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Re:

What is "heresy"?
Date: 2001, Oct 25
From: Bill Roth bmadroth

What is heresy? As with many words it's modern usage seems to be different from it's biblical usage. To many, heresy is nothing more that doctrine that varies from their own. To others, it may refer to a more serious peverion of doctrine which affects salvation. In any case the meaning seems to differ. It may be something as trivial a whether or not Adam had a navel. Or it could refer to doctrine which denies the resurection of Christ.
Webster's Collegiate Dictionary defines heresy as:

"Etymology: Middle English heresie, from Old French, from Late Latin haeresis, from Late Greek hairesis, from Greek, action of taking, choice, sect, from hairein to take Date: 13th century 1 a : adherence to a religious opinion contrary to church dogma b : denial of a revealed truth by a baptized member of the Roman Catholic Church c : an opinion or doctrine contrary to church dogma 2 a : dissent or deviation from a dominant theory, opinion, or practice b : an opinion, doctrine, or practice contrary to the truth or to generally accepted beliefs or standards"

Cambridge defines it as:

"(the act of having) an opinion or belief that is the opposite of or against what is the official or popular opinion, or an action which shows that you have no respect for the official opinion. "Radical remarks like this amount to heresy in the far- right Republican party." [U] "She committed the heresy of playing a Madonna song on a classical music station." [C]

Heresy is also a belief which is against the principles of a particular religion. "He was burned at the stake in the fifteenth century for heresy."

Neither of these sources adequately defines or explains heresy in a biblical sense. Certainly no one church or denomination has the authority to pronounce what is correct and what is heresy. And for obvious reasons when it come to Christian teaching, popular view cannot be established as the standard of truth. If this were the case then heresy could become truth and truth heresy.
The best help I have found is in the scriptures.
2 Peter 2:1 (KJV)

But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.

Here it says: . . . ." heresies . . . even denying the Lord . . . "
Consider also that the word heresy comes from the Greek, "hairesis", which means to take or to choose, or to take by choice.
So, in very simple terms, I would say that heresy is a conscience choosing of teaching that denies Christ.
Let's be very careful when we use the terms heresy and heretic. Making a mistake in understanding the scriptures is not heresy. Neither is doctrine which others espouse with which we do not agree. We should be tollerant of theological differences but not to end that we cannot see heresy which denies Christ.
Just my opinion.
Bill Roth