Heterodoxy

:This article is about the term heterodoxy. See also, Heterodoxy (magazine).

Heterodoxy is generally defined as "any opinions or doctrines at variance with an official or orthodox position". As an adjective, heterodox is commonly used to describe a subject as "characterized by departure from accepted beliefs or standards" (status quo). Under this definition the noun heterodoxy is synonymous with unorthodoxy, while the adjective heterodox is synonymous with dissident. This commonly is linked to intersex as something "inbetween".

However heterodoxy is also an ecclesiastical term of art, defined in various ways by different religions and churches. For example, in the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches heterodoxy may describe beliefs that differ from strictly orthodox views but that fall short of heresy.

Ecclesiastic usage

Eastern Orthodoxy

In the Eastern Orthodox Church, the term is used to refer to Christian churches not belonging to the Eastern Orthodox communion and holding doctrines different from those of Orthodox Christianity. Also, it is used for any idea, thought, dogma, principle or lifestyle that is in conflict with the Orthodox Faith. In general, this term is used in two distinct cases: 1. Whenever Eastern Orthodoxy wants to classify something different, but not as different or thought to be as erroneous as heresy; 2. Whenever Eastern Orthodoxy wants, for any reason, to abstain from the use of the word heresy.

Roman Catholicism

Heterodoxy in the Roman Catholic Church refers to views that differ from strictly orthodox views, but retain sufficient faithfulness to the original doctrine to avoid heresy. Many Roman Catholics profess some heterodox views, either on doctrinal or social issues. For example, the orthodox Catholic position on unbaptized infants is that their fate is uncertain, and "the Church can only entrust them to the mercy of God" (Catechism of the Catholic Church 1261). A heterodox Catholic might profess the belief that unbaptized infants are offered the option to accept or deny salvation by God at their judgment. The belief is not orthodox, as the Church does not profess a belief as to what happens to unbaptized infants; however, it is also not heresy, as the Church accepts that such a scenario might be possible. By contrast, a denial of the doctrine of "Original Sin" (thereby negating the necessity of baptism for children) or Papal Infallibility — would be labeled heretical. Likewise, the Catholic Church also labels Protestantism as heretical as well, and Eastern Orthodoxy as schismatic.

Protestantism

As with Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic usage, many Protestants such as Lutherans use the term heterodox (Gr. hetero - other, and doxa - teaching) to describe Christian teachings which are not in agreement with their understanding of scripture. No true Christian denomination knowingly embraces a fallacy, but instead truly believes that their interpretation of scriptures is orthodox (Gr. ortho - correct, and doxa - teaching). Thus, other Christian (Catholic, Orthodox or Protestant) denominations with different teachings which are not heretical are considered heterodox.

Islam

The Arabic word Ghulat is used for beliefs perceived as being extremely heterodox. In particular, the term is used by mainstream Muslims to describe the beliefs of minority Muslim groups who ascribe divine characteristics to a member of Prophet Muhammad's family (especially Ali) or the early companions of the Prophet such as Salman al-Farisi. The assumption is that the groups thus described have gone too far and have come to associate them with God (shirk).

Sunni Muslim and Shia Muslims see each other as heterodox, differing in practice mainly on matters of jurisprudence or Fiqh, splitting historically on the matter of the succession of Ali to the caliphate by Muawiyah. A third and much smaller movement is Ibadi, which differ from both of these groups on a few key points. Several ultra-orthodox groups such as the Wahhabis, in turn, see themselves as the only truly orthodox groups within Islam.

The Shia Ismailis, who in turn split from the Shia mainstream of Twelvers over another succession dispute, have subsumed several groups which the majority of Muslims view as heterodox, such as the Seveners, and Gnostic-influenced Alawites, and many other sects and subsects. The Gnostic-influenced Druze sect has also been affiliated with the Ismailis, but some of its followers go so far as to see it as a distinct religion altogether. The Sufis, divided into many sects and orders, incorporate many mystical doctrines and rituals into Islam, but many also consider themselves Shiites or Sunnis. Another Shiite group, influenced heavily by the Sufis, Turkic religion and other mystical movements, is that of the Alevi. Historical groups viewed as highly heterodox by most Muslims include the Kharijites, who took a third view on Ali's succession, the Mu'tazilites, who most famously asserted that the Qur'an was created, a view which enjoyed caliphal approval before the time of Mutawakkil, the Qarmatians, a branch of the Seveners within Ismaili Islam who took control of much of the Arabian peninsula in the 9th and 10th century, practiced vegetarianism, defiled the Well of Zamzam and stole the Ka'bah, and the Hashashin or Assassins, another Ismaili group, famous for their reclusive lifestyle, manners of indoctrination and assassinations in the years after the first crusade.

According to Philip Hitti, there was during the Umayyad and Abbasid caliphates a marked tendency among several quite unrelated heterodox groups to affiliate themselves with the Shiites, and particularly the Ismailis, in a general feeling of heterodox solidarity in a Sunni-controlled empire. The cause of the Alids thus became a rallying point for a diverse range of heterodox Islamic movements. The view that Ali was divine, though never mainstream within Shiism, is attested in the early centuries of Islam.

Two more recent movements seen as particularly at odds with the majority Muslim view are the Ahmadiyya and Nation of Islam movements. Many followers of the former consider its 19th-century founder, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, to have been a prophet, as well as such other religious figures as Krishna and Buddha, despite the mainstream Muslim view that Muhammad was the last. Both Ahmadi sects consider Ahmad to have been the Mahdi and second coming of Jesus. The Nation of Islam is a Black supremacist movement which acknowledges its 20th century founder, Wallace Fard Muhammad, as an incarnation of Allah, a view most Muslims consider shirk. Babism is viewed by many non-followers as originally having been a highly divergent movement within the Twelver Ismailism practiced in 19th century Persia. Beyond heterodoxy, many elements of Islam have been incorporated into distinct belief systems several times, most specifically into Sikhism and the Baha'i Faith, whose predecessor movement was Babism. As a more unusual example, several Thuggee were self-reportedly Muslims, and according to William Sleeman equated the Hindu goddess Kali with Fatima, a daughter of Muhammad.

Other usage

The term heterodox is occasionally used by some Christians to refer to themselves when they are in disagreement with orthodox understandings, but voice this disagreement while still maintaining the overall value of the tradition. The heterodox Christian therefore remains in the tradition and attempts to stimulate constructive dialog around issues with which they disagree.

In 1912, a group of women, called the Heterodoxy, begin to meet as a feminist luncheon group. This group for "unorthodox women" included many prominent lesbians and would meet regularly until the 1940s in Greenwich Village.

Political usage against religion

China

In late 1999 legislation was created in China to outlaw "heterodox religions". This was applied retroactively to Falun Gong, a spiritual practice introduced to the public in China by Li Hongzhi （李洪志） in 1992.

Non-Ecclesiastic usage

Heterodox economics refers to schools of economic thought that are considered outside of mainstream orthodox economics. Heterodox economics refers to a variety of separate unorthodox approaches or schools such as institutional, post-Keynesian, socialist, Marxian, feminist, Austrian, ecological, and social economics among others.

See also

Nastika

Orthodoxy

Orthodox (disambiguation)

Radical Christianity

References

External links

Heterodox - the word of the day

Heterodox Economics

Orthodox vs Heterodox Churches (Lutheran confessionalism)

Category:Religious belief and doctrine Category:Christian terms