disbelievers

Disbelievers are individuals who do not accept or profess belief in a given religion or creed. The term is used across religious and secular discourse to describe those who reject the central claims of a faith or proposition. The specific meaning often depends on the tradition, context, and the proposition in question.

In religious texts and doctrine, labels for outsiders of the faith can carry normative or polemical overtones and may be applied differently. For example, some traditions distinguish between nonbelievers, heretics, apostates, and those of other faiths who do not accept the premises of the majority faith.

Sociologically, disbelievers include atheists, agnostics, and adherents of other belief systems. The category also encompasses people who are culturally nonreligious, secular, or who identify as "no religion." Disbelief may arise from philosophical, empirical, or experiential reasons and is not a uniform stance.

Because the term can be stigmatizing or misused in debates, many scholars and advocates prefer neutral alternatives such as nonbelievers, atheists, or people of no faith. In modern pluralist societies, freedom of belief and equal protection under law are central considerations in discussions about disbelievers.