Non-conformist
From Free net encyclopedia
A non-conformist, in English history, is any member of a Protestant congregation not affiliated with the Church of England. The earliest non-conformist groups included Presbyterians, Independents (Congregationalists), Baptists, and Quakers. Later non-Conformists included Methodists and the Salvation Army.
The term has come to refer to any person who chooses not to conform to a set of beliefs or practices of a greater society.
If the issue is considered critical, such as loyalty to a nation or support for current laws, the non-conformist is often termed a "rebel" of a society and may be considered dangerous to maintaining social order. Unlike an anti-conformist, who chooses not to conform to society simply for the sake of not conforming, a non-conformist chooses to not conform to society because of differences in beliefs.