pagan
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pagan
A person who does not believe in one of the monotheistic gods, especially the Christian God. The term is often used from a religious perspective for followers of polytheistic or nature-based religions.
Die Missionare im Mittelalter hatten das Ziel, die Heiden zu bekehren.
In the Middle Ages, the missionaries aimed to convert the pagans.
'Der Heide' (the pagan) is an N-declension noun. It takes the ending '-n' in the accusative, dative, and genitive singular, as well as in the plural. This is an important grammatical feature.
Der Heide glaubte an viele Götter.
The pagan believed in many gods.
The word family includes the adjective 'heidnisch' (pagan), e.g. 'heidnische Bräuche' (pagan customs), and the noun 'das Heidentum' (paganism), which describes non-monotheistic religions as a whole.
Viele unserer heutigen Traditionen haben heidnische Wurzeln.
Many of our present-day traditions have pagan roots.
The term 'Heide' (pagan) is mainly used in a historical or religious context. It arose from a Christian perspective and today can be perceived as outdated or derogatory.
In alten Texten wird oft von der Bekehrung der Heiden berichtet.
Old texts often report on the conversion of the pagans.
Christian
'der Christ' (Christian) and 'der Heide' (pagan) stand in a religious opposition. A Christ belongs to the Christian religion and believes in Jesus Christ. 'Heide' refers, from a Christian point of view, to a person who does not believe in the Christian God, often someone from another ancient or nature-based religion. The word 'Heide' can sound old-fashioned or judgmental today, so it should be used carefully. In neutral everyday language, people often say more precisely which religion someone belongs to, or that someone is not religious.
In dem alten Text wird ein Mann als Heide beschrieben, weil er nicht zum Christentum gehört.
In the old text, a man is described as a pagan because he does not belong to Christianity.
Er ist Christ und geht an Weihnachten mit seiner Familie in die Kirche.
He is a Christian and goes to church with his family on Christmas.