Why call yourself a "heretic"?

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- peaceheretic
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Why call yourself a "heretic"?
OP - November 21, 2011, 02:42 PM

A heretic, according to my understanding, is simply someone who does not agree with the majority. So if such a person as the Jesus of the Christian gospels existed, then surely that Jesus was a heretic!

Often, in Islamic history, those who were executed as "heretics" were not preaching anything bad, but were termed "heretics" because the truths they expressed were simply inconvenient to Orthodox power-structure.

To to be orthodox or to heretical, surely, has nothing to do with the dissenting individual being right or wrong and much more to do with whether the majority opinion is correct or merely convenient to the current power structure.

So why not call yourself a "heretic" if you think "Shalom", "Peace" and "Salaam" are all wonderful words for a wonderful idea but you can't cope with the sanctified sectarianism?

And when I read death threats against such as Irshad Manji, calling her a heretic, I think that I'm flattering myself calling myself a "heretic". Although I would not call Irshad Manji a "heretic" because I do not want to incite Islamists against her, I think that she is a heretic in the noble sense of the word which is speaking truth to power.

"And you, you are a fantasy, a view from where you'd like to think the world should see, just be true, and you will likely find a few building a vision, doing justice to our times."
Roy Harper, addressing the doorstep evangelists, dawa-doers and other self-appointed representitives.
- nesrin
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Re: Why call yourself a "heretic"?
Reply #1 - March 17, 2012, 03:11 PM

i like Irshad Manji .. a bit baffled why she would still consider herself a muslim though.. anyways, she does good work..

and peaceheretic happy birthday you heretic!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NV9vdUjuWxc
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Re: Why call yourself a "heretic"?
Reply #2 - March 17, 2012, 04:13 PM

^ Irshad Manji might as well call herself a deist.

Even the MOST liberal muslims would accuse her of trying to modernize Islam

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Re: Why call yourself a "heretic"?
Reply #3 - March 17, 2012, 04:28 PM

I don't see the issue with her calling herself a muslim, most labels are meaningless anyway. Either way, she's spot on most of the time.

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Re: Why call yourself a "heretic"?
Reply #4 - March 17, 2012, 05:40 PM

Why be a heretic when you can be an 'Arch-heretic' which was what the Catholic Church labeled Martin Luther. I actually felt a twinge of jealousy when I read that.
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Re: Why call yourself a "heretic"?
Reply #5 - March 18, 2012, 02:32 AM

peace what did you end up doing for your birthday?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NV9vdUjuWxc
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Re: Why call yourself a "heretic"?
Reply #6 - March 18, 2012, 04:04 AM

soo that's what it meant to be a heretic, I thought all ex-muslim were a heretic, I'll revise my status

Imma a kaaffirraaaunnnawassamuddeh...

oh.. by the way happy birthday peaceheretic, Muslim never do birthday, that makes me glad I'm not.
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Re: Why call yourself a "heretic"?
Reply #7 - April 25, 2012, 02:04 PM

Better late than never, very much for 17th March birthday stuff. I missed it 'coz things happened to keep me away from my daily CEMB-Forum-fix.

Now I'm supposed to be old 'n sage, I'm happy to be a Kafir, and feel free to regard the three Abrahamic groupings as inextricably-linked Traditions not 3 seperate Religions, and when Irshad Manji get's some of the best allegorical teachings common to the Abrahamic religion I like it so much I sort of agree with it. In a vague sort of mystic-marshes Khalil Gibran way.

But, back to sectarian reality, we all know that's liberal, wish-washy nonsense, according to the dominant orthdoxy I'm a Kufir, you're all kufirs, especially if you read that Ms Manji - Kufir .... yea, kufirs united, for Irshad Manji, I say! [piggy-rant off]

"And you, you are a fantasy, a view from where you'd like to think the world should see, just be true, and you will likely find a few building a vision, doing justice to our times."
Roy Harper, addressing the doorstep evangelists, dawa-doers and other self-appointed representitives.
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Re: Why call yourself a "heretic"?
Reply #8 - April 26, 2012, 04:03 AM

I loved Irshad Manji's book! Read it back to front and front to back again.

I have no problem being called a heretic, welcome it in fact.

P.S, not trying to be anal, but thought you might like to know the arabic terms in reference to the terms you used
Quote
"kafir, kufir"

:
Kafir is a disbeliever (singular), kuffaar are disbelievers (plural), and kufr is disbelief.

Love your avatar BTW. I love Bob Marley
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Re: Why call yourself a "heretic"?
Reply #9 - April 26, 2012, 11:38 AM

Quote from: Da_Dude on April 26, 2012, 04:03 AM
. . thought you might like to know the arabic terms in reference to the terms you used :
Kafir is a disbeliever (singular), kuffaar are disbelievers (plural), and kufr is disbelief.

Thanks, but I like to use the spellings interchangably. My excuse is observed usage which is, well, interchangable.

But the last laugh must be that those who do all the defining of other peoples KFR-ness, are all KFRs too according to themselves!

"And you, you are a fantasy, a view from where you'd like to think the world should see, just be true, and you will likely find a few building a vision, doing justice to our times."
Roy Harper, addressing the doorstep evangelists, dawa-doers and other self-appointed representitives.
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Re: Why call yourself a "heretic"?
Reply #10 - April 26, 2012, 12:18 PM

@peaceheretic: I think it could be the new symbol of pride. The word "Christian" was used as a derogatory term by non-Christians, but now it becomes a label to be proud of. We need to reclaim words like heretic and give them a new meaning.
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