Proselyte

The term comes from the word proselyte proselytism, Latin ecclesiastical of Greek "newcomer (in a country)" and the New Testament, this term or concept of proselytizing is commonly used to designate a person came from paganism , which approaches the Jewish monotheism and Christian proselytizing therefore designates the attitude of those who seek to create converts, new adherents to their faith, by extension, this means the zeal to bring people to a doctrine.

We must pay attention to a contradiction increasingly common (particularly among some journalists): the proselyte is the newcomer in a group, not a former member who is proselytizing to convert new followers.

Originally, the term proselyte is used in the New Testament, see Matthew 23: 15: "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, you make a son of Gehenna twice as much as you. See also John 12, 20, Acts 2, 10 on Pentecost: "And how do we hear in our own language to everyone in our mother tongue? Parthians, Medes, Elamites, (...) and those who came from Rome, both Jews and proselytes ... "Acts 6, 5, 13, 43.

The term now has a negative connotation in its use in the debate on sects , or where it refers to political movements or religious activities.

The origins of proselytism is linked secondarily to religious conversion is in this latter sense that has spread through the Greek Septuagint ^{Controversies and Legislation}

In May 2008, the U.S. military in Afghanistan has been forced to confiscate and burn Bibles in the Bagram base. The following year, Al Jazeera reveals that the military chaplain in chief, Lieutenant-Colonel Gary Hensley, had then advocated the conversion of the population and distributing Bibles in Dari and Pashto sent by an American church ^{, ,} .

On August 30, 2010, the Libyan head of state Muammar Gaddafi distributes Korans during a visit to Italy and declares that "Islam has become the religion of all Europe" .

Proselytism may be illegal when a body of civil party uses proselytizing (religious or political) to satisfy his own personal beliefs ^{, ,} .

Example of religious proselytism

In a secular school where a teacher introduced into the education given to students her own religious beliefs .

Example of proselytizing policy

A news organization or other body of public information without censorship objective reason a party or political idea, or tarnishing his public image and to inform the excess on the activity of a political party .

Example of proselytism education

When a teacher denies undeniable historical facts, such as the Holocaust and praises the denial , or scientific theories, such as the evolutionary theory of Darwin in favor of other, eg creationism , without excluding the right for teachers to talk freely of denial or creationism. We're talking about more censorship and propaganda as proselytizing in the strict sense of the word.

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