Evangelism

[[File:Excuse Me.jpg|thumb|right|165px|Evangelism: yes, it really is this terrifying.]]{{religion}}
'''Evangelism''' involves the act of '''proselytizing''' a position — usually [[Christianity]] or some other [[religion]], but not always — on the basis of some "[[truth]] value". The term is also used for the promotion of various philosophies in politics and in technical fields, particularly in computing, and has become [[marketing]] [[jargon]]. The term, believe it or not, is formed from the noun "evangel" and the suffix "-ism".<ref>[https://www.dictionary.com/browse/evangelism Evangelism], ''Dictionary.com''</ref> "Evangel" itself ultimately comes from the Greek word ευαγγελος ("euangelos"), meaning "bringing good news".<ref>[https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/evangel Evangel], ''Merriam-Webster''</ref> 

Evangelism, as a form of [[public relations]], tends to focus on the positives of the message it aims to spread, sometimes even [[milk before meat|misrepresenting the message]] to make it more palatable to newcomers. For example, [[Scientology]] refers to this technique as "gradient", which earnest Scientologists claim helps new members understand difficult concepts<ref>[https://www.scientologyhandbook.org/study/sh1_3.htm Barriers to Study], ''The Scientology Handbook''</ref> (read: [[bullshit]] about [[aliens]] and [[Dianetics]]). Meanwhile, [[Mormonism|Mormons]] use the somewhat less technical phrase "[[milk before meat]]".<ref>[https://www.exmormon.org/tract2.htm To Those Who Are Investigating "Mormonism"] by Richard Packham (Last revised June 15, 2011) ''Recovery from Mormonism''</ref> Both concepts implicitly recognize the difficulties that outsiders often have with accepting weird doctrines.

Most denominations of [[Christianity]] and [[Islam]] insist on trying to bringing in new members, sometimes even with the threat of violence. Various parts of the [[Bible]], like {{bible|Matthew|28|19|20}} ("Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you[...]") make it a divine mandate to bring new members into the fold. 

Not all religions actively engage in proselytization. For example, [[Judaism]] does not prohibit proselytization, but historically, Jews have rarely sought out converts {{--}} for a variety of reasons. According to Reuven Firestone, before their turn towards [[monotheism]], the Israelites believed that each tribe had its own specific god, and each god had power only over their specific tribe, so to them, it didn't make sense to bring in people from other tribes. Therefore, when their religion took a more monotheistic turn, the idea of conversion was still foreign to them. In addition, centuries of [[Antisemitism|antisemitic]] persecution has also dampened enthusiasm for proselytization.<ref name=firestone>[https://renovatio.zaytuna.edu/article/why-jews-dont-proselytize Why Jews Don't Proselytize] by Reuven Firestone (June 12, 2019) ''Renatio''</ref> It has also been argued that laws prohibiting Jewish proselytization under the [[Roman Empire]] and general Gentile hostility to Jews led followers to focus inward rather than seek out new members,<ref name=firestone/> though this narrative has been challenged by scholars such as Louis H. Feldman.<ref>[https://www.jstor.org/stable/24659643 Proselytism by Jews in the Third, Fourth, and Fifth Centuries] by L. H. Feldman (June 1993) ''Journal for the Study of Judaism in the Persian, Hellenistic, and Roman Period'', Vol. 24, No. 1, pp. 1-58</ref>

[[Native American]] religions are also generally averse to evangelism. Native religious traditions are considered specific to each tribe, and many of these practices are tied to particular geographic features or regions.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20050306085913/http://college.hmco.com/history/readerscomp/naind/html/na_032600_religion.htm Religion] by George E. Tinker, ''Encyclopedia of North American Indians'', Houghton Mifflin Company</ref> As a result, a lot of Native Americans are uneasy about the idea of converting people who aren't of Native descent<ref>[https://www.native-languages.org/religion.htm Seeking Native American Spirituality: Read This First!] by Orrin Lewis, ''Native Languages of the Americas''</ref> (and having non-Natives involved in Native American ceremonies in general),<ref>[http://www.newagefraud.org/olh3.html DLN Issues : The Selling of Indian Culture Protection of Ceremonies O-mini-c'i-ya-pi] by Chief Arvol Looking Horse, ''New Age Frauds and Plastic Shamans''</ref><ref>[https://www.culturalsurvival.org/publications/cultural-survival-quarterly/spiritual-hucksterismthe-rise-plastic-medicine-men Spiritual Hucksterism:The Rise of the Plastic Medicine Men] by Ward Churchill (May 7, 2010) ''Cultural Survival''</ref> because in their eyes, that would be bringing in outsiders who have no ties to their particular culture and therefore do not belong.

Meanwhile, [[Shinto]] — which is based more around [[Japan|Japanese]] geography and culture than around [[dogma]]<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/shinto/ataglance/glance.shtml Shinto at a glance] (Last updated October 7, 2011) ''BBC''</ref> — generally lacks the concept of "conversion" altogether.<ref>[https://www.meijijingu.or.jp/en/about/aboutshinto/ About Shinto], Meiji Jingu</ref><ref>[https://www.patheos.com/blogs/pagantama/2016/11/14/what-is-shinto-a-shinto-priest-explains/ What is Shinto? A Shinto Priest Explains] by Megan Manson (November 14, 2016) ''Patheos''</ref> With that said, in the 1860s and 1870s, the government of Japan did attempt to promote Shintoism under the ''kyōdōshoku'' system to counterbalance Christian evangelism, with limited success.<ref>[https://d-museum.kokugakuin.ac.jp/eos/detail/?id=9922 Shinto Missionaries: Civilizing the People], ''Encyclopedia of Shinto'',  Kokugakuin University.</ref>   

The [[Druze]] also do not allow people to convert to their religion, or from it for that matter.<ref>[https://www.britannica.com/topic/Druze Druze], ''Encyclopedia Britannica''</ref>

Evangelism and proselytization operate as sub-sets of '''recruiting''' {{--}} a fairly widespread human tendency of getting other people to join up and join in. [[Large group awareness training | LGAT]]s, tennis clubs, [[Multilevel marketing | multi-level marketing]] rackets, armed forces and [[pyramid scheme]]s exploit this and act accordingly to suck people into their pseudo-religions or [[cult]]s: offering incentives, promising friendly social support, and invoking fear of missing out (FOMO). [[Pascal's Wager]] has something in common with the argument that you need to invest in this hot trend now because if its wrong you will lose a bit of money but if its right you will be rich.

==See also==
*[[Christian evangelism]]
*[[Evangelicalism]]
*[[Televangelist]]
*[[Missionary]]

==References==
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[[Category:Religious terms]]
[[Category:Christianity]]

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Categories: Religious terms, Christianity