a lad – and a ‘Wolf Cub’ and later a ‘Boy Scout’, and even later a ‘Venture Scout’ - expressions such as ‘faith group’ were not part of our/my vocabulary.

Can someone please help me understand what this expression is supposed to mean? And how does it differ from the “duty to God and the Queen” I that I was supposed to honour in my (nearly 50 year-old) Scout promise?

And if you can do that without infringing the site rules, so much the better :)

TIA – and DIB! DIB! DIB!
Jennifer Levey
Chile
Local time: 17:16
deliberate vagueness
Explanation:
I believe (ho ho) that he term "faith group" is really an avoidance of the term "religious group". This is because it has the advantage or disadvantage of being (as a term) as inclusive or narrow as you want it to be. So, it could cover a recognised body such as the C of E; a Liberal Jewish congregation, some of whose members are not accepted as Jews by the Chief Rabbinate; a small cult of a few dozen members; even humanists. I think that there is also a connotation that there is a shared value of faith, without addressing the divisiveness of different religious beliefs.


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Note added at 9 hrs (2010-05-16 10:31:37 GMT)
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There is also a connotation that all faith groups, whatever the antagonisms between the various religions represented, have a shared superiority over and interest against athiesm and agnosticism.

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Note added at 14 hrs (2010-05-16 14:59:44 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Oops: atheism: I should know how to spell that one by now.
Selected response from:

B D Finch
France
Local time: 23:16
Grading comment
Many thanks.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
4 +6deliberate vagueness
B D Finch
4 +1religion
J Celeita (X)
3 +1group of participants of different religions but all believers
David Hollywood
4a general term, inclusive term for a religion, denomination, sect, or cult
Joyce A


Discussion entries: 9





  

Answers


12 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
group of participants of different religions but all believers


Explanation:
the way I see it :)

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Note added at 14 mins (2010-05-16 01:00:47 GMT)
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without having listened .. going to now :)

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Note added at 22 mins (2010-05-16 01:08:27 GMT)
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could also be a small grouping of people who believe in the teachings of a particular religion ...


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Note added at 23 mins (2010-05-16 01:09:53 GMT)
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not necessarily "small"

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Note added at 29 mins (2010-05-16 01:15:33 GMT)
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the more I see this it could be a small group of believers who get together to study or pray

David Hollywood
Local time: 18:16
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 7

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  kamilw: yeah, people of particular denominations, connected to particular religions, faiths etc.
17 mins
neutral  Rolf Keiser: "different beliefs" - why make a religion of ever belief?
7 hrs
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51 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
religion


Explanation:
it's just another way of saying religion. Maybe they were just trying to use a different word instead of saying religion and religious so much throughout the text.


    Reference: http://www.iup.edu/page.aspx?id=11805
J Celeita (X)
Local time: 14:16
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in SpanishSpanish, Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Jack Dunwell: I agree J. "Faith Groups" differentiates Organised Belief (structures)from the spiritual content.
15 hrs
  -> thank you fourth!
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4 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
a general term, inclusive term for a religion, denomination, sect, or cult


Explanation:
Here is the website that provided the definition for "faith group"

http://www.religioustolerance.org/gl_f.htm

Faith group: a general, inclusive term that might be used to refer to a religion, denomination, sect, or cult

http://www.religioustolerance.org/var_rel.htm
It describes dozens of faith groups: Christian, Islamic, Japanese, Jewish, Wiccan, Satanic, Sikh, and individually distinctive groups.


Example sentence(s):
  • A group of essays prepared by Sociology classes at the University of Virginia lists many unusual faith groups.
Joyce A
Thailand
Local time: 04:16
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
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9 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +6
deliberate vagueness


Explanation:
I believe (ho ho) that he term "faith group" is really an avoidance of the term "religious group". This is because it has the advantage or disadvantage of being (as a term) as inclusive or narrow as you want it to be. So, it could cover a recognised body such as the C of E; a Liberal Jewish congregation, some of whose members are not accepted as Jews by the Chief Rabbinate; a small cult of a few dozen members; even humanists. I think that there is also a connotation that there is a shared value of faith, without addressing the divisiveness of different religious beliefs.


--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 9 hrs (2010-05-16 10:31:37 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

There is also a connotation that all faith groups, whatever the antagonisms between the various religions represented, have a shared superiority over and interest against athiesm and agnosticism.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 14 hrs (2010-05-16 14:59:44 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Oops: atheism: I should know how to spell that one by now.

B D Finch
France
Local time: 23:16
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 28
Grading comment
Many thanks.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Mark Nathan
4 hrs
  -> Thanks Mark
agree  William Murphy
5 hrs
  -> Thanks dasein
agree  JaneTranslates: As Goldcoaster suggests elsewhere in a comment, "religion/religious" is purposely being avoided. It's a group that shares a "faith" or "belief" or "ideology" and recognizes some sort of higher power, be it God or Lady Luck or Mother Earth or The Force.
6 hrs
  -> Thanks Jane. The Force be with you.
agree  British Diana
1 day 5 hrs
  -> Thanks Diana
agree  Phong Le
3 days 31 mins
  -> Thanks Phong Le
agree  Rachel Fell
4 days
  -> Thanks Rachel
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