Apostasy
Overview
Apostasy is the formal disaffiliation
from or abandonment or renunciation of a religion
by a person. One who commits apostasy (or who apostatises) is known as an apostate. These terms have a pejorative
implication in everyday use. The term apostasy is used by sociologists
to mean renunciation and criticism of, or opposition to, a person's former religion, in a technical sense and without pejorative connotation.
The term is sometimes also used by extension to refer to renunciation of a non-religious belief or cause, such as a political party
, brain trust
, or, facetiously, a sports team.
Apostasy is generally not a self-definition: very few former believers call themselves apostates because of the pejorative implications of the term.
Many religious groups and some states punish apostates.
Religious disaffiliation
Religious disaffiliation means leaving a faith, or a religious group or community. It is in many respects the reverse of religious conversion...
from or abandonment or renunciation of a religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
by a person. One who commits apostasy (or who apostatises) is known as an apostate. These terms have a pejorative
Pejorative
Pejoratives , including name slurs, are words or grammatical forms that connote negativity and express contempt or distaste. A term can be regarded as pejorative in some social groups but not in others, e.g., hacker is a term used for computer criminals as well as quick and clever computer experts...
implication in everyday use. The term apostasy is used by sociologists
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
to mean renunciation and criticism of, or opposition to, a person's former religion, in a technical sense and without pejorative connotation.
The term is sometimes also used by extension to refer to renunciation of a non-religious belief or cause, such as a political party
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
, brain trust
Brain Trust
Brain trust began as a term for a group of close advisors to a political candidate or incumbent, prized for their expertise in particular fields. The term is most associated with the group of advisors to Franklin Roosevelt during his presidential administration...
, or, facetiously, a sports team.
Apostasy is generally not a self-definition: very few former believers call themselves apostates because of the pejorative implications of the term.
Many religious groups and some states punish apostates.
Quotations
Still in the garden shadows art Thou pleading,Staining the night dews with Thine agony;But one is there Thy woe and prayer unheeding,And to their guileless preyThy murderers leading, Lord, is it I?
George Huntingdon, reported in Josiah Hotchkiss Gilbert, Dictionary of Burning Words of Brilliant Writers (1895), p. 14.
"The apostate is generally in need of self-justification. He seeks to reconstruct his own past, to excuse his former affiliations, and to blame those who were formerly his closest associates. Not uncommonly the apostate learns to rehearse an 'atrocity story' to explain how, by manipulation, trickery, coercion, or deceit, he was induced to join or to remain within an organization that he now forswears and condemns."
Bryan Wilson, The Social Dimensions of Sectarianism