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English to English translations [PRO] Social Sciences - Religion / Youth movements
English term or phrase:faith group
Either I’m getting old (which I am…) or I’ve lost touch with my native language (that might be true too…) but I was struck today on reading this http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8684977.stm on the BBC News website.
When I was a lad – and a ‘Wolf Cub’ and later a ‘Boy Scout’, and even later a ‘Venture Scout’ - expressions such as ‘faith group’ were not part of our/my vocabulary.
Can someone please help me understand what this expression is supposed to mean? And how does it differ from the “duty to God and the Queen” I that I was supposed to honour in my (nearly 50 year-old) Scout promise?
And if you can do that without infringing the site rules, so much the better :)
Explanation: I believe (ho ho) that he term "faith group" is really an avoidance of the term "religious group". This is because it has the advantage or disadvantage of being (as a term) as inclusive or narrow as you want it to be. So, it could cover a recognised body such as the C of E; a Liberal Jewish congregation, some of whose members are not accepted as Jews by the Chief Rabbinate; a small cult of a few dozen members; even humanists. I think that there is also a connotation that there is a shared value of faith, without addressing the divisiveness of different religious beliefs.
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 9 hrs (2010-05-16 10:31:37 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
There is also a connotation that all faith groups, whatever the antagonisms between the various religions represented, have a shared superiority over and interest against athiesm and agnosticism.
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 14 hrs (2010-05-16 14:59:44 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
Oops: atheism: I should know how to spell that one by now.
I seem to recall asking, years ago, when my son joined the Sea Scouts whether it was necessary for him to pledge duty to God and the Queen and being told that there was an alternative formulation that was acceptable to atheist non-monarchists. Looking again at mediamatrix's BBC reference, I would dispute the idea that honesty and integrity are specifically religious values. Re the Daily Telegraph article: my grammar school had already started to cover a broad religious studies curriculum, including various different religions and discussion of agnosticism and atheism, when I was at school.
BTW, religious knowledge in schools is now e.g. belief systems, or GCSE Philosophy and ethics - which can encompass humanism too - http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1625146/Humanism-to-b... ; I thought they still pledged duty to those two, but expect that's changed too ;-)
Could well be as Jessica suggests. But DIB should be DYB = Do Your Best! The reply being "DOB, DOB, DOB!" = Do Our Best, though I think this fell out of use long ago (from a 50-ish ex-Girl Guide). =)
Well, I guess I'm getting older and out of touch too, but please tell me, what does DIB! mean? I tried acronymfinder.com and found everything from Dubai Islamic Bank to Day In Bed, but nothing seems to fit this context.
LOL. Sorry, I didn't have time to count how many times it appeared. Faith group is just a religious group, or religion, or even just "faith" ("people of different faiths"). Maybe the author was simply trying to trick the reader into thinking there was more than met the eye to the term. =-P
But it did make me doubt at first, so I looked it up, because I thought maybe he was trying to be broad and include "faiths" that weren't necessarily organized religions, but I don't think that was the case.
David: Hmmm... If nothing else your hesitation comforts my own doubts.
Jesi: In the BBC's text the word 'religious' occurs twice, and 'religion' only once. I see no need to change the terms just to avoid boredom. Methinks there's more to this than meets the eye ('my' eye,at least...).
Automatic update in 00:
Answers
12 mins confidence: peer agreement (net): +1
group of participants of different religions but all believers
Explanation: the way I see it :)
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 14 mins (2010-05-16 01:00:47 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
without having listened .. going to now :)
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 22 mins (2010-05-16 01:08:27 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
could also be a small grouping of people who believe in the teachings of a particular religion ...
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 23 mins (2010-05-16 01:09:53 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
not necessarily "small"
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 29 mins (2010-05-16 01:15:33 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
the more I see this it could be a small group of believers who get together to study or pray
David Hollywood Local time: 23:10 Native speaker of: English PRO pts in category: 7
51 mins confidence: peer agreement (net): +1
religion
Explanation: it's just another way of saying religion. Maybe they were just trying to use a different word instead of saying religion and religious so much throughout the text.
Explanation: I believe (ho ho) that he term "faith group" is really an avoidance of the term "religious group". This is because it has the advantage or disadvantage of being (as a term) as inclusive or narrow as you want it to be. So, it could cover a recognised body such as the C of E; a Liberal Jewish congregation, some of whose members are not accepted as Jews by the Chief Rabbinate; a small cult of a few dozen members; even humanists. I think that there is also a connotation that there is a shared value of faith, without addressing the divisiveness of different religious beliefs.
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 9 hrs (2010-05-16 10:31:37 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
There is also a connotation that all faith groups, whatever the antagonisms between the various religions represented, have a shared superiority over and interest against athiesm and agnosticism.
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 14 hrs (2010-05-16 14:59:44 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
Oops: atheism: I should know how to spell that one by now.
B D Finch France Local time: 04:10 Native speaker of: English PRO pts in category: 12
The translation workplace 
peer agreement (net): +1
