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Schism
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{{cleanup}}The word '''''schism''''', from the Greek σχισμασχίσμα, schisma (from σχιζωσχίζω, schizo, "to split" or "to tear"), means a division or a split, usually in an organization. A ''schismatic '' is a person who creates or incites schism in an organization or who is a member of a splinter group. ''Schismatic '' as an adjective means pertaining to a schism or schisms, or to those ideas, policies, etc. , that are thought to lead towards or promote schism.[edit]
Usage within Christianity
The words ''schism '' and ''schismatic '' have found perhaps their heaviest usage in the history of Christianity, to denote splits within a church or religious body. In this context, ''schismatic '' as a noun denotes a person who creates or incites schism in a church or is a member of a splinter church, and ''schismatic '' as an adjective refers to ideas and things that are thought to lead towards or promote schism, often describing a church that has departed from whichever communion the user of the word considers to be the true Christian church. These words have been used to denote both the phenomenon of Christian group splintering in general, and certain significant historical splits in particular.
Thus, within Christianity the word ''schism '' may refer to:
In the early centuries of Christianity, schism was considered by many Christians to be as serious or more serious than [[heresy]]. Within the Roman Catholic Church schism is still an act that incurs automatic [[excommunication ]] as a penalty. == Source ==*[[Wikipedia:Schism|''Schism'' at Wikipedia]] [[Category:Theology]][[Category:Heresies]][[Category: Schisms]] [[fr:Schisme]][[ro:Schismă]]