Apostasy

Apostasy (Greek απο, apo, "away, apart", στασις, stasis, "standing") is the formal renunciation of one's religion. In a narrow sense, the term refers to renunciation and criticizing one's former religion. One who commits apostasy is an apostate, or one who apostatises. One of possible the reasons for this renunciation is loss of faith. Excommunication is a form of apostasy.

Many religious movements consider it a vice, a corruption of the virtue of piety in the sense that when piety fails, apostasy is the result. However, most converts to a new religion can also be considered apostates from a previous belief. The word is also used to refer to renunciation of belief in a cause other than religion.

Several religious movements punish apostates. Apostates may be shunned by the members of their former religious group. This may be the official policy of the religious group or may happen spontaneously. In Islam the prescribed punishment for apostasy is death.

Some Atheists and agnostics use the term deconversion to describe loss of faith in religion. Freethinkers do not see it as a loss. They see it as gaining rationality and respect for the scientific method.

The reliability of the testimonies of apostates is an important and controversial issue in the study of cults and new religious movements.

Islam

Sources are divided on whether Muslim apostasy deserves punishment. Muhammed reportedly told one person, "Kill whoever changes his religion." Some Islamic countries, such as Mauritania, consider apostasy cause for execution or divorce.

See also

• Virtue
• Great Apostasy

Famous Apostates

• Aurelius Augustine (Augustine of Hippo), apostate of Manicheism
• Julian the Apostate
• Salman Rushdie
• Ayaan Hirsi Ali
• Ali Sina

External links

• APOSTASY (IRTIDÃD) IN ISLAM: The act in which a Muslim abandons Islam (http://www.religioustolerance.org/isl_apos.htm)

References

• Introvigne, Massimo Defectors, Ordinary Leavetakers and Apostates: A Quantitative Study of Former Members of New Acropolis in France (http://www.cesnur.org/testi/Acropolis.htm) - paper delivered at the 1997 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Religion, San Francisco, November 23, 1997, in which the motives and realiability of apostate's testimony is studied.
• Anton Hein's apologetics index about apostates of cults and new religious movements (http://www.apologeticsindex.org/a67.html) Refers to an article by Benjamin Beit-Hallahmi, a professor of psychology at the University of Haifa, in which he accusses academic supporters of New religious movements to be engaged in a rhetoric of advocacy, apologetics and propaganda, and further argues that the testimonies of apostates are more reliable.

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