faithist

noun
/ˈfeɪθɪst/
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Plural: faithists
Derived from: faith + -ist
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Definitions:
1. A person who discriminates against or shows prejudice toward individuals or groups based on their religion, spiritual beliefs, or lack thereof.
> “The law prohibits employers from acting as faithists when hiring—religious affiliation should have no bearing on the job.”
2. (rare, informal) A person who holds blind, uncritical allegiance to faith-based ideology, often rejecting reason, evidence, or inquiry.
> “You can’t argue with a faithist; they’ve already decided that facts are optional.”
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Usage Notes:
Faithist is religion-neutral. It can refer to discrimination against the religious (e.g., an atheist mocking believers), by the religious (e.g., a Christian denouncing non-Christians), or across faiths (e.g., sectarian violence on Muslims over Hindus).
It also applies to those who hold faith as infallible, rejecting dissent, science, or critical thinking.
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Synonyms:
Religious bigot
Sectarian (contextual)
Theocratic supremacist
Spiritual supremacist

Antonyms:
Pluralist
Tolerant
Secular
Rationalist
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Etymology:
faith (Middle English feith, from Anglo-French feid, from Latin fides)
+
-ist (a suffix forming agent nouns from verbs or nouns, denoting adherents, advocates, or practitioners)

That government policy was blatantly faithist, favoring one religion’s values while suppressing another’s.

by indianigga July 28, 2025