The word orthodoxy, from the
Greek
ortho ('right', 'correct') and dox ('thought', 'teaching'), is typically used to refer to the correct
observance of religion, as determined by some overseeing body. Orthodoxy is opposed
to heresy and
schism.
People who deviate from orthodoxy by professing a doctrine considered to be false are called heretics, while those who deviate
from orthodoxy by removing themselves from the perceived body of believers, i.e. from
full communion, are called schismatics. Not infrequently these occur together. The distinction in
terminology pertains to the subject matter. If one is addressing corporate unity, the emphasis may be on schism; if one is
addressing doctrinal coherence, the emphasis may be on heresy.
Apostasy is a violation of orthodoxy that takes the form of abandonment
of the faith, be it for some form of
atheism
or for some other faith. A lighter deviation from orthodoxy than heresy is commonly called error, in the sense of not
being grave enough to cause total estrangement while yet seriously affecting communion. Sometimes error is also used to
cover both full heresies and minor errors.
Religion embraces conceptualization of the divine and practice of worship, and adherents of all faiths represent to others how
they perceive these things. There is a degree of openness, and an extent to which these elements are non-negotiable, in all
religions. Tribal religions may involve cannibalising non-believers, or may be very open to theological discussion; while
monotheistic religions adapt themselves to diverse cultures in manifold ways while yet not relinquishing certain precepts. Issues
of tolerance and
syncretism are
distinct; a religion may tolerate another, neither oppressing nor adapting to it; a religion may permit itself to be absorbed
into another; a religion may be outwardly intolerant while yet absorbing some teachings from another religion. A religion may be
more tolerant of others at a given point in time than at another. These forms of cultural interplay impinge upon the extent to
which a religion may or may not appear to maintain a consistent stance concerning its theology and practice.
Various groups have laid claim to the word orthodox as part of their titles, usually in order to differentiate
themselves from other, 'heretical' movements.
Orthodox Judaism
focuses on a strict adherence to what it sees as the correct interpretation of the
Oral Torah, dating from the strict reforms
instituted under King
Josiah in 622/621 BCE. Within Christianity, the term occurs in
the
Eastern Orthodox,
Western Orthodox, and
Oriental Orthodox
churches.
The Eastern Orthodox Churches hearken back to what they see as the original forms of worship; for example, the
Nicene Creed is used in its form as revised at the
First Council of Constantinople in 381, in
contrast to the
Roman Catholic church, which use the Nicene creed with
the addition of the phrase 'and the Son' (see
Filioque clause). This
emphasis on the use of the original "creed" is shared today by all "eastern orthodox" churches.
The Catholic Church considers the Eastern Orthodox to be in schism and therefore not in
full communion with the
Holy See. Some Eastern Orthodox
churches in turn consider Catholics to be heretics. Confusingly, the term "Western Orthodox" refers to both the few existing
churches in full communion with the Holy See whose practices are largely Eastern Orthodox and to certain parishes within Eastern
Orthodoxy whose practices resemble
Episcopalianism.
The Catholic Church considers Protestantism to be heresy; some Protestants are mutually hostile, and consider Catholics, and
sometimes Eastern Orthodox, to be heretics. In some cases the term apostasy is applied within mutual invectives. The
Catholic Church, since the
Second Vatican Council, has
been working harder to effect rapprochement among diverse forms of Christianity; these efforts have been met with wide-ranging
responses. Some religious groups are considered by all of the aforementioned to be unorthodox, including
Mormons,
Jehovah's Witnesses,
Adventists,
Nestorians and
Copts, and adherents of
Liberal theology in general.
Inside each of these ecclesiastical communities there are issues that correspond to estrangement or refinements of perceived
orthodoxy. For example, the
Roman See often issues recommendations as to what
practices it considers orthodox so as to curb excesses or deficiencies by its
prelates. Some Evangelicals are pursuing innovations that conservative Evangelicals consider unorthodox and call
Neopentecostal, neo-Evangelical or even fringe Charismatic.
In English, the term "Oriental Orthodoxy" is sometimes used to refer to non-Chalcedonian eastern Christians, i.e. the
Nestorians and
Monophysites,
though given the big difference in
Christology between the two, the term is
often used only for the latter. (This distinction between 'eastern' and 'oriental' is impossible in those other languages that
use the same word for both.)
The term orthodox is also frequently used by Christians to refer to what they consider "mainstream" Christianity, as
opposed to what they consider to be
cults. This usage is especially popular among certain
Protestant groups.
