What is Heresy?

[Mungo]

To acknowledge another person as superiour in some sense, such as I acknowledge the police man as having authority over me when he directs trafic and I have to drive down a road I otherwise would not have I acknowledge his legal superiority over me in that situation.

If, in a religious situation, you acknowledge another person as your superiour then you acknowledge that you are, in that situation, inferiour.

What criteria do you use?

If you define someone having authority over me in a specific situation to mean that they are superior to me in the specifics of that authority in that situation then you have answered your own question.

 

[aspen]

Tim, of course it is me - it is about time you recognized it........

Actually, authority resides in community recognized persons who are agreed upon and appointed. I am Roman Catholic and my community has appointed bishops, cardinals and priests as authorities so I choose to follow their direction unless it requires me to go against the purpose God created me for, which is to love. Yes, I believe God has appointed them, but not in a unique manner - I believe He has created everything for a purpose.

When I made the claim that many Christians have lost their understanding of authority in their lives, I was speaking out against the foundation of Americanism, which is rebellion. Our nation is rooted in rebellion, which stems from the Reformation, the revolutionary war, and the Enlightenment - I am not condemning any of this history, but I think it has put our culture on an extreme path leading to radical individualism, hedonism, materialism, and paranoia about all authority - church, government, etc. I do not think it is healthy. It is definitely not healthy for Christians, who claim to submit to God, but are anti authority in every other aspect of their lives.

 

[Dodo_David]

From my perspective, it was rebellious for the Patriarch of Rome to separate himself from the other Patriarchs of the universal Church.

By the way, the Reformation was rebellion from unbiblical doctrine ... but I digress.

 

[aspen]

So Dodo, from your perspective, the Reformers had the right to rebel because according to you Rome did it first? Everyone has a justification for rebellion, even Lucifer.....

 

[Dodo_David]

So Dodo, from your perspective, the Reformers had the right to rebel because according to you Rome did it first? Everyone has a justification for rebellion, even Lucifer.....

The Reformers rebelled against unbiblical doctrine. ^_^

The USA rebelled against the tyranny of the King of England.

So, rebellion isn't always an absolute wrong.

 

[aspen]

The only Reformer that gets a pass in my opinion is Luther because he did not start out trying to rebel. I think the fruits of rebellion as far as Calvin, Zwingli, Henry XIII speak for itself. As far as this conversation, it is off topic and focuses on denominational issues so we best leave it

 

[Dodo_David]

Getting back to the topic of this thread, heresy isn't something that just one branch of the universal Church gets to define.

For the purpose of this website, the essentials of the Christian faith are the close-handed things described in this website's Statement of Faith.

Now, let's move on to something more fun.

Side Note: The branches of the universal Church include Messianic Jews, Anglican Christians, Protestant Christians, Eastern Orthodox Christians, Oriental Orthodox Christians and Roman Catholic Christians.

 

[fashcoca]

When we hear the word "heresy" we often think of a group that worships Satan, slaughters animals, or practices strange and sinister pagan rituals. However, the truth is that fads rarely include these things. Bid’ah in its broad sense is defined as a religious system that has certain rituals and customs.

However, heresy is usually defined in the narrower sense of the word which refers to a non-traditional group whose members distort the original teachings of the religion. In the context of Christianity, the definition of heresy is in particular: "A heresy is a religious group that denies one or more basic biblical principles." Heresy is a group that proclaims beliefs, which make those who believe in them remain without salvation. Heresy claims that it is part of the religion, but it denies a fact or basic truths of those who. Therefore, Christian heresy denies one or more of the truths of Christianity while still claiming that it is part of Christianity.

 

[The Learner]

It doesn't directly declare that. That was something a Catholic council decided it said in the 300s.

The ESV is wrong too. The KJV teaches that God sent his 'only BEGOTTEN' son so you're using an errant translation. Only begotten =/= only. They are very different ideas.

Up until the times of Athanasius and Arius I'm not aware that the Trinity was ever taught in the form that we know it as today. The early fathers taught subordinationist Trinitarianism. The Catholic councils declared in the 300s subordinationism anathema.

But if you study what the earliest fathers taught it had nothing to do with the Trinitarianism of the 300s on.

I think there are things much more at stake then the divine essence and substance.

Where I draw the line is Christ's sinless life, His humiliating and excruciating death, and His resurrection. And of course, Christ is the only-begotten of the Father.

Those to me are peculiar to Christianity and without these, there is NO Christianity.

I can't add anything else to it because nothing in the Bible suggests to me otherwise.

I define heresy as extraordinary error. If you profess to be equal with Christ, if you say that Christ did not really die but the apostles took him away and let Him recover... that is what to me is a heresy.

Someone disagreeing on what could very objectively be called valid grounds for disagreement cannot be heretical.

And also, I think heresy a lot of times will include someone knowingly teaching against the Bible, which is graver than some one teaching against it without knowledge.

qoutes from church fathers please, with links to them at newadvent.org

 

[Angelina]

 

[The Learner]

Thanks, Daniel

 

[Matthias]

When I was a student I elicited a positive response for creativity (which is what he was looking for) from a prof when I offered:

“Heresy is not being in with the in crowd.”

 

[Matthias]

“What is a heretic? The Greek word from which the English terms ‘heresy’ and ‘heretic’ are derived simply means an ‘act of choice’ or an ‘attachment.’ For a time, hairesis merely meant ‘party’ or ‘sect’ (from the Latin verb ‘to cut’) and did not imply any disparagement. At an early date in the history of Christianity heresy became almost the worst offense in which a Christian could become involved; in the Middle Ages, it became a capital crime.”

(Harold O.J. Brown, Heresies: Heresy And Orthodoxy In The History Of The Church, p.1)

 

[Sabertooth]

What does and what does not constitute saying unacceptable things in Christianity these days?

1. Among Evangelicals, heresy is any belief that subverts Original Sin & the Nicene Creed. No one will harm you for such disbelief. You just cannot be Saved without embracing them.
2. Even if you would agree with them but not surrender to Jesus, you will still not be Saved. Even the devils believe and tremble...!

 

[Titus]

Titus 3:10
-A person who causes division forms sects, divides the Lords church is a heretic. Denominationalism is sectarian division started by heretics. Their doctrines are therefore heresy.
Titus 3:11.

 

[strepho]

Titus chapter 3, my friend. In Titus chapter 3, were warned about heretics. These are apostates who once knew God's word and turned their backs on Gods Truth. They formed denominations. They teach tradition of men and false doctrine. Hosea chapter 4:15. People are warned not to go to Beth Aven. It means house of emptiness. These heretics have a subverted mind. Find a pastor or teacher who teaches sound doctrine. I recommend shepherds chapel, their on you tube. Amos chapter 8, were in time of famine, its hearing God's truth. Thier are many misguided preachers out in the world. I also suggest, buy king James companion bible, and STRONGS concordance. The king James companion bible is from the authorized version of 1611 king James bible.

 

[St. SteVen]

But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain. A man that is an heretic after the first and second admonition reject, knowing that he that is such is subverted(warped) and sinneth, being condemned of himself.
Titus 3:9-11
The KJV study notes say heresy literally means "choosing one's own ideas", but now refers to that which is untrue.

I gave a thumbs-up for the KJV explanation, but I question the conclusion. "... but now refers to that which is untrue."
The obvious question would be; who determines what is true? Infant baptism would be heresy (that which is untrue) to a Baptist.
I agree with @aspen in post #4. Heresy is subjective.

I started a few threads on this subject recently.

Was Jesus Heretical? - Why did they crucify Him?

It's a good thing we are addressing "orthodox" and "heretical" in these topics. As I anticipated, everyone is fearful of these terms. No need to be, from my perspective. Wasn't Jesus position on the law "heretical by the scriptures"? I see him deconstructing the law as he went. And it began...

www.christianityboard.com

Was Jesus Orthodox? (or Baptist?)

I guess I was wrong.... This isn't refreshing.

www.christianityboard.com

 

[Matthias]

“Let us begin with Christianity. It is a form of Judaism. Jesus was a Jew, the twelve apostles as well, as was St. Paul and other authors of the New Testament. Christianity began as a sort of Jewish history, then it gradually, and painfully, separated itself from Judaism. On one hand, because Christians - those who followed St. Paul - turned to the pagans to announce the good news of the resurrection. On the other hand, because the Jews considered the Christians to be heretics, and excluded them from the community. A tension emerged which ended with the gradual separation of the two religions, but from an initial unity.”

(The Oxford Handbook of the Abrahamic Religions, p. 103)

 

[Mr E]

Thread necromancy---

On an Internet forum, the act of posting in a thread that is already considered dead and/or out of discussion.

 

[ScottA]

From another thread


People have in previous ages been burnt to death (lots of millions) over this sort of question.

I might be seeing it wrongly, I am after all not a Christian. What does and what does not constitute saying unacceptable things in Christianity these days?

The mob manifests and enforces according to their own evil being revealed. This is the man of sin revealed--even among the people of God.