Catholic Terms that Aren’t as Bad as They Sound: Heresy

"Guys, I just said Sundays were for Jesus AND football..."

What it means: Heresy is when someone who says they are a Christian believes or teaches something that goes against the official teachings of the Church.

What it sounds like: Heresy is when someone denies God and is therefore burned at the stake by a bunch of villagers. 

In the Catholic Church, for someone to be considered a heretic, four things have to be true:

1. They were baptized.

2. They still say they are Christian.

3. They deny or seriously doubt something the Catholic Church teaches is revealed by God (like a key belief from the Bible or Church tradition).

4. They know it’s something they’re supposed to believe, but refuse to accept it anyway.

If all of that is true, the Church sees that person as choosing to separate themselves from the true faith. But if someone grows up learning a different version of Christianity and doesn’t know better, the Church says they’re not personally guilty—even if their beliefs are still incorrect.

Heresy; sounds bad, is bad, but isn't as bad as it sounds.