Redemptionism

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A belief system emphasizing the notion of redemption through moral or spiritual means
2. a philosophy advocating for personal or collective salvation from sin or failure
3. a movement focused on the idea that individuals can attain renewal and improvement through various processes of atonement or transformation

Etymology: "Redemptionism" is about as plain as English coinages get: it joins "redemption", the deliverance of humanity from sin, to the suffix "-ism", which marks a doctrine, system or belief. The result names a belief in salvation, and that is all the word itself carries. Its meaning rests on the older noun it builds on, which entered English through Old French from the Latin "redemptio", a buying back or ransoming. The suffix does most of the work here. "-ism" has been attached to nouns since Greek "-ismos" passed into Latin and then French, and English speakers have used it freely to label movements, creeds and attitudes. Attaching it to "redemption" simply turns a religious event, being bought back from sin, into a named position that people can hold or argue for.