any opinions or doctrines at variance with the official or orthodox position
<noun.cognition>
a belief that rejects the orthodox tenets of a religion
<noun.cognition>
Heresy \Her"e*sy\, n.; pl. {Heresies}. [OE. heresie, eresie, OF. heresie, iresie, F. h['e]r['e]sie, L. haeresis, Gr. ? a taking, a taking for one's self, choosing, a choice, a sect, a heresy, fr. ? to take, choose.] 1. An opinion held in opposition to the established or commonly received doctrine, and tending to promote a division or party, as in politics, literature, philosophy, etc.; -- usually, but not necessarily, said in reproach.
New opinions Divers and dangerous, which are heresies, And, not reformed, may prove pernicious. --Shak.
After the study of philosophy began in Greece, and the philosophers, disagreeing amongst themselves, had started many questions . . . because every man took what opinion he pleased, each several opinion was called a heresy; which signified no more than a private opinion, without reference to truth or falsehood. --Hobbes.
2. (Theol.) Religious opinion opposed to the authorized doctrinal standards of any particular church, especially when tending to promote schism or separation; lack of orthodox or sound belief; rejection of, or erroneous belief in regard to, some fundamental religious doctrine or truth; heterodoxy.
Doubts 'mongst divines, and difference of texts, From whence arise diversity of sects, And hateful heresies by God abhor'd. --Spenser.
Deluded people! that do not consider that the greatest heresy in the world is a wicked life. --Tillotson.
3. (Law) An offense against Christianity, consisting in a denial of some essential doctrine, which denial is publicly avowed, and obstinately maintained.
A second offense is that of heresy, which consists not in a total denial of Christianity, but of some its essential doctrines, publicly and obstinately avowed. --Blackstone.
Note: ``When I call dueling, and similar aberrations of honor, a moral heresy, I refer to the force of the Greek ?, as signifying a principle or opinion taken up by the will for the will's sake, as a proof or pledge to itself of its own power of self-determination, independent of all other motives.'' --Coleridge.
I offer rituals to keep heresy at bay.
Thus, he often finds himself committing the medical heresy of telling patients to take it easy.
And as commercial independence followed religious independence, it is bringing political heresy.
"We were found guilty of heresy," Wilbur Tracy said.
The county is even considering building toll roads to parallel existing freeways, a step that would have been heresy not long ago in the land where car is king.
Some of the most illiberal thinking of the era is to be found in so-called humanities and liberal arts departments, where dissenting views seem to be treated with the same compassion that the medieval church granted to heresy.
Only the underlying assumption offends, that what is now academic should be defended and promoted as being of the first current importance, the persistent heresy that only what is avant-garde, soi-disant revolutionary, can ever be truly significant.
Under that law, Islamic courts may prescribe beheading by the sword and crucifixion for those convicted of heresy or murder, the chopping off of hands and feet for thieves, and stoning for adulterers.
Praise for the power and mobility of the camera is, of course, heresy to highbrows who blame the decline of Western art on the invention of that infernal machine.
A few months ago she went on the board of Inveresk, the Scottish paper company. In Labour's good old days it would have been heresy for her to be seen mixing with the bosses.
'It is not sacrilege, heresy or treason to talk about priorities.' It is not clear what Noar will do when his two-year contract with PPP comes to an end.
Such views are rank heresy to his academic colleagues in the economics profession, who agree on few things other than the tenet that trade barriers almost always do more harm than good.
Kieran Cooke, Kuala Lumpur It is tantamount to heresy to question the performance of Malaysia's economy.
What was heresy only a few years ago is fast becoming fashionable orthodoxy.
A GAS barbecue might sound like heresy, but it works.
Frightened seminary professors tape-record their classes and avoid distributing lecture notes to students, hunkering down against the threat of a future heresy inquiry.
None are ready to own up to such heresy in public.
It's one-stop shopping, and that's worth something." To proponents of no-load fund investing, the views of Messrs. Hirsch, Phillips and Kobren are pure heresy.