What is "heterodoxy"

Heterodoxy \Het"er*o*dox`y\, n. [Gr. ?: cf. F. h['e]t['e]rodoxie.] An opinion or doctrine, or a system of doctrines, contrary to some established standard of faith, as the Scriptures, the creed or standards of a church, etc.; heresy.
--Bp. Bull.

1650s, from Greek heterodoxia "error of opinion," from heterodoxos (see heterodox).

n. 1 The quality of being heterodox. 2 A heterodox belief, creed, or teaching.

1. n. any opinions or doctrines at variance with the official or orthodox position [syn: unorthodoxy, heresy] [ant: orthodoxy]

2. the quality of being unorthodox [syn: unorthodoxy] [ant: orthodoxy]

Heterodoxy in a religious sense means "any opinions or doctrines at variance with an official or orthodox position". Under this definition, heterodoxy is similar to unorthodoxy, while the adjective "heterodox" could be applied to a dissident.

Heterodoxy is also an ecclesiastical term of art, defined in various ways by different religions and churches. For example, in the Apostolic Churches (the Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic Church, the Church of the East, and the Non-Chalcedonian or Oriental Churches), heterodoxy may describe beliefs that differ from strictly orthodox views, but that fall short either of formal or of material heresy.

Heterodoxy was the name adopted by a feminist debating group in Greenwich Village in the early 20th century. It was notable for providing a forum for the development of more radical conceptions of feminism than the suffrage and women's club movements of the time.

Heterodoxy was founded in 1912 by Marie Jenney Howe, who specified only one requirement for membership: that the applicant "not be orthodox in her opinion". The luncheon club, which started with 25 members, met every two weeks on Saturdays. The club was disestablished in the 1940s. Group members referred to themselves as "Heterodites".

The club's members had diverse political views. The membership also included bisexual and lesbian women, in addition to heterosexuals.

The group was considered important in the origins of American feminism. Among the notable members were Susan Glaspell, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, and Ida Rauh.

Heterodites Alice Kimball, Alison Turnbull Hopkins, Doris Stevens, and Paula Jakobi were arrested in 1917 and 1918 suffrage protests, and served time in the Occoquan Workhouse, jail, or prison psychiatric wards.

Heterodoxy meetings were valuable sources of information on the struggles for women's rights for its members. Many non-members addressed the group, including Helen Keller, Margaret Sanger, Emma Goldman, and Amy Lowell.