Heretic (noun)

A person who holds opinions in opposition to those accepted by their church or religion, especially one who publicly professes such opinions.

Origin:

Middle english: via old french from latin haereticus, from greek hairetikos, from haireomai 'choose'. heretic refers to someone who holds opinions at variance with those accepted by their church or other religious community.

Examples:

1. The bishop declared the preacher a heretic for his unorthodox teachings.
2. The inquisition was a notorious period in history where thousands of people were executed as heretics for their beliefs.
3. The cult leader was branded as a heretic by the mainstream religious community for his unconventional practices.
4. The philosopher was regarded as a heretic by many of his peers for his radical ideas and theories.
5. The writer was accused of heresy by the religious establishment for his controversial works and was banned from publishing.