Apostasy

Many religious movements consider it a Vice ( Sin ), a corruption of the Virtue of Piety in the sense that when piety fails, apostasy is the result. However, most Convert s to a new religion can also be considered apostates from a previous belief.

Several religious groups punish apostates. Apostates may be the apostate, and some may demand the Death Penalty .

Conversely, some Atheists and Agnostics use the term "deconversion" to describe loss of faith in a religion. Self-described " Freethinkers " and those who may see traditional religion in less than positive terms may see it as gaining "rationality" and respect for the Scientific Method and not a loss.

The reliability of the testimonies of apostates is an important and controversial issue in the study of apostasy in Cult s and New Religious Movement s.

The difference between apostasy and Heresy is that the latter refers to rejection or corruption of certain doctrines, not to the complete abandonment of one's religion.

The term is also used to refer to renunciation of belief in a cause other than religion, particularly in politics.

SOCIOLOGICAL DEFINITIONS

The American sociologist David G. Bromley defined the apostate role as follows and distinguished it from the Defector and Whistleblower roles.

Apostate role: defined as one that occurs in a highly polarized situation in which an organization member undertakes a total change of loyalties by allying with one or more elements of an oppositional coalition without the consent or control of the organization. The narrative is one which documents the quintessentially evil essence of the apostate's former organization chronicled through the apostate's personal experience of capture and ultimate escape/rescue.

Defector role: an organizational participant negotiates exit primarily with organizational authorities, who grant permission for role relinquishment, control the exit process, and facilitate role transmission. The jointly constructed narrative assigns primary moral responsibility for role performance problems to the departing member and interprets organizational permission as commitment to extraordinary moral standards and preservation of public trust.

Whistleblower role: defined here as one in which an organization member forms an alliance with an external regulatory unit through offering personal testimony concerning specific, contested organizational practices that is then used to sanction the organization. The narrative constructed jointly by the whistleblower and regulatory agency is one which depicts the whistleblower as motivated by personal conscience and the organization by defense of public interest.

Taking another viewpoint, the American sociologist Lewis A. Coser (following the German philosopher and sociologist Max Scheler ) holds an apostate to be not just a person who experienced a dramatic change in conviction but “''a man who, even in his new state of belief, is spiritually living not primarily in the content of that faith, in the pursuit of goals appropriate to it, but only in the struggle against the old faith and for the sake of its negation.''" .
However, a contrarian argument holds that religious converts who never freely chose adherence to their former faith (e.g. if inducted as a child) possibly never developed strong convictions towards it, and may genuinely only be motivated by aspects of their new faith.

IN INTERNATIONAL LAW

The United Nations Commission On Human Rights , considers the recanting of a person's religion a Human Right legally protected by the International Covenant On Civil And Political Rights : "The Committee observes that the freedom to 'have or to adopt' a religion or belief necessarily entails the freedom to choose a religion or belief, including the right to replace one's current religion or belief with another or to adopt atheistic views {Link without Title} Article 18.2 bars coercion that would impair the right to have or adopt a religion or belief, including the use of threat of physical force or penal sanctions to compel believers or non-believers to adhere to their religious beliefs and congregations, to recant their religion or belief or to convert." (CCPR/C/21/Rev.1/Add.4, General Comment No. 22., 1993).

See also Religious Conversion .

IN CHRISTIANITY

Christians often quote the prophecy in 2 Thessalonians about a coming apostasy:

"Let no one in any way deceive you, for that day cannot come without the coming of the apostasy first, and the appearing of the man of sin, the son of perdition."

Members of the Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) believe that this foretold apostasy, "The Great Apostasy," began with the death of the early apostles and continued into the early nineteenth century.

The apostasy can alternatively be interpreted as the pre-tribulation Rapture of the Church. This is because apostasy means departure (translated so in the first seven English translations). Dr. Thomas Ice, Pre-Trib Perspective, March 2004, Vol.8, No.11.

Signs of apostasy vary widely among many Christian denominations, the most common include:

# Denial of the Trinity and the Deity of Christ;
# Denial of the deity of the Holy Spirit ;
# Denial of Moral Absolute s, as found in the Bible ;

Some denominations quote Jude and Titus 3:10 saying that an apostate or heretic needs to be "rejected after the first and second admonition." In Roman Catholicism , apostasy is among the offences which bring automatic Excommunication .

In the first centuries of the Christian era, apostasy was most commonly induced by persecution, and was indicated by some outward act, such as offering incense to a heathen deity or blaspheming the name of Christ. (The readmission of such apostates to the church was a matter that occasioned serious controversy.) The emperor Julian's "Apostasy" is discussed under Julian The Apostate . In the Roman Catholic Church the word is also applied to the renunciation of monastic vows (''apostasis a monachatu''), and to the abandonment of the clerical profession for the life of the world (''apostasis a clericatu''). Such defection was formerly often punished severely.

See also Great Apostasy ; for an Arminian doctrine of individual apostasy, see Conditional Preservation Of The Saints .

IN ISLAM

The Quran is silent on the ''punishment'' for apostasy, though not the subject itself. The Quran speaks repeatedly of people going back to unbelief after believing, but never once does it say that they should be killed or punished.

In Islam, apostasy is called "''ridda''" ("turning back") and it is considered by Muslims to be a profound insult to God. A person born of Muslim parents that rejects Islam is called a "''murtad fitri''" (natural apostate), and a person that converted to Islam and later rejects the religion is called a "''murtad milli''" (apostate from the community).

The question of the penalties imposed in Islam (i.e. in the , Qatar , Yemen , Iran , Sudan , Afghanistan and Mauritania . In Pakistan blasphemy is also punishable by death.

The hadith "''Whosoever changes his religion, Kill Him''", has been used both by supporters of the death penalty as well as critics of Islam. Islamic scholars point out it is important to understand the hadith in proper historical context. The order was at a time when the nascient muslim community in Medina was fighting for its very life, and there were many schemes, by which the muslim's enemies would try to entice rebellion and discord within the community. {Link without Title} . Clearly any defection would have serious consequences for the muslims, and the hadith may well be about Treason , rather than just apostasy. It must also be pointed out that under the terms of the Treaty Of Hudaibiyah , any muslim who returned to mecca was not to be returned, terms which the Prophet accepted.

The Qur'an says:

"Let there be no compulsion in the religion: Clearly the Right Path (i.e.''Islam'') is distinct from the crooked path". (2:256)

A section of the 'People of the Book' (Jews and Christians) says: "Believe in the morning what is revealed to the believers (Muslims), but reject it at the end of the day; perchance they may (themselves) turn back (from Islam)." (3:72)

"But those who reject faith after they accepted it, and then go on adding to their defiance of faith, never will their repentance be accepted; for they are those who have (of set purpose) gone astray." (3:90)

"Those who blasphemed and back away from the ways of Allah and die as blasphemers, Allah shall not forgive them". (4:48)

"Those who believe, then reject faith, then believe (again) and (again) reject faith, and go on increasing in unbelief,- Allah will not forgive them nor guide them on the way." (4:137)

"O ye who believe! If any from among you turn back from his faith, soon will Allah produce a people whom He (Allah) will love as they will love Him lowly with the believers, Mighty against the rejecters, fighting in the way of Allah, and never afraid of the reproachers of such as find fault. That is the Grace of Allah which He will bestow on whom He (Allah) pleases. And Allah encompasses all, and He knows all things". (5:54)

The Hadith (the body of quotes attributed to Muhammad ) includes statements taken as supporting the death penalty for apostasy, such as:

"Kill whoever changes his religion" ( Sahih Bukhari Vol. 9, book 84, number 57, narrated via Ibn Abbas )

and

"The blood of a Muslim who confesses that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and that I am His Apostle, cannot be shed except in three cases: In Qisas for murder, a married person who commits illegal sexual intercourse and the one who reverts from Islam (apostate) and leaves the Muslims." ( Sahih Bukhari Vol. 9, book 83, number 17, narrated via Abdullah)

IN JUDAISM

See also:

The term apostasy is also derived from Greek ἀποστάτης, meaning "political rebel," as applied to rebellion against God, its law and the faith of Israel (in Hebrew מרד) in the Hebrew Bible.

Other expressions for apostate as used by rabbinical scholars are "mumar" (מומר, literally "the one that changes") and "poshea yisrael" (פושע ישראל, literally, "transgressor of Israel"), or simply "kofer" (כופר, literally "denier").

The Torah states:

Deuteronomy 13:6-10 :

If thy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy son, or thy daughter, or the wife of thy bosom, or thy friend, which as thine own soul, entice thee secretly, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which thou hast not known, thou, nor thy fathers; [Namely , of the gods of the people which round about you, nigh unto thee, or far off from thee, from the [one end of the earth even unto the [other] end of the earth; Thou shalt not consent unto him, nor hearken unto him;

Paul the Apostle was accused of apostasy by the council of James and the elders, for teaching apostasy from the law given by Moses. Scholars consider this the reason by which some early Christians, such as the Ebionites , repudiated Paul for being an apostate.

In the Talmud , Elishah Ben Abuyah (known as Aḥer) is singled out as an apostate and Epicurean by the Pharisees .

During the Spanish Inquisition , a systematic conversion of Jews to Christianity took place, some of which under threats and force. These cases of apostasy provoked the indignation of the Jewish communities in Spain.

Several notorious Inquisitors, such as Juan Torquemada , and Don Francisco the archbishop of Coria , were descendants of apostate Jews. Other apostates who made their mark in history by attempting the conversion of other Jews in the 1300s include Juan De Valladolid and Astruc Remoch .

However, the issue of what qualifies as "apostasy" in Judaism can be complicated, since in many modern movements in Judaism, rabbis have generally considered the behavior of a Jew to be the determining factor in whether or not one is considered an adherent or an apostate of Judaism. Within these movements it is often recognized that it is possible for a Jew to strictly practise does not require any belief in a deity, and that certain popular Reform prayer books such as ''Gates of Prayer'' offer some services without mention of God.

Abraham Isaac Kook {Link without Title} {Link without Title} , first Chief Rabbi of the Jewish community in pre-state Israel, held that atheists were not actually denying God: rather, they were denying one of man's many images of God. Since any man-made image of God can be considered an idol, Kook held that, in practice, one could consider atheists as helping true religion burn away false images of god, thus in the end serving the purpose of true monotheism.

IN HINDUISM AND BUDDHISM

There is no concept of an apostate in Hinduism or Buddhism as there is no concept of conversion. Converts to other religions from Hinduism or Buddhism are accepted in these communities, as there is no Hindu or Buddhist procedure that defines apostasy. However, fear of forced conversions is high in mostly Hindu India and has prompted legal restrictions on forced conversions in certain states.

IN ALLEGED CULTS AND NEW RELIGIOUS MOVEMENTS (NRMS)

Some scholars of new religious movements define as apostates specifically those individuals that leave new religious movements and become public opponents against their former faith to distinguish them from other former members who do not speak against their former faith, while others contest such a distinction. Former members of NRMs often see the use of "apostate" as an attempt to discredit them and their statements.

Some scholars use the term Post-cult Trauma to describe the emotional and social problems that some members of cults and new religious movements experience after leaving the group, while other scholars assert that such traumas are either only applicable in rare cases or are more likely caused by deprogramming or pre-existing psychical problems, not by voluntary leavetaking.

Some notable apostates are part of the secular , Hate and ill-will by these critics.

Apostates of new religious movements usually make a number of allegations against their former affiliation and their leaders, including failed promises, Sexual Abuse by the leader who claimed to be pure and divine, false, Irrational and contradictory teachings, Deception , financial exploitation, demonizing of the outside world, long lasting emotional pain and depression upon disaffiliation, abuse of power and Hypocrisy of the leadership, discrimination, unnecessary secrecy, teaching platitudes, discouragement of Critical Thinking , Brainwashing , Mind Control , Exclusivism , Pedophilia , leadership that does not admit any mistakes, and more.

Opinions about the reliability of apostates' testimony and their motivations

The validity of testimony by former members of new religious movements, their motivations, and the roles they play in the opposition to cults and new religious movements are controversial subjects among scholars of religion, sociologists and psychologists:

Bryan R. Wilson , who was a professor of Sociology at Oxford University , writes that apostates of new religious movements, are generally in need of self-justification, seeking to reconstruct their own past and to excuse their former affiliations, while blaming those who were formerly their closest associates. Wilson coins the term of Atrocity Story that is in his view rehearsed by the apostate to explain how, by manipulation, coercion or deceit, he was recruited to a group that he now condemns. (Wilson, 1981) Wilson also challenges the reliability of the apostate's testimony by saying that " {Link without Title} always be seen as one whose personal history predisposes him to bias with respect to both his previous religious commitment and affiliations, the suspicion must arise that he acts from a personal motivation to vindicate himself and to regain his self-esteem, by showing himself to have been first a victim but subsequently to have become a redeemed crusader." (Wilson 1994)

Jean Duhaime, a professor of Religious Studies and science of religion at the Université De Montréal writes, based upon his analysis of three memoirs by apostates of NRMs (by Dubreuil, Huguenin, Lavallée, see bibliography), that he is more balanced than some researchers, referring to Wilson, and that apostate testimonies can not be dismissed, only because they are not objective, though he admits that they write Atrocity Stories in the definition by Bromley and Shupe. He asserts that the reasons why they tell their stories are, among others, to warn others to be careful in religious matters and to put order in their own lives. (Duhaime 2003)

Bromley and Shupe while discussing the role of anecdotal atrocity stories by apostates, proposes that these are likely to paint a caricature of the group, shaped by the apostate's current role rather than his experience in the group, and question's their motives and rationale. Lewis Carter and David G. Bromley claim in some studies that the onus of pathology experienced by former members of new religions movements should be shifted from these groups to the coercive activities of the anti-cult movement.(Bromley, 1984)

Gordon Melton , while testifying as an expert witness in a lawsuit, said that when investigating groups, one should not rely solely upon the unverified testimony of ex-members, and that hostile ex-members would invariably shade the truth and blow out of proportion minor incidents turning them into major incidents. {Link without Title} . Melton also follows the argumentation of Lewis Carter and David Bromley above and claims that as a result of this study, the treatment (coerced or voluntary) of former members as people in need of psychological assistance largely ceased and that an (alleged) lack of widespread need for psychological help by former members of new religions would in itself be the strongest evidence refuting early sweeping condemnations of new religions as causes of psychological trauma. (Melton 1999)

Dr. Lonnie D. Kliever, Professor of Religious Studies of the Southern Methodist University , in his paper titled ''The Reliability of Apostate testimony about New Religious movements'' that he wrote upon request for Scientology , claims that the overwhelming majority of people who disengage from non-conforming religions harbor no lasting ill-will toward their past religious associations and activities, and that by contrast there is a much smaller number of apostates who are deeply invested and engaged in discrediting and performing actions designed to destroying the religious communities that once claimed their loyalties. He asserts that these dedicated opponents present a distorted view of the new religions and cannot be regarded as reliable informants by responsible journalists, scholars, or jurists. He claims that the reason for the lack of reliability of apostates is due to the Traumatic nature of disaffiliation that he compares to a Divorce and also due the influence of the Anti-cult Movement even on those apostates who were not Deprogrammed or received Exit Counseling . (Kliever, 1995)

Dr. Phillip Charles Lucas interviewed ex-members of the [http://www.holyorderofmans.org/ Holy order of MANS/Christ the Savior Brotherhood and compared them with stayers, and outside observers and came to the conclusion that their testimonies are as (un-)reliables as those of stayers. (Lucas 1995)

Benjamin Beit-Hallahmi , a professor of psychology at the University Of Haifa , argues that academic supporters of New Religious Movements are engaged in a rhetoric of advocacy, apologetics and propaganda, and writes that in the cases of cult catastrophies such as Peoples Temple , or Heaven's Gate , accounts by hostile outsiders and detractors have been closer to reality than other accounts, and that in that context statements by ex-members turned out to be more accurate than those of offered by apologists and NRM researchers. (Beit-Hallahmi 1997)

Professor Benjamin Zablocki {Link without Title} analyzing leaver responses found the testimonies of former members as least as reliable as statements from the groups. (Zablocki 1996)

Massimo Introvigne in his ''Defectors, Ordinary Leavetakers and Apostates'' (Introvigne 1997) defines three types of Narrative s constructed by apostates of new religious movements:

---Type I naratives: characterize the exit process as defection, in which the organization and the former member negotiate an exiting process aimed at minimizing the damage for both parties.

---Type II naratives: involve a minimal degree of negotiation between the exiting member, the organization it intends to leave, and the environment or society at large, impliying that the ordinary apostate holds no strong feelings concerning his past experience in the group.

---Type III naratives: characterized by the ex-member dramatically reversing his loyalties and becomes a Professional enemy of the organization he has left. These apostates, often join an oppositional coalition fighting the organization, often claiming Victimization .

Mark Dunlop, a former member of FWBO ) argues that ex-members of cultic groups face great obstacles in exposing abuses committed by these groups, stating that ex-members "have great difficulty in disproving Ad Hominem arguments, such as that they have a personal axe to grind, that they are trying to find a scapegoat to excuse their own failure or deficiency Cults have a vested interest in challenging the personal credibility of their critics, and may cultivate academic researchers who attack the credibility and motives of ex-members." Dunlop further expands on the specific difficulties faced by ex-members in proving harms done to them: "If an ex-member claims that they were subjected to brainwashing or mind-control techniques, not only is this again unprovable, but it is tantamount to admitting that they are a gullible and easily led person whose opinions, consequently, can't be worth much. If an ex-member suffers from any mental disorientation or evident psychiatric symptoms, this is likely to further diminish their credibility as a reliable informant." He concludes with "In general, the public credibility of critical ex-cultists seems to be somewhere in between that of Estate Agents and flying saucer abductees." In the article's summary, Dunlop argues that given that the apostates' testimony is ineffective due to lack of public credibility, and that other forms of criticism are also ineffectual for various reasons, cults are virtually immune from outside criticism making it very difficult to "expos[e cults". (Dunlop 2001)

OTHER USES OF THE TERM

In popular usage, religious terminology like "apostasy" is often appropriated for use within other public spheres characterized by strongly-held beliefs, like Politics . Such usage typically carries a much less negative connotation than the religious usage does, and sometimes people will even describe themselves as apostates. Authors Kevin Phillips (a former Republican strategist turned harsh critic of the Bush administration) and Christopher Hitchens (a former Left-wing commentator turned enthusiastic supporter of the Iraq War ) are examples of people who are often described as political apostates.

NOTED APOSTATES

This is a list of some notable persons that have been labelled an apostate by a notable source, regardless whether they fit any of the mentioned definitions.

Christianity

Julian The Apostate ex-Christian and Roman Emperor

Maria Monk sometimes considered an apostate of the Roman Catholic Church , though there is little evidence that she ever was a Roman Catholic.

Bertrand Russell

Friedrich Nietzsche

Raymond Franz

Judas Iscariot

Islam

Ayaan Hirsi Ali ex-Muslim and critic of Islam, labelled an apostate by the assassinated film director Theo Van Gogh with whom she colloborated in making the film Submission

Salman Rushdie Accused of being an apostate of Islam by Ruhollah Khomeini due to the publication of his book The Satanic Verses

Ali Sina ex-Muslim, an Iranian. Has a good knowledge of Quran and Hadith. Now he and his group manage this site: Faith Freedom .

Abdul Rahman who recently faced the death penalty in Afghanistan for his apostasy after he converted to Christianity.

Taslima Nasrin Considered an apostate by some Bangladeshi groups for her book '' Lajja ''.

Judaism

Baruch Spinoza published works that contradicted traditional Judaism and was as a result excommunicated by the local Jewish community because of what they perceived as apostasy.

Hinduism

Ambedkar

Periyar Ramasami

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Apostasy