Definition of Heretic?

Question:I answered a question in bible class for an 8 year old "Which is bigger God or the universe" to which I answered "Probably the universe. You know your dad built a barn that was much bigger than you and your grandfather planted the pecan trees that are twenty times bigger than the whole family. Size is not important as what you do with it." I have branded heretic for not saying God was bigger and many more not nice things by everybody. What should I have said then and is there any way to correct it now?

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: I answered a question in bible class for an 8 year old "Which is bigger God or the universe" to which I answered "Probably the universe. You know your dad built a barn that was much bigger than you and your grandfather planted the pecan trees that are twenty times bigger than the whole family. Size is not important as what you do with it." I have branded heretic for not saying God was bigger and many more not nice things by everybody. What should I have said then and is there any way to correct it now?

Heretic is simply a dissenting view from the received "orthodox" view. The term doesn't have much use in a pluralistic society as it once did when the "church" was "one denomination". Purely speaking Protestants are heretics to Catholics and Catholics are heretics to Protestants. There exists a psuedo agreement among both groups on orthodoxy, but if one is not in full agreement with the other, than of necessity one view is orthodox and the other is heretical...

Purely a subjective conotation.

what else do you expect from religious zealots?

# a person who holds religious beliefs in conflict with the dogma of the Roman Catholic Church
# a person who holds unorthodox opinions in any field (not merely religion)

your views conflicted with theirs. that is all. you technically are a heretic, but you also gave sufficient evidence backing your conviction.

now, just observe them acting like the good catholics they are and condemning you. because obviously THEY have the final judgement. grr

I think what you said is right and the people who disagree with you are either very right wing or very left wing. Also if you value there opinion then you could have said that even though the universe is bigger God has a bigger heart then the whole universe. Or Your dad can build the biggest barn in the world, but his love for you will always be bigger. And your grandfather may have planted the biggest pecan tree in the world, but his heart is bigger than the pecan tree could ever be. So by saying that you mean that the universe may be huge, but god's love for you is bigger

God is the Universe according to religious beliefs. Think in terms of what is worshiped. People worship God and that gives him the size of significant importance over all else. You have thought of God as an animate object. That can be considered heresy. God is spirituality and He is more important than anything He created. Not being religious myself to the organized extreme, I believe the universe is expanding, and therefore if God is everything, He would have to harbor enough space in order to fit the universe within Himself. I can understand your confusion in the circumstances surrounding you perplexed experience, but if your church can turn on you that quickly and not try to give you an explanation as to why you are wrong, then you know the exact reason I don't believe in organized religion. If what you believe in faithfully and wholly right for you, you are not wrong. Only those who wish to think for you are blinded to truth of what God is. God gave us free will, no matter what religion you believe in, its in there somewhere, therefore God has not said you are wrong but righteous in just trying to do good by Him and thinking freely.

Heresy derives from a word meaning just 'a school of thought', but since about 1225 it has been used to mean not just a kind of philosophy, but "an opinion of private men different from that of the catholick and orthodox church".

If what you said, then, was actually different from your church's teachings, then it was a heresy. If your church has no actual position on the physical size of God, then it could not possibly be heresy, though it's quite possible that others in your church just happen not to agree with it. On the other hand, if you were right according to your church's doctrine, then it was EVERYONE ELSE who was a heretic, and not you. But which of these it is can only be determined by an examination of the doctrine in question.

For the record, most Abrahamic religions (of which yours seems to be a variety) regard their god as omnipresent. Which is to say that he is physically present with every point of space. Many regard their god as being outside the regular bounds of space and time, so comparing the size of god to the universe would be like asking what colour the number three is.

If I were you, I wouldn't worry about it too much either way. People have a way of forgetting such trifles over time. If you want the 'most correct' answer, consult with whatever leaders your church has. Or perhaps best of all, consult with your god directly if you believe that option is open to you.

Peace.

There is nothing to correct. Stand behind what you said and your belief.

Those narrow-minded people could have done no better in the situation. You are teaching the bible class. What are they doing other than passing judgement? :(

Just remember that the Good Samaritan was a heretic.

You did what u felt was right by answering it in the way u felt in ur heart. Shame on those who judged u !!As noone should judge anyone on what they believe or how they live!!!!!!!!! Are the everybody ppl in ur church and if so maybe u should tell them not to judge you!!! And go bk to church to be forgiven for saying not so nice things about u.