| Heresies Dualism - BC - Belief that good and evil are equal powers engaged in battle. Satanism - BC - Dualistic religion and philosophy that honors either self or Satan as god. Mandaeanism - BC - Strict dualistic religion that is antisemitic and antichristian. Gnosticism - AD - Dualistic. Docetism - AD - Belief that Jesus did not have a physical body. Marcionism - 144AD - founded by Marcion - Belief that the God of the Old Testament and God of the New Testament are two separate gods. One evil and the latter good. Antisemitic. Adoptionism - 2nd century - Belief that Jesus was born human then God gave Him powers and adopted Him as His Son. Sabellianism (Modalism) - 2nd century - founded by Sabellius or Noetos - Belief that God is not 3 persons but one person who functions in 3 modes. Patripassianism - Belief that God the Father and Jesus are the same person. Monarchianism - late 2nd century - Belief that God is not Jesus or the Holy Spirit, Jesus was a man adopted by God but given divine attributes, and the Holy Spirit is only the power of God. Manichaeism - founded by Mani 210-275AD - Belief that all peaceful religions point to God. Dualistic. Arianism - founded by Arius 256-336AD - Belief that Jesus is lesser than God and created. Psilanthropism or Socianism - -325+? - Belief that Jesus was not divine. Caesaropapism - 306AD - founded by Roman Emperor Constantine - The groundwork for the Roman Catholic papacy was laid by Constantine. He merged the position of caesar with the highest Christian Bishop position. He ruled the Catholic Church and the Roman Empire from his throne in Constantinople (Istanbul, Turkey). His declaration of authority over all Catholic Bishops was challenged by Ambrose of Milan and others throughout the empire. Also see Catholicism. Augustinianism - Catholic Bishop Augustine of Hippo 354-430AD - Belief in Christian Platonism, infant baptism, separation of church and state, that God preselected who would go to Heaven, and a distorted definition of the gospel and grace. Embraced noncanonical books. Pelagianism - founded by Pelagius 356-418AD Apollinarism - 361-400?AD - founded by Apollinaris - Belief that Jesus had a human body but a divine mind. Monophysitism - 5th century - Belief that Jesus was divine only. Catharism (Albigensians) - 1000-1200AD - Gnostic Socinianism - AD1500's - founded by Sozini Brothers - Belief that Jesus was not divine, Jesus didn't die for the sins of the world, the Holy Spirit is only the power of God, the wicked dead will be annihilated instead of tormented forever, and Jesus was later given a divine nature. Calvinism - 1530?AD - founded by Jean Cauvin (John Calvin) - Belief that God preselected who would go to Heaven and Hell. Distorted definition of the gospel and grace. Reformed Churches are based on his and Ulrich Zwingli's teachings. Jansenism - 1585-1638AD - founded by Cornelius Jansen - Internal secretive Roman Catholic movement. Belief that Jesus did not die for all people and emphasized good works. Distorted definition of the gospel and grace. Liberalism - 17th century AD - Apostate version of Christianity that many consider to be Satanism repackaged. Based on the views of Immanuel Kant, Friedrich Schleiermacher, Rudolph Bultmann, and Paul Tillich. Denies authenticity of the Bible, Biblical characters, miracles, virgin birth, atoning death, and resurrection of Christ, preferring naturalistic explanations. Believes in an evolutionary creation. As with Marcionism, believes that the Christian God doesn't not approve of all of the Old Testament laws. Evolutionism - 1850's-Present - Founded by Charles Darwin - Belief that something came from nothing, exploded, formed the universe, and became all that we see, smell, hear, taste, and touch. BACK |