# Need a word for "person of faith" **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 23, 2013, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-word-for-person-of-faith/669553 "2013-09-23T23:35:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2013, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-word-for-person-of-faith/669553/1 "2013-09-23T23:35:57Z")
So I used the word “churchgoer” in a piece of writing and one persnickety reader challenged it as being narrow and isolating. My intent is to include “being an actively religious person” in a list of nouns like parent, child, teacher, student, employee, employer, [del]churchgoer[/del] [person who works at being some kind of religious]… “Person of faith” is the suggested replacement but that’s lumpy and precious to my ear. Any better general term, preferably single-word, that fits? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2013, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-word-for-person-of-faith/669553/2 "2013-09-23T23:41:48Z")
“Follower” with a capital “F.” I had to edit my first suggestion. It was rude and insulting (just like me!) 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2013, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-word-for-person-of-faith/669553/3 "2013-09-24T00:00:20Z")
Do you mean “an actively religious person, of the Christian persuasion” Jews are usually said to be “observant,” but it’s rarely nounized as a standalone word. Does “observant Christian” sound weird? ETA: yeah, “Believer”. ---
**Author:** ![Tara57](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/4bbf92/32.png) [@Tara57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tara57)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2013, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-word-for-person-of-faith/669553/4 "2013-09-24T00:00:31Z")
believer worshipper ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2013, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-word-for-person-of-faith/669553/5 "2013-09-24T00:44:56Z")
Also Faithful, capital “F”. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2013, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-word-for-person-of-faith/669553/6 "2013-09-24T01:17:17Z")
Chuchgoer isn’t right because not everyone goes to chuch. That would even leave out those that want to go but can’t. Believer works, but faithful is probably the best choice. Spiritual might also work as well, but IMO that’s a step below faithful or believer and in the direction of agnosticism. I’d go with Faithful. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2013, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-word-for-person-of-faith/669553/7 "2013-09-24T01:19:31Z")
Parishioner, for certain faiths. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2013, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-word-for-person-of-faith/669553/8 "2013-09-24T01:36:02Z")
> [@](#): > > Chuchgoer isn’t right because not everyone goes to chuch. Well, of course not, but then, not everyone is a parent, or a teacher, or a student, either. I’m not clear on exactly what the OP is looking for. If the faith is specified, you could say something like “practicing Christian”. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2013, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-word-for-person-of-faith/669553/9 "2013-09-24T01:46:28Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Well, of course not, but then, not everyone is a parent, or a teacher, or a student, either. I’m not clear on exactly what the OP is looking for. > > If the faith is specified, you could say something like “practicing Christian”. I think she meant not everyone of faith goes to _church_. Some pray alone, synagogue, mosque etc. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2013, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-word-for-person-of-faith/669553/10 "2013-09-24T01:50:35Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Well, of course not, but then, not everyone is a parent, or a teacher, or a student, either. I’m not clear on exactly what the OP is looking for. I believe he’s looking for a word, similar to parent, that applies to all people in that are religious. Churchgoer doesn’t work since it doesn’t apply to Jews, Muslims, and many others who don’t attend churches. He wants one blanket term to cover all people of faith. I like Faithful or Believer but I think both have some baggage. They seem somewhat Christian to me. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Mondegreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/91b2a8/32.png) [@Lord\_Mondegreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Mondegreen)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2013, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-word-for-person-of-faith/669553/11 "2013-09-24T01:53:52Z")
Does “theist” have the right connotations? ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2013, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-word-for-person-of-faith/669553/12 "2013-09-24T12:16:39Z")
Moved Cafe Society --\> IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![aNewLeaf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@aNewLeaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aNewLeaf)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2013, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-word-for-person-of-faith/669553/13 "2013-09-24T12:24:06Z")
Does the fact that such a word doesn’t seem to exist say something about religion and how people practice it? ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2013, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-word-for-person-of-faith/669553/14 "2013-09-24T12:53:22Z")
There are several words, depending on context and desired connotations. I don’t see anything specifically Christian about “believer.” > [@Lord\_Mondegreen](#): > > Does “theist” have the right connotations? Technically not every religionist believer is a theist. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2013, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-word-for-person-of-faith/669553/15 "2013-09-24T13:19:32Z")
Some got my intent right, others not. The problem is that “churchgoer,” while exact in every other respect, does imply Christianity. I am looking for a word as neutral as “teacher” or “student” that describes someone who is involved in practicing a faith - who believes it is an important center to their lives, as important and defining as “parent” or “teacher” but without any baggage of a specific faith. “Believer” isn’t quite the right equivalent because there are people who practice a faith and hold that practice important, but may or may not “believe” - just as there might be teachers who hate the job. Sometimes I ask these questions and someone points out a word I should have easily found in a thesaurus. Other times, like this, it points up a specific hole in the language. ---
**Author:** ![kittenblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ba8739/32.png) [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2013, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-word-for-person-of-faith/669553/16 "2013-09-24T13:34:29Z")
In my head, “churchgoer” encompasses anyone who actively attends religious services, no matter what they call their building. I think of church as a generic term for any building used for religious services. But then I am a naïve, white, middle-aged United Methodist choir member who just wishes we would all get along. I suppose someone else from a different religion or culture will come in and say they are hugely offended if the word “church” is used to reference their House of Worship, but I’ve never heard that expressed before. For the record, I don’t think of myself as a “person of faith” or particularly “religious”, and I am definitely NOT spiritual. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2013, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-word-for-person-of-faith/669553/17 "2013-09-24T13:55:27Z")
> [@aNewLeaf](#): > > Does the fact that such a word doesn’t seem to exist say something about religion and how people practice it? I think it says that, through history, following a religion is the default position. **Kittenblue** , church specifically refers to the Christian faith, it’s not generic at all. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2013, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-word-for-person-of-faith/669553/18 "2013-09-24T14:14:48Z")
> [@kittenblue](#): > > I suppose someone else from a different religion or culture will come in and say they are hugely offended if the word “church” is used to reference their House of Worship, but I’ve never heard that expressed before. I was raised Jewish, and we don’t go to churches. If you said I did I wouldn’t be offended, I’d simply say you were incorrect. This isn’t a question of political correctness, it’s a matter of accuracy. ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2013, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-word-for-person-of-faith/669553/19 "2013-09-24T14:15:49Z")
Not many possibles left in common usage: adherent, devotee… ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2013, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-word-for-person-of-faith/669553/20 "2013-09-24T14:17:26Z")
Spiritual. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-word-for-person-of-faith/669553.md?page=2)