Born again

{{christianity}}
{{hatnote|Were you looking for '''[[Attachment therapy#Rebirthing|rebirthing]]'''? Not to be confused with dying and being [http://naturalism.org/philosophy/death/death-nothingness-and-subjectivity really] born again}}

{{cquote|Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.|||[[Jesus]] on being born again (John 3:3)}}

'''Born again''' is primarily an [[Evangelicalism|evangelical]] [[Christian]] term.<ref>For [[Church of England|Anglicans]], [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Eastern Orthodox believers]],  [[Lutheranism|Lutherans]] and [[Roman Catholic Church|Roman Catholics]] born again simply means [[Baptism]].</ref>
Generally, it is synonymous with a conversion to Christianity, a [[salvation]] experience, or accepting [[Jesus]] as one's [[Salvation#Personal savior|personal savior]]. However, if it is used by a [[televangelist]] or similar figure, it is typically a [[code word]] or synonym for "[[fun:sucker|sucker]]."

==Not born right==
Most of us were born right the first time. The concept of being "born again" implies that we were not born right the first time because of [[original sin]], so we need a second "birth" to wash away our sins. It implies we have to, in some way or another, become infants again, which would certainly explain [[Creationism|the level]] to which [[Not even wrong|the intellectual discourse]] [[Wronger than wrong|of the born-again]] [[Fractal wrongness|will often regress]].

==Clean slate==
It also carries an implication of starting over with a clean slate, so for example if somebody is a [[Fun:Asshole|Really Bad Person]], they can become a "born again" Christian and start anew. This further implies that before conversion to Christianity, that person was living according to their own inherently [[sin]]ful ways, but after conversion, they have become [[Bullshit|a new person]] guided by the [[Holy Spirit]], livin' for the LORD hating sin and earnestly obedient 
to Jesus
 to what the [[Religious Right]] say Jesus wants.<ref>Not all born again Christians accept the more extreme [[bigotry]] of the Religious right according to one source. [http://www.sullivan-county.com/news/ What is Christian Fundamentalism?]</ref> Sometimes there is a feeling that past crimes should be forgiven on this account, or that a given sentence should be lighter or a prisoner be granted parole on that basis.

==Still sinning==
Funny thing is, a lot of these people wind up in all sorts of scandals and such ''after'' their conversion. How else to account for all the [[televangelist]] scandals? Or they find they have all the same issues and personality quirks to deal with after their conversion as they did before. Some, when they find they still sin, get scared and wonder if they are truly saved. Others have a religious crutch to fall back on so they can still sin and in spite of that be born again: "Christians aren't perfect, just forgiven."

==Celebrities==
In popular usage, the term is often used to refer to people who were better known for something else before their conversion. The media made "born again Christian" a religious buzzword especially during the 1970s, to refer to such people as Bob Dylan, [[Larry Flynt]], [[Jimmy Carter]], and [[Chuck Colson]], and in recent years with Filipino boxer [[Manny Pacquiao]] whose conversion drew both praise and scrutiny.

==See also==
*[[Hypocrisy]]
*[[Reincarnation]] for a supposedly more literal view.

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Christianity]]
[[Category:Euphemisms]]

Categories: Christianity, Euphemisms