Heresy

Atheist Atheism Symbol Icon Generic Disbelief

Atheism Explained

Atheism Explained Atheism (a privative, and theos, God, i.e. without God). is that system of thought which is formally opposed to theism. Since its first coming into use the term atheism has been very vaguely employed, generally as an epithet of accusation against any system that called in question the popular gods of the day. Thus...

The burning of the pantheistic Amalrician heretics in 1210, in the presence of King Philip II Augustus. In the background is the Gibbet of Montfaucon and, anachronistically, the Grosse Tour of the Temple. Illumination from the Grandes Chroniques de France, c. 1455–1460.

Heresy In Christianity

Heresy In Christianity Heresy in Christianity denotes the formal denial or doubt of a core doctrine of the Christian faith as defined by one or more of the Christian churches. In Western Christianity, heresy most commonly refers to those beliefs which were declared to be anathema by any of the ecumenical councils recognized by the Catholic Church. In the East, the term “heresy”...

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Essence–energies Distinction

Essence–energies Distinction The essence–energies distinction was formulated by Gregory Palamas of Thessaloniki (1296–1359), as part of his defense of the Athonite monastic practice of hesychasmos, the mystical exercise of “stillness” to facilitate ceaseless inner prayer and noetic contemplation of God, against the charge of heresy brought by the humanist scholar and theologian Barlaam of Calabria. In Palamite theology, there is a distinction between the essence (ousia) and the energies (energeia) of God....

Galileo Galilei facing the Roman Inquisition, Cristiano Banti

Inquisition

Inquisition The Inquisition, in historical ecclesiastical parlance also referred to as the “Holy Inquisition“, was a group of institutions within the Catholic Church whose aim was to combat heresy. The Inquisition started in 12th-century France to combat religious dissent, in particular the Cathars and the Waldensians. Other groups investigated later included the Spiritual Franciscans,...

The St. Bartholomew's Day massacre of French Protestants in 1572

History Of Christian Thought On Persecution And Tolerance

History Of Christian Thought On Persecution And Tolerance This article covers the history of Christian thought on persecution and tolerance. This article gives a historical overview of Christian positions on the persecution of Christians, persecutions by Christians, religious persecution, and toleration. Christian theologians like Augustine of Hippo and Thomas Aquinas legitimized religious persecution to various...

Baphomet

Baphomet Baphomet is a deity that the Knights Templar were accused of worshipping, and that subsequently was incorporated into occult and mystical traditions. The name Baphomet appeared in trial transcripts for the Inquisition of the Knights Templar starting in 1307. It first came into popular English usage in the 19th...

Your gods don't exist

Outline Of Atheism

Outline Of Atheism Here are the articles on the outline of Atheism. Atheism – rejection of belief in the existence of deities. In a narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities. Most inclusively, atheism is simply the absence of belief that any deities exist. Atheism is contrasted with theism,...

Jan Hus Being Burnt at the Stake

Heresy

Heresy Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, in particular the accepted beliefs of a church or religious organization. A heretic is a proponent of such claims or beliefs. Heresy is distinct from both apostasy, which is the explicit renunciation of...

Atheism

Atheism

Atheism Atheism (“not believing in god“) refers in its broadest sense to a denial of theism (the belief in the existence of a single deity or deities). Atheism has many shades and types. Some atheists strongly deny the existence of God (or any form of deity) and attack theistic claims. Yet certainty as...

No law 200 miles

Antinomianism

Antinomianism Antinomianism is any view which rejects laws or legalism and argues against moral, religious or social norms (Latin: mores), or is at least considered to do so. The term has both religious and secular meanings. In Christianity, an antinomian is one who takes the principle of salvation by faith and divine grace to the point of asserting...

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Apostasy

Apostasy Apostasy is the formal disaffiliation from, or abandonment or renunciation of a religion by a person. It can also be defined within the broader context of embracing an opinion contrary to one’s previous beliefs. One who undertakes apostasy is known as an apostate. Undertaking apostasy is called apostatizing (or apostasizing – also spelled apostacizing). The term apostasy is used...

Atheist

What Is Atheism?

What Is Atheism? Atheism is, in the broadest sense, an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities. Atheism is contrasted with theism, which, in its most general form, is...

Anti-cult Movement

Anti-cult Movement

Anti-cult Movement The anti-cult movement (abbreviated ACM; sometimes called the countercult movement) is a social group which opposes any new religious movement (NRM) that they characterize as a cult. Sociologists David Bromley and Anson Shupe initially defined the ACM in 1981 as a collection of groups embracing brainwashing-theory, but later observed a significant shift in ideology towards pathologizing membership in NRMs. One element...

A diagram showing the relationship between the definitions of weak/strong and implicit/explicit atheism. Explicit strong/positive/hard atheists (in purple on the right) assert that "at least one deity exists" is a false statement. Explicit weak/negative/soft atheists (in blue on the right) reject or eschew belief that any deities exist without actually asserting that "at least one deity exists" is a false statement. Implicit weak/negative atheists (in blueon the left), according to authors such as George H. Smith, would include people (such as young children and some agnostics) who do not believe in a deity but have not explicitly rejected such belief. (Sizes in the diagram are not meant to indicate relative sizes within a population.)

Implicit And Explicit Atheism

Implicit And Explicit Atheism Implicit atheism and explicit atheism are types of atheism. In George H. Smith’s Atheism: The Case Against God, “implicit atheism” is defined as “the absence of theistic belief without a conscious rejection of it”, while “explicit atheism” is “the absence of theistic belief due to a conscious rejection of it”. Explicit atheists have...

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Why Is Atheism So Widespread?

Why Is Atheism So Widespread? Atheism means denying God’s existence, rejecting His commandments, avoiding religious reflection and seriousness, and considering oneself independent of Him. As such beliefs negate the concept of sin, people imagine that they can live as they please and thus begin to corrupt their hearts and minds....