Line #41 Main/TheHeretic


1	[[quoteright:225:[[TabletopGame/Warhammer40000 https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/imagesCA5KD61T_2953.jpg]]]]
2	[[caption-width-right:225:[[UsefulNotes/TheSpanishInquisition The Inquisition]] warns you. [[JustForFun/TVTropesWillRuinYourLife Plots are made to be enjoyed]]. Do not analyze. Do not criticize. Eat your {{Filler}} and read your [[MST3KMantra mantras]] daily.]]
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4	->''"With regard to heretics two points must be observed: one, on their own side; the other, on the side of the Church. On their own side there is the sin, whereby they deserve not only to be separated from the Church by excommunication, but also to be severed from the world by death. For it is a much graver matter to corrupt the faith which quickens the soul, than to forge money, which supports temporal life. Wherefore if forgers of money and other evil-doers are forthwith condemned to death by the secular authority, much more reason is there for heretics, as soon as they are convicted of heresy, to be not only excommunicated but even put to death."''
5	-->-- '''St. Creator/ThomasAquinas''', ''Literature/SummaTheologiae'' (II-II, q. 11, art. 3)
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7	The word "heresy" is derived from the Greek word ''haeresis'', meaning "party" or "sect" (as in heterodox splinter group, an organized minority who go against {{canon}}). It is ultimately derived from the verb ''haireo'', meaning (among other things) "to choose," "to prefer," so etymologically, a heretic can be thought of as a person who chooses his own path. This need not be true in practice, of course, as the heretic may adhere to his own set of beliefs just as unreflectively as any mainstream believer. However, under systems which promote rigidly dogmatic ideologies, free-spirited persons who oppose them will almost by default be labeled heretics by the authorities.
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9	The Heretic is someone who has committed ThoughtCrime or outright treason against TheChurch; a person who has corrupted, perverted and manipulated its philosophy and ideology. Most commonly, he was once a member of its congregation or even its [[GoodShepherd clergy]] but got officially excommunicated for propagating beliefs that go against TheChurch's official dogma. Often, the Church sends out [[KnightTemplar Knights Templar]] to [[KillItWithFire Kill Them With Fire]] along with [[BurnTheWitch witches]]. Just being a heretic doesn't mark you evil by default: A heretic to a SaintlyChurch is often ChaoticEvil, but a heretic to a CorruptChurch or a PathOfInspiration may well be a DefectorFromDecadence. [[EvilVersusEvil Or just as bad as them.]]
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11	To qualify as a heresy worthy of condemnation, the "heresy" should have an intrinsic connection to doctrines of the church in question. Someone who merely disagrees with the Church as an outsider is not a heretic — non-followers are more properly called "nonbelievers" (or "infidels", less politely). Heresy was distinguished from heathenism or paganism in that a heathen blasphemed simply because he or she was ignorant of God's light, whereas a heretic was a Christian, and knowingly contradicted the teachings of God and his Church. As long as heathens did not endanger the Christian faith (and usually as long as local Christians could not aspire to convert them), then it was generally okay to do trade with them. However, a heretic who modified the doctrines of Christianity while still claiming to be Christian was dangerous to the unity of the Faith. For instance, Hypatia of Alexandria, Wiccans, and Buddhists are not considered "heretics" to the Catholic religion, but Padre Ned Reidy was put on trial for heresy.
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13	Much like YourTerroristsAreOurFreedomFighters in the political realm, those whom the Church labels "heretics" often claim that they're actually "reformers" or "purifiers". Christian theologian Irenaeus popularized the word heresy in the Christian world in his anti-UsefulNotes/{{Gnostic\|ism}} tracts. Multiple heretics often form a {{Cult}}. Heresies are often named for their leader, e.g. Arianism, propagated by Arius. If these groups persist and grow, they can become "denominations" of a religion, e.g. Lutheranism, founded by [[UsefulNotes/TheProtestantReformation Martin Luther]]. Even UsefulNotes/{{Islam}} has been occasionally called a heresy by Christians.
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15	Compare ThoughtCrime and IllegalReligion. For deviations or treason against the Canon of fictional media and/or their fandoms, see FandomHeresy.
16	----
17	!!Examples:
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22	* Lenard and Elfetine's sect in ''Literature/ScrappedPrincess''. However, their "heresy" [[spoiler:was ''provoked'' by Lenard, who is an (overly ambitious) cleric himself, in the first place]].
23	* Heresy is a common charge leveled against people in ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'', particularly by those who serve the [[CorruptChurch Holy See]]. The Count from the third major manga story uses the charge of heresy to get himself people to eat, being an Apostle. And Mozgus in particular is [[KnightTemplar very]] [[ColdBloodedTorture much]] merciless in dealing with those who he considers heretics. [[EvilVersusEvil The true heretics themselves (at least Slan's cult) are not much better]].
24	* Arachne from ''Manga/SoulEater'' is described as a "heretic Witch" because of the way she created the original magical Weapons features in the series, namely, by fusing a normal human soul with a weapon, as well as a soul of a Witch (holding the power of transformation). Thus, she's hunted not just by the good guys, but her fellow witches.
25	* ''Literature/ACertainMagicalIndex'':
26	** Creator/AleisterCrowley was once one of the greatest sorcerers in the world, but then he decided to defect to the Science Side. Given that there is a secret MagicVersusScience war going on, he's become one of the most hated figures on the Magic Side.
27	** Richard Brave is a sorcerer who wields a FlamingSword called Lævateinn. The Magic Side declares him a heretic because the sword uses a combination of magic and science to work instead of pure magic. In response to the Magic Side dissing his finest creation, Richard declares his hatred of the Magic Side and tries to get revenge.
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31	* ''Franchise/StarWars'':
32	** [[BigBad Darth Krayt]] in ''ComicBook/StarWarsLegacy'' was seen as this by his Sith predecessors. He abandoned the RuleOfTwo in favor of his Rule of One, which taught blind obedience to him and the Sith as a whole in defiance of their SocialDarwinist tenets. In fact, one could argue that the whole point of the Sith Code is to [[{{Ubermensch}} not have to follow rules and be your own master]]. When he [[SpiritAdvisor communes with the]] {{Virtual Ghost}}s of past Sith Lords seeking guidance, they're all disgusted with him and brand him a heretic unworthy of being called Sith for preaching the antithesis of their entire ReligionOfEvil.
33	** Part of the reason for Bane's intense ire was that his own Sith master Lord Kaan seen in the ''Jedi Vs. Sith'' series had similar views to Krayt. Kaan was fully aware of the ChronicBackstabbingDisorder among the Sith and actively discouraged it to the point of forbidding the use of their Darth title, demanding greater cooperation of the Sith [[WeAreStrugglingTogether in order to more effectively fight the Jedi and Republic]]. Bane resented him for rejecting their way of life and became TheStarscream.
34	** In the ContinuityReboot, Darths Vader and Sidious are accused of this by the ghost of the ancient Sith Lord Darth Momin in ''ComicBook/DarthVaderDarkLordOfTheSith''. As a pre-RuleOfTwo Sith, Momin was disgusted by Sidious' [[MagnificentBastard use of subterfuge to conquer the galaxy]] rather than outright force, and is disgusted with Vader for being [[FallenHero a former Jedi]].
35	* In ''ComicBook/WhiteSand'', the non-Sand Masters alternate between calling them heretics and infidels, depending on how fanatic they are themselves, because of Masters' practice of magic.
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39	* ''Fanfic/AClashOfNEETS'': Claire Greyjoy (actually the reincarnated [[Literature/KonoSuba Claire Shinfornea]], replacing Asha Greyjoy in this universe) is one of the few Ironborn who worships the Seven Goddesses of the mainlanders, and not the Drowned Goddess. Mostly because she's ''met'' the Drowned Goddess, aka [[spoiler: [[Literature/NyarukoCrawlingWithLove Nyarko-San]]]], and would like nothing better than to file a restraining order against her.
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43	* In ''Film/{{Kenau}}'', what a lot of Dutch people are, according to the Spanish. The persecution of Protestants is the main reason the Low Countries rose in revolt against Spain. It is also the reason why Kenau's daughter is burned, and triggers her anger against the Spanish so much that she goes from RefusalOfTheCall to JumpedAtTheCall in no time.
44	* ''Film/AssassinsCreed2016'': The Spanish Inquisition (the 15th/16th century Templars) consider Aguilar and the other Assassins to be such, and burns them at the stake for it. The exact nature of it is vague because it's not really about heresy but the Templars getting rid of their enemies and using this as a public excuse (the real Templars actually had this happen to ''them'', although much earlier, and they were disbanded by the Pope).
45	* ''Film/BloodOfTheTribades'': Many vampires are persecuted by the priests for violating their doctrines, such as by drinking blood that isn't Bathor's, letting others feed on it, or revealing that the cause of their disease is the blood of Bathor.
46	* ''Film/TheHolyOffice'': The Carvajales and the rest of crypto-Jews are burned at the stake for this crime.
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49	[[folder:Literature]]
50	* The Damned One is history's greatest heretic in ''Literature/ArciaChronicles''. The twist in his case is that he is actually [[spoiler:St. Erasti, one of the most (if not ''the'' most) revered saints of TheChurch. This knowledge was so dangerous that the Church [[WrittenByTheWinners erased all connections]] between St. Erasti and the Damned One from history after his defeat.]]
51	* The Preacher in ''Literature/ChildrenOfDune'' certainly counts as this. He wanders the cities and settlements on the planet Arrakis, speaking out against the religion that has grown around the late Paul Atreides and his sister Alia. Of course it turns out that [[spoiler:the Preacher actually ''is'' Paul, having walked blind into the desert several years before, thus essentially excommunicating '''himself''' from the dogmatic power structure that he had begun to hate.]]
52	%%* Nicholas Harpole in ''[[Literature/TheCompanyNovels In The Garden of Iden]]''.
53	* Oelita, the Gentle Heretic, in ''Literature/CourtshipRite'', preaches against cannibalism and the belief that the moving light in the sky is a god. When our heroes are told of her by the clan leader, they assume they're going to be sent to kill her, and are shocked to learn that they're being ordered to marry her, and bring her congregation under Kaiel influence.
54	* ''{{Literature/Discworld}}'':
55	** The Omnian church indegenerated into this from its original purpose. Discworld gods need belief to survive, but as their religion gets more and more elaborate, people believed in the rituals and ceremonies more than the god itself, until Om was almost starved and the church became a totalitarian nightmare, with a special Quisition being formed to root out heretics in their own fold. They they started looking for heretics (and witches) abroad, such as those who might preach ridiculous nonsense like the world being flat and carried on the back of a giant turtle, when every good Omnian knows the world is round. ''Literature/SmallGods'' shows how they finally got out of this mindset thanks to Om's last true believer (the book has simultaneously been called an attack on, and a defense of, Christianity). The later ''Literature/TheScienceOfDiscworld IV'' features an unreconstructed Omnian [[TheFundamentalist fundamentalist]] who comes very close to accusing ''Om'' of heresy.
56	** As mentioned in ''Literature/TheFifthElephant'', dwarfs think they have no religion, but "being a dwarf" ''is'' a religion. ''Literature/{{Thud}}'' introduces the deep-down grags, who seem to believe almost all dwarfs are heretics of this religion. By ''Literature/RaisingSteam'', they are described as being well on their way to suspecting ''each other'' of heresy, based on any form of dissent whatsoever.
57	* In the ''Franchise/{{Disgaea}}'' [[Literature/DisgaeaNovels novels]] we meet [[OurAngelsAreDifferent angel]] [[Characters/DisgaeaNovels Ozonne]] who propagates beliefs that go against [[FluffyCloudHeaven Celestia's]] official dogma and is considered to be a heretic, but she is not excommunicated for it because the [[BigGood big boss]] [[PhysicalGod Seraph Lamington]] want to let heretics run free.
58	* In ''Literature/TheDivineComedy'', heretics can be found in the sixth circle of Hell. Their punishment is to lie in flaming tombs. The ones we see are there because they were Epicureans, which was considered heresy because Epicurus's deistic beliefs (he thought that the gods lived far off and paid no attention to mortal lives, and that [[CessationOfExistence the soul died with the body]]) contradicted major points of Christian doctrine.
59	* Creator/DavidEddings' novels:
60	** In ''Literature/TheRedemptionOfAlthalus'', one of [[TheAtoner Althalus]]' major enemies is a "defrocked" priest.
61	** The recurring villain Martel in ''Literature/TheElenium'', a former [[ThePaladin Church Knight]] who turned to the worship of the [[GodOfEvil Dark God Azash]] and committed various atrocities since.
62	** Zedar the Apostate of ''Literature/TheBelgariad'', who started as one of Aldur's disciples and eventually switched sides and signed on with Torak.
63	* In the satirical poem ''Jobsiade'' (1784) by Carl Arnold Kortum, Jobs is examined on his theological knowledge, including the question what the Manichean heresy and their error was. Since his knowledge ends outside the pubs he regularly visits, Jobs' answers ("They thought I would pay them after all, but I managed to bilk them at the end!") are only ''secundum ordinem'' (English: EpicFail).
64	* ''Literature/TheMachineriesOfEmpire'': in the Hexarchate, people who refuse to follow the High Calendar (which [[RealityWarping warps reality]] to produce [[FunctionalMagic exotic effects]]) are considered heretics. Some are reformed, while others are tortured on holidays.
65	* ''Literature/MerkabahRider'': The Rider's evil mentor Adon, who turns on his order and then pursues Mythos sorcery.
66	* ''Literature/TheNameOfTheRose'', by Creator/UmbertoEco, entirely revolves around the theme of the thin line between orthodoxy and heresy, and what happens when people cross it.
67	* ''Literature/OfFireAndStars'': In Mynaria, the Recusants are a dissident sect who, unlike the majority, not only view magic as good but revere it (it's apparently made up mostly of magic users). Though the majority are told Recusants don't believe in the [[FantasyPantheon Six Gods]], this turns out to be false-they believe magic is their gift. It leads to increasing violent conflict with the Mynarian fundamentalists.
68	* ''Literature/{{Safehold}}'': The Church of God Awaiting brands the entire nation of Charis as being heretics, mainly because they had the gall to survive the Church's attempts to obliterate them out of sheer paranoia. So far, despite having called down a holy war upon the Charisians, they have yet to learn that many of the leaders of Charis really ''are'' heretics, although the heresy they believe in (that the Archangels were [[GodGuise not really divine messengers]]) is actually true.
69	* ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends'':
70	** PosthumousCharacter Leor Hal in ''Franchise/StarWars: RoguePlanet'' was a Jedi Padawan who around 132 BBY came up with the theory of Potentium, a philosophy which believed that [[BadPowersGoodPeople you could use whatever Force powers you wanted and the Dark Side wouldn't affect you if you simply refused to let it]]. Yoda and the rest of the Jedi High Council branded him and his followers a {{cult}} and expelled them from TheOrder. Hal ended up becoming an UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom, as his teachings directly led to the [[Literature/LegacyOfTheForce "Unifying Force" theory and the Second Galactic]] CivilWar with WordOfGod directly calling his ideas corrupt and misguided.
71	** On the Sith's side there was Darth Gravid from ''Literature/DarthPlagueis'', a Sith Lord who singlehandedly set their Order back 500 years. After realizing [[BeingEvilSucks how self-destructive the Dark Side is]], he [[TokenGoodTeammate chose to follow the Light Side instead]] and attempted to reconcile the Sith SocialDarwinist tenets with the AllLovingHero philosophy of the Jedi. This drove him mad, and before he was killed by his apprentice he tried to destroy all the research and artifacts they had accumulated since Literature/DarthBane's time and remake their ReligionOfEvil according to his beliefs. He very nearly succeeded, destroying most of the knowledge and forcing future generations of Sith to start almost from scratch.
72	** The Teepo Paladins of ''Literature/CoruscantNights'' were a sect of the Jedi Order who advocated for the use of blasters in addition to the [[LaserBlade lightsaber]], [[DoesntLikeGuns which resulted in them being censured by the Council]] and ostracized as potential [[TheDarkSide dark siders]]. In response to this, a more radical sect known as the Gray Paladins emerged who believed in minimal dependence on the Force, living as {{Badass Normal}}s [[SuperheroPackingHeat that just happen to be able to kill you with their mind]]. Their namesake, Teepo, was a member of a sect of Jedi known as the Jedi Lords who were OfferedTheCrown by grateful citizens during the [[Literature/DarthBane New Sith Wars]] and accepted in direct violation of their WarriorMonk tenets, which was yet another reason for their punishment.
73	* ''Literature/TheStormlightArchive'': Jasnah Kholin, sister to the King of Alethkar, is an avowed atheist in a world where people have trouble even understanding the ''concept'' of not following the major religion. Her uncle Dalinar, who is himself staunchly religious, greatly respects her for being honest instead of pretending for the sake of appearances. Dalinar himself starts drifting into heresy by the third book as he discovers how far off the mark the Vorin faith's teachings are.
74	* St. Creator/ThomasAquinas writes in his ''Literature/SummaTheologiae'', Part II-II, Q. 11, that heretics not only should ''not'' be tolerated but also deserve to be excommunicated and handed over to a secular tribunal, where they may be put to death. This is because the heretic seeks to distort Christian doctrine, which will lead a Christian astray and subsequently damn him, which is a graver matter than, say, forging money.
75	* Lots of this in the ''Literature/TalesOfTheBranionRealm'' series, which features a divine royal family whose monarch is a GodInHumanForm, the Vessel of the Living Flame.
76	** Book 1: [[RebelPrince A prince rebels]] against his mother, which given her status is both heresy and treason.
77	** Book 2: A Seer priest is part of a conspiracy to murder the Vessel, repents, and joins the Heir's protectors. The leader in charge of this RagtagBunchOfMisfits follows an entirely different faith, and his own God has ordered him to protect the Flame's Vessel -- possibly to ensure that its own followers are treated better in the Flame's country.
78	** Book 3: The Vessels themselves are heretics, having converted to a different religion and [[SealedInsideAPersonShapedCan trapping the Flame within their own bodies]]; the protagonists [[SaveYourDeity rescue It]] by [[StalkerWithATestTube seducing the Vessel]], having his firstborn son and raising him to kill his father -- also heresy, since this is like killing Jesus to free God from his human prison.
79	** Book 4: The protagonists are a heretic cult, trying to give the other three ElementalPowers their own avatars.
80	* High Priest Rheaesi in ''Literature/TheWillBeDone'' zig-zags it a bit; he's not ''technically'' a heretic, but the Church pretty much views him as such, and he gets [[PublicExecution executed]] in the end.
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84	* The Resistance movement in the pilot of ''{{Series/Lexx}}'' were known as the Heretics against the Divine Order, with their leader Thodin being the Arch-Heretic.
85	* The reformation had just started at the start of ''Series/TheTudors'', but gained momentum as the series went on. Because of that the list grew ever longer. Here goes: [[FemmeFatale Anne Boleyn]], [[EnsembleDarkHorse Thomas Cromwell]], [[CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass Archbishop Cranmer]], Thomas Boleyn, Catherine Parr, [[GirlInTheTower Anne Parr]], [[MagnificentBastard Edward Seymour]], [[MagnificentBastard Anne Stanhope]], [[AllGirlsWantBadBoys Thomas Seymour]], [[PutOnABus The Duchess of Suffolk]], [[CoolTeacher Kate Ashley]] and [[OneSceneWonder Anne Askew]]. Some of them suffered for it, all the others at least lived in fear of discovery.
86	** [[WiseBeyondTheirYears Elizabeth]] and [[AChildShallLeadThem Edward]] are also raised this way.
87	** During the course of the series quite a few minor characters got burned and tortured for this reason as well.
88	* ''Series/TheHandmaidsTale'': All members of the resistance groups are heretics according to the Republic of Gilead, and punished for this, not anything else. That's because officially, there isn't a resistance.
89	* ''Series/PerryMason2020'': Sister Alice is denounced by many of her own congregation after claiming she will raise little Charlie from the dead, feeling this is blasphemy. They even split off to form their own church and say they won't come back until she is brought down by failure or recants.
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93	* Muerte Cibernetica and Ozz were this in La Wrestling/{{AAA}} Secta started by Cibernetico, as they each attempted to shift the focus of the religion from worship against Antonio Pena to worship of themselves. Although Cibernetico was able to defeat both men in the ring, he ultimately lost his influence as a religious leader, for whatever that's worth.
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96	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
97	* ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000''[='s=] [[ChurchMilitant theocratic]] [[TheEmpire Imperium of Man]] has a saying: "light your way in the darkness with [[BurnTheWitch the pyres of burning heretics]]." The civil war that almost destroyed it after its founding and put the GodEmperor on life-support is labeled the Literature/HorusHeresy, there's an entire Ordo of the [[StateSec Inquisition]] devoted to rooting out heresy, and being executed for heresy is [[EverythingIsTryingToKillYou just one of the many ways to die in the 41st millennium]].
98	** Of course, in this case they have a point: the Chaos Gods reward such activities as bloodshed, betrayal, sadism, and spreading disease. Faith in the Emperor is just about the only defense Imperial citizens have against Chaos.
99	** The Imperium is just so ''big'' that the more realistic Ecclesiarchs have given up on ever achieving a uniform Imperial Cult, and must tolerate Him on Earth being worshiped according to different worlds' customs - Humanity's unifier made divine, a sun deity, the Omnissiah, the Allfather, etc. But at the same time, groups like Genestealer Cults, to say nothing of covens dedicated to the Dark Gods, are quite capable of masquerading as properly pious Imperial citizens until they're ready to sacrifice a planet to their dread masters. As a result, the Inquisition gets to spend a lot of time determining which religious groups fall within an acceptable level of deviance, and which need to be burned at the stake. As a rule, it errs on the side of caution.
100	*** Caution here being very much DependingOnTheWriter, with fandom often [[{{Flanderization}} Flanderizing]] the Imperium as willing to glass a planet or twelve at the mere hint of heresy. Inquisitors themselves run the gamut from fanatically strict to those who are quite tolerant and reasonable to those themselves corrupted and willing to use Chaos-based means to fight heresy.
101	*** Thus, the use of the term "Heresy", in Imperial lexicon, does not necessarily mean deviation from religious doctrine, in contrast to the original meaning of the term. Deviations are allowed as long as you have a clear God-Emperor Figure to focus worship upon, such as a MessianicArchetype. In the context of the Imperium, the term "Heresy" actually refers to what real-world political and legal language would call "High Treason", and what theological language would call "apostasy"; betrayal of the State to outside enemies such as the Chaos Gods or rival Xenos empires. Shouting "HERESY!" is just a more medieval and [[RuleOfCool awesome]] way to call political dissidents or traitors to the State.
102	** Ironically, the Imperial Cult was founded on the teachings of Lorgar, Primarch of the Word Bearers and the ''first'' Primarch to fall to Chaos -- the very first heretic.
103	** Not so ironically, the Imperial Cult ''really is heresy'', because the Emperor himself preached an [[FlatEarthAtheist Imperial Truth of science, rationality, and enforced disbelief in the Warp]]... which in and of itself [[NiceJobBreakingItHero did about jack shit]] since the Chaos Gods [[AnthropomorphicPersonification only need people to feel emotions to gain power]], and all it did was leave some of the most powerful of his warriors either ignorant or underestimating their insidious ways until it was too late. Like Lorgar, who was suffering from a HeroicBSOD after the Emperor [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill brutally shattered his desire to worship him by destroying his crown jewel of a city and anyone who refused to leave and reprimanded him and his Legion in public]] when a few members of his Legion came to him about [[EldritchAbomination gods who would gladly accept his worship]]...
104	** There are also heretics who deviate from the Imperium's ''other'' orthodoxy, the Cult Mechanicus. These "hereteks" usually start out as tech-priests who chafe under the Cult's strict restrictions on innovation and study of Xeno technology, and start experimenting with new designs and reverse-engineering captured alien tech, fully intending to better mankind through their work. This being [[CrapsackWorld 40k]], there's some ''very'' good reasons [[AIISACrapshoot these things are forbidden]], and most hereteks end up [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope taking a flying leap off the slippery slope]] sooner or later and going full over to Chaos, if they don't get themselves killed first. And if that wasn't enough, there's a very good chance they (unknowingly) ''are'' heretics- the Omnissiah is supposed to be an aspect of the GodEmperor, but it's strongly hinted that it's actually a C'tan EldritchAbomination known as the Void Dragon, who has power over machines. So while the lower members of the Mechanicus are always happy to discover Necron tomb worlds and poke around until the Necrons wake up, the higher-ups know perfectly well what they're doing.
105	** The [[PlayerCharacter Player Characters]] of ''TabletopGame/BlackCrusade'' are Chaos followers, and books always refer to them as "the Heretics".
106	* Seen every now and then in ''TabletopGame/{{Eberron}}'' concerning the [[CrystalDragonJesus Church of the Silver Flame]]. Occasional Dark Six cults might qualify as this within the Sovereign Host. There are also a few groups such as the Three Faces cults and the Sacred Spark, who are unusual in that they worship ''both'' members of the Sovereign Host and one of the Dark Six as two sides of the same coin (or three sides, for the Three Faces), and so are seen as heretics by most devout of the Sovereign Host ''and'' the Dark Six[[note]]many devout Vassals ''do'' occasionally send prayers in the direction of one of the Dark Six -- it is suggested the two were originally one pantheon, at least insofar as people worshipped them -- but not on the order of actual worship.[[/note]]
107	* Anyone from ''TabletopGame/{{Exalted}}'' working with the Anathema (that is, anyone working with your player character).
108	** There is a growing number of these in [[EternalEngine Autochthon]]. And sometimes they are ''right''.
109	* In ''TabletopGame/{{Ironclaw}}'' there are several heterodoxies of the Church of S'allumer besides the orthodox Penitence. While the Monophysismites are considered outright heretics for believing that the church's founders actually came from another world.
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113	* At the ''Ride/LondonDungeon'', there's a section based on the ReignOfTerror of the Catholic queen UsefulNotes/MaryTudor. Visitors are told about the burnings of Protestants, and one of them is usually invited on stage to be "burnt at the stake".
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116	[[folder:Video Games]]
117	* In ''VideoGame/{{Blasphemous}}'', there is the Brotherhood of the Silent Sorrow, a covenant of warriors of whom the player character, the Penitent One, is a member. The Brotherhood was excommunicated when their mission came to oppose Escribar, the head of the Cvstodian Church. Whatever the incident, it very likely involves the Penitent One's sword, the Mea Culpa.
118	* In ''VideoGame/CrusaderKings 2'', characters can adopt a variety of historical heresies. They tend to be loathed by anyone from the main religion, and imprisoned and forced to convert back. Unless a very powerful king adopts the heresy, in which case the same thing typically happens to the orthodox faithful.
119	** The ''Sons of Abraham'' expansion for the game gives heresies the ability to supplant their parent as the mainstream faith, reducing the old beliefs to being seen as heretical themselves in the process. The earlier ''Legacy of Rome'' expansion allowed the Great Schism to be mended by a sufficiently successful still-Orthodox Byzantium, reducing Catholicism to a heresy of Orthodoxy.
120	** The sequel, ''VideoGame/CrusaderKings 3'', has a mechanic which causes adherents of a religion with low fervor to adopt one of a huge variety of possible procedurally generated heresies. Usually such heretics will be killed or forced to convert back by more powerful rulers, but as in 2, it's possible for them to gain power and supplant historically dominant faiths.
121	* Nero rejects the teachings of his church to save his lover, Kyrie, in ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry4''. It helps that Nero has a better understanding of who Sparda was than the Order's elite, and that Sanctus, the head of the Order, was a power-mad bastard with no understanding of love at all.
122	* ''Franchise/DragonAge'': The Chantry serves as the dominant faith for most of Thedas, but it was actually established as a project of the Orlesian Empire to consolidate their power throughout the known setting, and many Andrastian cults preceded it. As such, there is a huge list of schismatic groups that are branded heretical:
123	** The Imperial Chantry is the Tevinter Imperium's state religion that broke off from the main one due to differing interpretations over the commandment of magic. The Chant of Light teaches that "magic should serve men, not rule over him", the Tevinters interpreted it as magic should serve the greater good and not control men's minds in order to grant freedom to their own mages. They established their own Chantry with their own [[AlwaysMale male]] [[HighPriest Divine]] and clerics (the mainstream Chantry clergy is AlwaysFemale because they believe FemalesAreMoreInnocent), being more tolerant of magic and their own separate teachings like believing [[NoSuchThingAsWizardJesus Andraste to be an powerful mage]].
124	** The Disciples of Andraste were an insular PathOfInspiration that managed to steal her ashes after her body burned at the stake and safeguarded it in a temple located in the Frostback Mountains between the border of Orlais and Ferelden. After centuries, the group began to worship a High Dragon believing her to be Andraste reincarnated. By the time of the third game, the Chantry has retaken the Temple of Sacred Ashes and driven the cult underground.
125	** The Blades of Hessarian are a cult that derive their name from the Tevinter that slayed Andraste and now follow his example by [[TheScourgeOfGod delivering judgment upon the weak and corrupt]]. The Chantry believes their supposed founder, a slave named Trefir who stole the sword used to kill her, likely never existed and is a pure fabrication.
126	** The Order of the Fiery Promise is an ApocalypseCult who preaches that the world must be destroyed so it can be reborn as an new paradise. Though they were apparently destroyed in open combat during the Chantry's earliest days, they managed to survive and infiltrate their orders - specifically the Seekers of Truth. Considering their aims and persistence, they have very good reasons to be declared heretics.
127	** Several minor heresies were also mentioned in the backstory like the Empty Ones (a short lived cult that also believed the Darkspawn were a punishment from the Maker on mankind for killing Andraste and allowed themselves to be devoured by the horde) and the Daughters of Song (a hedonistic group whose [[NonIndicativeName male members also called themselves "daughters"]] and focused on the carnal aspects of Andraste).
128	* In ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind'', the Dissident Priests were heretics to the Tribunal Temple, disputing several points of dogma (though this appears to have been partly a response to being persecuted for questioning Temple ''policy'', which isn't exactly heresy even if the Temple called it that). The Tribunal Temple also persecutes the Nerevarine Cult as heretics (technically they are, just not really of the Temple, seeing as they developed in parallel in response to the same event and from the same source religion. It's actually the ''Temple'' who made the most radical changes of dogma, the Nerevarine Cult just explained away the new gods as false gods and added in a messiah figure). [[spoiler: Both of those change towards the end of the main quest, with the Dissident Priests acknowledged as having had a point with much of what they said and the Nerevarine Cult recognised as being right about the messiah figure thing, both by one of the gods of the Tribunal himself.]]
129	** Actually subverted in the case of the Nerevarine prophecy -- while the Temple considers it a folk superstition and persecutes the Ashlanders who believe it, when you actually show up and start fulfilling the prophecy, you get a letter from the local Archcanon. You see, they're not sure if you're a legitimate reincarnation of St. Nerevar ... so they're going to do their damnedest to try and kill you, as a sort of test. If you really are the Nerevarine, something so petty as a full inquisitorial process could hardly keep you from fulfilling your prophecies, now could it?
130	** At the time of ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim'', the worship of the god Talos is considered heresy in the Empire due to the White-Gold Concordat, a peace treaty between the Empire and the Aldmeri Dominion, including banning Talos worship as one of its terms. However, the Empire does not enforce this very strictly and the Dominion has to send agents into the Empire's more rebellious provinces to ensure that Talos worship is suppressed, and the Stormcloak Rebellion began because Ulfric Stormcloak refused to abide by the terms and allowed Talos worship. The [[PlayerCharacter Dragonborn]] can outright state that they follow Talos, or be noncommittal as to what gods they follow, which will provoke Dominion agents to try to kill them for heresy.
131	* Yuna becomes a heretic in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'' when she resolves to reject the teachings of Bevelle and fight Sin to destruction.
132	** Happens to quite a few people in that game, notably the Crusaders being excommunicated for their use of machina, despite their perfectly good intentions and their continued belief in Yevon.
133	*** Not to mention the clergy actually backed the attempt to use machina to fight Sin. As soon as it failed, they pretended otherwise.
134	* Ramza from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTactics'' gets branded as a heretic when he runs afoul of their AncientConspiracy and kills a (demon-possessed) bishop in self defense. On the other hand, Olan Durai is also burned at stake for trying to reveal the truth behind The Lion War and Ramza's unsung heroism.
135	** However, both appear to have been VindicatedByHistory by the time of ''VideoGame/VagrantStory'''s events later in the Ivalice continuity.
136	* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'' has Ishgard’s official religion deem any who turn against them as heretics, which naturally means that the heretics become more desperate and willing to go to extremes. The most prominent heretics are those that drink dragon blood (willingly or not), becoming infused with the rage of the Dravanian Horde and eager to fight against Ishgard, in some cases even becoming dragons themselves. ''Heavensward'' gives the full picture and complicated things immensely: [[spoiler: those that drink dragon’s blood retain their senses; they were already driven to rage by the horrible handling of the “unworthy” by the church. The church is also massively corrupt, labeling anyone they don’t like as heretics to get rid of them. And the truth is that drinking dragon’s blood does nothing to those that are not already descended from dragons, which includes ''the entire population of Ishgard'', as they once lived in harmony with dragons before they willfully betrayed and murder Ratatoskr out of a lust for power.]] The standard method of testing a suspected heretic involves throwing them off a cliff: if they’re a heretic, they’ll turn into a dragon and fly, at which point they’ll be killed. If they’re not a heretic, they’ll be taken into the God Halone’s grace (aka they’ll die horribly).
137	* The Heretic Leader from ''VideoGame/Halo2'', an Elite who learned the truth about the "Great Journey" from 343 Guilty Spark and tried to warn the rest of the Covenant. The Arbiter is also branded a heretic at the beginning for his failure in [[VideoGame/HaloCombatEvolved the previous game]], but that's really just an excuse to have him executed for his failure. [[spoiler:He abandons his own religious beliefs after discovering the truth about the Covenant and ends up leading a splinter faction which allies with the "heathen" humans.]]
138	* The eponymous character from ''VideoGame/{{Heretic}}'', of course. The Heretics in question were the Sidhe elves, the only race of beings not subject to the [[{{Brainwashed}} sorcerous mind control]] of the [[BigBad Serpent Riders]], and thus targeted for extermination by their minions.
139	* ''VideoGame/LeagueOfLegends'' and ''VideoGame/LegendsOfRuneterra'': The moonlight-themed champion Diana was intentionally designed as a foil to the sun-wielding paladin-figure Leona—a heretic of the sun-worshipping Solari who sought to know why references to the moon seemed to be censored in Solari texts, and whose inquiry led her to one of two paths:
140	** In the original, pre-[[ContinuityReboot Institute of War retcon]] lore, Diana (who had long found more comfort in the moon than the sun, and tried to convince her fellow Solari of their value) found an encoded message that could only be read under moonlight—leading her to a hidden temple with armor and a crescent-shaped relic weapon. She went back wearing the armor with the weapon, trying to use it as proof that others once worshipped the moon as she did—only to be branded a heretic and condemned to death for her efforts. At her execution, she called upon the moon—and as a surge of moonlight broke her bindings, she used her newfound power to slaughter the elders that condemned her. After that, she pledged to bring down anyone who would deny the moon’s power.
141	** In the current, modern lore, Diana found a mural suggesting that both sun and moon used to be worshipped together, with the sun and moon alike shining bright at Mount Targon’s peak. She ended up climbing Mount Targon to prove her point—after reaching the peak, she became the host of the Aspect of the Moon. There, she learned the existence of a hidden second sect, the moon-worshipping Lunari—before finding Leona, who had followed her up the mountain. After a battle with her old friend, who had been chosen as the Aspect of the Sun, she rushed down the mountain to confront the Solari elders with proof that the sun and moon need not conflict. The Aspect’s power coursed through her in rage, leading her to slaughter the elders. In this version, however, the deaths were implied to be the result of Diana not having full control of her Aspect’s power—and she still believes the Solari and Lunari need not fight.
142	** As part of the Lunari, Aphelios and his sister Alune also qualify to an extent—as do the Lunari cards of Legends of Runeterra’s Targon faction, which have an opposite mechanic to the Solari’s Daybreak mechanic in Nightfall. Aphelios’s story suggests that for cosmological reasons, the balance of power between Solari and Lunari might be changing soon...
143	** In a double example in the Targon Tales of Runeterra cinematic, two StarCrossedLovers, one Solari, one Lunari, share the view that their respective sects need not fight. A stray arrow from a Solari warrior mortally wounds one—and while both ultimately die, their spirits ascend the mountain to the Celestial Realm at an eclipse regardless.
144	** In a non-Targon example, Karthus the Deathsinger joined the Order of the Tallymen of Kindred (a collection of gravediggers, pyre-builders, corpse collectors and carers for the dying who follow [[TheGrimReaper Kindred, the incarnation of death]]) and rose to become quite prominent in the order. Once he decided he could learn no more about death from mortals, he traveled to [[IDontLikeTheSoundOfThatPlace the Shadow Isles]] and transformed himself into an immortal lich who trapped the souls of his victims in an undead state like himself, making him an abomination to Kindred, to whom unnatural prolonging of life beyond one's time is the greatest evil.
145	* In ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'', it is revealed that the Geth the player had been fighting in ''VideoGame/MassEffect1'' were actually a fanatical splinter group called Heretics by the True Geth. Making up about five percent of the total Geth population, Legion emphasises that the Heretics ''chose'' to worship the [[EldritchAbomination Reapers]], instead of upholding the rather non-religious notion of self-determination of the True Geth. The codex calls attention to the use of the word 'heretic' as opposed to any other choice (dissidents, rebels, nonconformists, separatists, etc.), noting the religious and philosophical nature of such a word.
146	* In ''VideoGame/MedievalIITotalWar'', regions where your faith isn't overwhelmingly dominant may spawn Heretics, or even convert a Priest you have stationed there to heresy. Since Heretics spread heresy and cause religious unrest, it's a good idea to have your Priests subject them to trials and [[BurnTheWitch burn them at the stake]]. If you're Catholic and you ''don't'' deal with Heretics, UsefulNotes/ThePope will send [[DemonicSpiders Inquisitors]] to your lands to start examining family members.
147	* In ''VideoGame/PathOfExile'', Elreon was banished for his heretical views, notably that thaumaturgy isn't inherently evil and Vol was an idiot for trying to destroy magic. The Templar player character is also derided as a heretic, though the nature of his heresy is vaguer.
148	* Byakuren Hijiri from ''Franchise/TouhouProject'' is a heretic by the virtue of being compassionate to the {{Youkai}}. In this setting, the very presence of Celestial beings can harm Youkai regardless of either sides' morality.
149	** Before that, there was Rikako Asakura, who was branded heretical for believing in science over magic.
150	* Billy from ''VideoGame/{{Xenogears}}'' rejects the doctrines of his church once he learns of its sponsorship and purpose.
151	* Pellegri from ''VideoGame/{{Xenosaga}}'' stops just short of accusing her superior, Margulis, of heresy when he questions the authority of Lord Heinlein.
152	** On that note, Shion and Jin, who both are likely to have extensive ties to the Ormus religion - physically beat the crap out of '''UsefulNotes/ThePope''' at the end of ''Episode II''.
153	* The Priest legacy from ''VideoGame/CultistSimulator''. Officially, they're the Christian priest of a [[TownWithADarkSecret quiet parish]]. However, their teachings soon become sprinkled with ThingsManWasNotMeantToKnow, and they seek to ascend to become a gate through which their followers can ascend. They still identify as Christian, more or less; they just believe Jesus was an occultist aligned to one of the myriad {{Eldritch Abomination}}s of the ''Cultist Simulator'' world, and [[MessianicArchetype follow his path through brutal self-mortification]].
154	* In ''VideoGame/EnterTheGungeon'', unlockable player character The Bullet is a [[PlayerMooks Bullet-kin]] who had turned away from their brethren in the Cult of the Gundead, to join up with the Gungeoneers in their pursuit of the Gun That Can Kill The Past. He wields a sword (named 'Blasphemy', and which [[ParryingBullets can block incoming bullets]]), in a context where wielding any kind of melee weapon is treated as a grave sin.
155	[[/folder]]
156
157	[[folder:Visual Novels]]
158	* In ''VisualNovel/SpiritHunterNG'', Kubitarou was branded as such when, in a fit of anger, she cut down the sacred cedar tree that was used as a place of worship. Doing so angered the townsfolk to the point that they tied her up to its sister tree and left her there to starve to death.
159	* Roa from ''VisualNovel/{{Tsukihime}}'' got excommunicated for becoming a vampire on his quest for immortality. He then got excommunicated by the vampires for [[NoodleIncident reasons unexplained]].
160	[[/folder]]
161
162	[[folder:Webcomics]]
163	* ''Webcomic/{{Selkie}}'': Ti'Veirn was a Sarnothi scholar who was exiled and declared a heretic for proposing that human legends of witches and wizards might have been inspired by humans who could tap into the resonance, a power universally considred to be Sarnothi-exclusive. Events in the comic proper suggest that he was probably right.
164	* In ''Webcomic/SeventySeas'' Lewk is a rogue priest of Lapak who absconded with several holy relics and is relentlessly pursued by the Church's inquisitors. Though most of the time he seems like just a con artist who incorporates religious stuff into his scams.
165	[[/folder]]
166
167	[[folder:Real Life]]
168	* For RealLife examples, see UsefulNotes/HeresiesAndHeretics.
169	[[/folder]]
170	----
171	'''[[TabletopGame/Warhammer40000 BLAM]]'''

Context Main / TheHeretic