Throughout history, heresy was punished in different ways.
A heresy is an opinion or a set of ideas that oppose beliefs considered irrevocable in a social context. Generally, the hegemonic ideal responds to a religious archetype and is based on the imposition of a doctrine or dogma of faith , which must be strictly respected by all individuals who are part of society.
The emergence of a heresy occurs due to a dissidence in the way in which two or more groups understand the truth of existence . For example: “Maintaining that Mary was not a virgin is an unacceptable heresy,” “Adoptionism is a heresy that maintains that Christ is a human being who acquired divinity when he was adopted by God.”
The Catholic Church and heresy
The Catholic Church is one of the institutions that has most strictly defended its dogmas. In his desire to have absolute power, he has condemned all those who oppose his truth. For this reason, throughout history many persecutions and murders have been committed against those individuals who expressed a line of thought that conflicted with what was established by the church . The sentences for them could range from excommunication to torture of all kinds and murder.
Martin Luther y Galileo Galilei son dos de los personajes históricos excomulgados y considerados herejes por la Catholic church. En el caso de Galilei la acusación resultó más necia, ya que las teorías manifestadas por este pensador, They had a succulent scientific support. Esto dejó en evidencia que la Iglesia no se oponía a aquello que consideraba falso, sino a todo lo que pone en riesgo la hegemonía de sus ideas.
The Catholic Church accused Galileo Galilei of committing heresies.
Classification according to type
Within the Church, a heretic is someone who, having been baptized and being aware of the truths of the faith, denies or questions the word of God . It is worth mentioning that there is a detailed list of the possible ways to commit heresy, and whoever complies with them must give their statement to the institution. The most important events in history are:
* That of the ABCs . Those who in the 16th century assured that the way to save oneself was not knowing how to read or write. They affirmed Luther's ideas, but took them to an absolutist extreme. They considered that the sacred scriptures were no longer necessary, since the truth could be perceived only through the spirit, with a life of reflection.
* Adoptionism is another type of heresy. This doctrine recognizes Jesus as a human being who was elevated to divine status by God's design through adoption . This classification includes the Jewish rite, which denies the virginity of Mary and the existence of Jesus as the real son of God. One of the best-known adoptionists was Theodotus the Tanner, who lived in Rome around the year 190.
It is important to note that the only way not to be a heretic (if you are baptized) is by signing the document of Apostasy , through which a Catholic renounces his faith before the institution and is free from all obligations regarding the doctrines of the Church .
The notion of heresy in colloquial language
In colloquial speech, the concept has acquired other meanings. Some of them are:
* The erroneous sentence against the principles of a science or an art . Example: “Many writers think that García Márquez committed heresy by calling for the abolition of spelling rules.”
* The wrong action . Example: “Throwing food in the trash in a world with millions of hungry people is heresy.”
* Insultory words or harm caused unjustly . Example: “Hitting such a small child is a true heresy.”