What Is Apostasy?

Apostasy is committed when an individual, the apostate, rejects or abandons his religion. The term itself is generally a derogatory reference to the person who has left the fold.

Features

Apostasy is not specific to any particular religion; however, there are features of certain religions that make them more likely to focus on apostasy. In addition, branches within a particular religion may be more or less likely to brand someone an apostate, depending on the rigidity of their belief system.

History

Apostasy was a much more prominent issue in the distant past than it is today. Historically, many religions considered a rejection of faith a sin punishable by excommunication or even death. It was often considered a greater sin to be a member of the faithful and then reject your faith than to be a life-long member of another religion. Dante recognized this in his Inferno; he placed honorable non-Catholics in Limbo, the first circle of Hell, whereas he placed heretics, blasphemers and sorcerers in the sixth, seventh and eighth circles.

Heresy and Blasphemy

Although heresy and blasphemy are often considered aspects of a rejection of faith, they are not necessarily present, and the apostate is not likely to consider himself a heretic or blasphemer. A particularly famous case is that of Salman Rushdie; his book "The Satanic Verses" earned him apostate status within Islam, and he has been branded a blasphemer and apostate.

Catholicism

Catholicism differentiates among three types of apostates: Christians who abandon their faith; priests who abandon their faith; and the religious (meaning, monks and nuns) who abandon their faith. Each classification is broken down into crimes of varying degrees of severity. However, all can result in excommunication, which is the ultimate punishment in Catholicism.

Islam

Islam has perhaps the most controversial policy regarding apostasy. The Qur'an teaches that apostates should be subject to the death penalty; however, individuals are rarely executed. The subject is a matter of some embarrassment among Western Muslims and those who take a more liberal stance within their religion. The Qur'an is subject to interpretation, and individuals will frequently defer to religious scholars on matters as volatile as this.

Resources

• The Punishment for Apostasy in Islam; Silas