schismatics
Those who divide
Schismatics are people who cause or participate in a schism—a formal split within a religious body or other organization.
The term carries judgment: the established institution labels breakaway factions as schismatics, implying they're the ones who disrupted unity.
The Orthodox and Catholic churches have accused each other of being schismatics for nearly a thousand years.
The adjective schismatic describes such people or their actions.
Group within group
- sectBreakaway religious faction
- splinterThin sharp fragment
- denominationNamed religious group
- breakawaySudden separation from group
excommunication · anathema · fundamentalism · zealotry · sectarianism · partisanship · separatism · puritanism
Separation into parts
- riftCrack or estrangement
- fissureNarrow crack in rock
- ruptureViolent tearing apart
- fractureSplit in hard material
cleavage · severance · bifurcation · partition · disunion · fragmentation · breakaway · separation
Belief opposing official doctrine
- heterodoxyUnorthodox belief or opinion
- nonconformityRejection of prevailing norms
- dissidenceOpposition to prevailing views
- defianceOpen resistance to authority
opposition · rejection · apostasy · protest · disagreement · rebellion · resistance · refusal
Unchallengeable official beliefs
- orthodoxyAdherence to accepted beliefs
- creedStatement of belief
- theologyStudy of the divine
- canonAccepted authoritative works
doctrine · tenets · teachings · catechism · liturgy · sacraments · exegesis · ecclesiastical
Angry, prolonged conflict
- discordLack of agreement
- feudBitter ongoing rivalry
- antagonismActive opposition or hostility
- contentionAssertion or rivalry
dispute · rivalry · tension · animosity · hostility · turmoil · acrimony · bitterness
faction
Group within group
- sectBreakaway religious faction
- splinterThin sharp fragment
- denominationNamed religious group
breakaway · excommunication · anathema · fundamentalism · zealotry · sectarianism · partisanship · separatism · puritanism · exclusivism
split
Separation into parts
fracture · cleavage · severance · bifurcation · partition · disunion · fragmentation · breakaway · separation · splintering
heresy
Belief opposing official doctrine
- heterodoxyUnorthodox belief or opinion
- nonconformityRejection of prevailing norms
- dissidenceOpposition to prevailing views
defiance · opposition · rejection · apostasy · protest · disagreement · rebellion · resistance · refusal · challenge
dogma
Unchallengeable official beliefs
canon · doctrine · tenets · teachings · catechism · liturgy · sacraments · exegesis · ecclesiastical · infallibility
strife
Angry, prolonged conflict
- discordLack of agreement
- feudBitter ongoing rivalry
- antagonismActive opposition or hostility
contention · dispute · rivalry · tension · animosity · hostility · turmoil · acrimony · bitterness · infighting
schismaticsloyalists
Faithful to established authority
conformists · adherents · faithful · stalwarts · true believers
schismaticsreconcilers
Those who restore accord
uniters · peacemakers · bridge-builders · mediators · harmonizers