Does the word "Believer" carry positive or negative connotations?

Question

If someone called you a believer, Regardless of what the belief is that a good thing?

Answer 1

The reason I'm using it more these days is that it is a very neutral word. Sometimes I use "theists" because it's accurate but it's not a word people who believe in God use often and your average person on the street isn't used to it so doesn't identify with it.

Of course "believers" is vague since people believe in a lot of things. But in the context of religious discussion the meaning is clearer.

To an atheist "believer" might sound like "sheep" while to a believer the word might sound like "faithful." The word's implication is neutral, the inferences drawn from it might be biased.

Which gets me to a renewed pet peeve of mine (if you will indulge the rant)- a lot of atheists for some reason restrict the use of "belief" to only religious style belief or faith. Thus they argue that you don't "believe" in scientific theories, you "know" them to be true. I strongly disagree.
Belief covers both thinking something is true and having the impression that something is true.
Knowing implies a certainty beyond doubt.
(there are other definitions for each word, but these are how I use them in philisophical discussions and they are in keeping with standard usage, not just obscure or secondary meanings.)

I believe I am male and I know I am male simultaneously. Knowledge does not exclude belief, it is part of belief.

On the other hand, I believe in the Big Bang theory. I think it's true (belief) and find the evidence for it to be very compelling but at the same time I'm not certain it is true. More evidence might show that a slightly different theory is true. My certainty about the Big Bang is not absolute. So I believe in the Big Bang theory with a great degree of confidence, but I dont' Know it to be true. Since science is a matter of probabilities, it is the religious who claim to know things more than it is the scientists. In terms of the certainty of their claimed knowledge, paradoxically it is the scientists who are "believers" and the relgious who are the "knowers."

Answer 2

Honestly, the majority of the world will see it as a bad thing. The majority will also associate the term "believer" with Christianity, which they also disapprove of because of how it's organized. What they don't realize is that most of them are against the organized religion of "belief". Most atheists/agnostics that I associate with say they were either kicked out of a church, or led away BY the church because of who they are (before they turned from Christianity).

People also hate believers because of the many believers that think it's okay to shove their religion down people's throats. How many "Believers" have you seen on YA that quote millions of scripture against your questions and don't even give a reference? They're the ones that say "The Bible says blah blah blah" and leave you hanging as to where the Bible says that. If I wasn't a believer, they would probably push me further away.

So in answer to your question, for the most part, it carries a negative connotation, but I would wear the label with pride.

Answer 3

For a society of dicrimination society a believer can sound positive or negative, it de pends on which side you're with. Blind faith is something scarry to the human race. Buddha teaches us a lot of techniques to be happy or strong enough to endure this worldly burden and to prepare one's exit from this life to a better one. He said one shouldn't believe all what he said until it was proven to be useful . He isn't there to be interested in headcounts of believers. It was his pure compassion and loving kindness to spend 45 years of his life roaming the continent to teach and listen to his fellow human beings in misery. in Metta , Pantini

Answer 4

If it's a main stream belief like believe in God, etc.. it's positive. It implies having strong values.

When used in a context non-mainsteam like UFO's then the person is considered a loony.

Answer 5

Most often that means a delusional, unquestioning, blind follower of fairy tales. So I would have to say in most cases it carries a negative connotation.

Answer 6

The term "Christian" started in Antioch as a "put down". When I became a Christian, we were called "Jesus Freaks", and others called us the "God Squad". I wore those as a badge of honor.

If someone wants to label me as a believer in God, Jesus and the Bible. No problem. That works for me.

Answer 7

i have the feeling it is negative for the one who uses that word. not for the one who is called a believer. And this is why : the one who is usoing the word Believer , sayin he is a believer, divides the world into believers and everything else.

Answer 8

Depends on what they claim you believe in.

Answer 9

I think yes and no at the sametime....

Answer 10

I am not sure. Ask the 'Monkees'?