apostasy
Renouncing one's beliefs
Apostasy is the abandonment of a religious faith, political party, or cause one formerly supported.
The word carries weight—it's not casual departure but renunciation, often with implications of betrayal: His apostasy from the Catholic Church shocked his family.
In some religious and legal traditions, apostasy is a serious offense.
The person who commits it is an apostate.
Formal withdrawal of statement
- abjurationSworn repudiation of allegiance
- disavowalRejection of connection
- retractionFormal withdrawal of statement
- repudiationFormal refusal to accept
disaffiliation · forsaking · denial · rejection · disownment · revocation · backsliding · reneging
Irreverence toward the sacred
- unorthodoxyDeparture from accepted belief
- sacrilegeViolation of the hallowed
- impietyIrreverence toward the divine
- infidelityDisloyalty to a partner
schism · anathema · excommunication · heterodoxy · freethinking · heretic · infidel · iconoclasm
Formal barring from sacraments
- anathemaIntensely detested thing
- shunningDeliberately avoiding someone
- disfellowshipFormal expulsion from faith community
- ex-MuslimOne who left Islam
One who abandons allegiance
- turncoatOne who betrays allegiance
- deserterOne who abandons duty
- renegadeDeserter of a cause
- backsliderOne who reverts
traitor · betrayer · recreant · dissident · lapsed · ex-believer · dropout · fugitive
Rejection of deities
- agnosticismDoubt about divine existence
- secularismSeparation of faith, state
- deismNon-intervening creator belief
- skepticismDisposition toward doubt
doubt · disbelief · freethought · rationalism · humanism · nonbelief · irreligion
Suffering for conviction
- banishmentForced removal from place
- pogromViolent persecution of minorities
- martyrVictim for beliefs
- hereticChallenger of official doctrine
infidel · blasphemer · punishment · execution · stoning · sharia · ostracism · exile
recantation
Formal withdrawal of statement
- abjurationSworn repudiation of allegiance
- disavowalRejection of connection
- retractionFormal withdrawal of statement
repudiation · disaffiliation · forsaking · denial · rejection · disownment · revocation · backsliding · reneging · tergiversation
blasphemy
Irreverence toward the sacred
- unorthodoxyDeparture from accepted belief
- sacrilegeViolation of the hallowed
- impietyIrreverence toward the divine
infidelity · schism · anathema · excommunication · heterodoxy · freethinking · heretic · infidel · iconoclasm · sectarianism
excommunication
Formal barring from sacraments
- anathemaIntensely detested thing
- shunningDeliberately avoiding someone
- disfellowshipFormal expulsion from faith community
defector
One who abandons allegiance
backslider · traitor · betrayer · recreant · dissident · lapsed · ex-believer · dropout · fugitive · escapee
atheism
Rejection of deities
- agnosticismDoubt about divine existence
- secularismSeparation of faith, state
- deismNon-intervening creator belief
skepticism · doubt · disbelief · freethought · rationalism · humanism · nonbelief · irreligion
martyrdom
Suffering for conviction
- banishmentForced removal from place
- pogromViolent persecution of minorities
- martyrVictim for beliefs
heretic · infidel · blasphemer · punishment · execution · stoning · sharia · ostracism · exile · imprisonment
- religionChristianity, Islam, beliefs, Judaism, Hinduism
- witchcraftwitch, spell, spellwork, witches, spells
- cultismcult, sect, brainwashing, indoctrination, fanaticism
- defectiondefection, defect, defector, turncoat, desertion
- faith crisisfaith crisis, doubt, questioning faith, spiritual struggle, religious doubt
- heresyheretic, heretical, heretics, blasphemy, unorthodoxy
apostasyfaith
Trust without proof
faithfulness · piety · devotion · devoutness · orthodoxy
apostasyloyalty
Faithful commitment to another
allegiance · fidelity · devotion · fealty · faithfulness
apostasyconversion
Act of changing states
religious conversion · finding God · reversion · coming to faith · accepting Christ