Heresy is a belief that conflicts with established doctrine, historically considered a crime and punished severely. Today, legal penalties for heresy are unusual, but ecclesiastical penalties still exist. Different religions have different approaches to religious doctrine, and debates about sources for correct doctrinal information can become heretical. In the past, Christians who professed beliefs deemed inconsistent with dogma could be subject to punishments such as torture and execution. Social attitudes towards religion and heresy underwent a change after the Reformation, and heresy is no longer considered a crime against society. Most courts around the world do not recognize heresy charges, and they are tried in ecclesiastical courts.
Heresy is a belief that conflicts with established doctrine. The term was originally coined specifically in reference to religion and today can be used more generally to talk about beliefs that appear to be at odds with those generally accepted by society. Historically, religious heresy was considered a crime and people could be severely punished. Today, legal penalties for heresy are unusual in most nations, although there are ecclesiastical penalties for heretics, such as excommunication from the faith.
Approaches to religious doctrine vary. Some religions are based on religious texts, church leaders’ opinions, and established procedures. Others prefer to stick to specific texts. Indeed, debates about sources for correct doctrinal information can themselves become heretical; for example, during the rise of the Protestant Church, the Catholic Church condemned many religious leaders as heretics for stating that Christians should be able to read the Bible for themselves and should derive information about faith directly from the Bible rather than from a priesthood that these leaders believed was corrupt.
In the Christian faith, beliefs in heresy and punishments for heretics led to a series of persecutions in the Middle Ages and through the Protestant Reformation. Christians who professed beliefs deemed inconsistent with dogma could be subject to punishments such as torture and execution. Members of other faiths, such as Judaism, were subject to similar punishments. In regions such as Spain, some people converted or pretended to convert to Christianity in order to remain in their homeland during a series of expulsions aimed at heretics, with many living in fear of being declared converts and accused of heretical thinking.
Social attitudes towards religion and heresy underwent a change after the Reformation; while people were still accused of heresy and might face social ostracism for espousing beliefs that seemed to conflict with Christian strife, they did not risk torture and execution for their beliefs. Heresy was no longer considered a crime against society, but rather an issue that the Church had to deal with on its own. People confessing heretical beliefs can still be expelled from religious organizations, and in regions where religious belief and social status are closely linked, heretics can find it difficult to work and live in their communities after excommunication.
Most courts around the world do not recognize heresy charges. Instead, they are tried in ecclesiastical courts, tribunals specially convened to deal with religious matters. These courts are overseen by church officials and involve lawyers trained in church law. They typically have no jurisdiction over people who are not members of the faith.
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