It appears to me that Snoopy is on the right track!
What is a heretic, and why does it seem like a badge of honor?
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines a heretic as “a dissenter from established religious dogma,” OR “one who dissents from an accepted belief or doctrine.”
Similarly, MSN Encarta defines a heretic as “somebody who holds unorthodox religious belief: a holder or adherent of an opinion or belief that contradicts established religious teaching” OR “somebody with unconventional beliefs: somebody whose opinions, beliefs, or theories in any field are considered by others in that field to be extremely unconventional or unorthodox.”
With that being said, I have found that there are many times and spaces where the established religious dogma of a church claiming to abide by no such rule has brought pain and suffering to too many people, defining God and God’s Will in ways that limits the possible expressions of God’s unconditional love and acceptance to all people.
The object of sharing my unorthodox opinions, beliefs, and theories is to help remind us of the infinite possibilities of God’s love and how that is expressed throughout the world.
Why do I use this label as a badge of honor? As my favorite theologian, Karl Barth, has said “Faith in God’s revelation has nothing to do with an ideology which glorifies the status quo.” There is room for change. When we use our voice to speak up and proclaim the true message of God’s love we are able to find hope in the midst of our own frustration and bring about the change for which the God of infinite possibilities is truly calling.
