Adiaphorists

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A group of individuals who hold beliefs that certain practices are morally neutral and do not affect salvation
2. Those who advocate that specific customs or actions are indifferent in moral terms and do not influence religious matters
3. Individuals who argue that various aspects of faith or practice may be considered inconsequential to spiritual outcomes

Etymology: "Adiaphorists" is simply the plural of "adiaphorist," so its story belongs to the root word. The noun "adiaphorist" names a person who holds that certain matters of faith or practice are indifferent, neither required nor forbidden, and so have no bearing on spiritual outcome. The label is a theological one, used mainly in discussions of Protestant controversies, and it applies to people who take that position rather than to any single church or movement. The concept is older than the name. The word is built from the Greek "adiaphoros," meaning "not differing" or "indifferent," formed from the negative prefix "a-" and "diaphoros," meaning "different" or "making a difference." In Greek philosophy the same root was used for things that were neither good nor bad in themselves. Early Christian writers borrowed that sense for practices the scriptures did not command or forbid, and the idea later became central to debates over ceremonies and church customs.

Synonyms: adiaphorist, neutralist, indifferentist, nonsectarian, nonpartisan