What is your definition of Apostasy?

Ghee... references & essay format required? AM I getting college credit for this answer? LOL

Apostasy generally speaking is when an individual loses their faith and falls from their given religious affiliation and membership. Lucifer was probably the lst apostate - who fell from grace while yet in the pre-existence. He rebelled against God totally due to His pride and desire for power wanting the glory that only the Father had and defying the Father's Plan for his own. 1/3 of the hosts of heaven followed him as they were all cast out of heaven in the ultimate act of apostasy no doubt.

Through out religious history there have been until accounts of what some would deem apostates, committing acts of heresy when they dared to speak against long held dogma and theological notions. I would go so far as to say that what God sees as apostate is not always the same as what MAN declares as apostate some times!

The word apostasy is used as a verb in the New Testament, meaning "to draw away from" or "to fall away". It is an accusation made against Paul in Acts 21:21:"They have been informed that you teach all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to turn away from Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or live according to our customs. Some people accused the apostle of apostasy, or falling away from the Law of Moses. In 1 Timothy 4:1 it is part of a warning that in later times some will depart from the faith. People will turn against Jesus. Such a betrayal of Jesus is the heart of apostasy. 1The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.

Those who apostatize are characterized by how they live. They love themselves and money, brag, are proud, say evil things against others, do not obey their parents, are not thankful, do not love others, refuse to forgive, gossip, do not control themselves, hate what is good, turn against friends, are conceited, , love pleasure instead of God, act as if they serve God but do not have his power. (2Timothy 3:1-9 and 2 Peter 2:10-21). They work to draw others away from Christ and to exploit them (2 Peter 2:1-3"But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves.

Hebrews 6:4-6 is a hard-hitting and frightening passage that warns of the dangers of apostasy. It seems to say that those who "were once in God's light" and then fell away are not able to repent and return to the faith. The author puts it this way: "it is impossible to bring them back to a changed life again, because they are nailing the Son of God to a cross again and are shaming him in front of others." This passage strikes fear in the hearts of those who are Christians but sin. It leads them to wonder whether they have gone so far as not to be able to return to Christ.

Christians should not fear that specific sins take them out of the realm of the faith and make it impossible for them to repent and get grace. The Scriptures are too full of examples of those, like David, who sinned horribly, but repented and came back to the faith. Its never too late to be like the Prodigal Son and come back to Christ (Luke 15:11-32).

Source: Excerpts from a post I made in my Yahoo! group at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ThereisHopeinPrayer/...

The Everyday Study Bible NCV

OH NO NOT A THUMBS DOWN!!!

you've asked about 3 essay questions in 5 minutes, either you're trolling the crap out of us or you're so far behind on your homework that dropping out of school seems like an increasingly resonable option atm.

675 Before Christ's second coming the Church must pass through a final trial that will shake the faith of many believers. 573 The persecution that accompanies her pilgrimage on earth 574 will unveil the "mystery of iniquity" in the form of a religious deception offering men an apparent solution to their problems at the price of apostasy from the truth. The supreme religious deception is that of the Antichrist, a pseudo-messianism by which man glorifies himself in place of God and of his Messiah come in the flesh. 575

2089 Incredulity is the neglect of revealed truth or the willful refusal to assent to it. "Heresy is the obstinate post-baptismal denial of some truth which must be believed with divine and catholic faith, or it is likewise an obstinate doubt concerning the same; apostasy is the total repudiation of the Christian faith; schism is the refusal of submission to the Roman Pontiff or of communion with the members of the Church subject to him." 11

2577 From this intimacy with the faithful God, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, 23 Moses drew strength and determination for his intercession. He does not pray for himself but for the people whom God made his own. Moses already intercedes for them during the battle with the Amalekites and prays to obtain healing for Miriam. 24 But it is chiefly after their apostasy that Moses "stands in the breach" before God in order to save the people. 25 The arguments of his prayer - for intercession is also a mysterious battle - will inspire the boldness of the great intercessors among the Jewish people and in the Church: God is love; he is therefore righteous and faithful; he cannot contradict himself; he must remember his marvellous deeds, since his glory is at stake, and he cannot forsake this people that bears his name.

573 Cf. Lk 18:8; Mt 24:12.

574 Cf. Lk 21:12; Jn 15:19-20.

575 Cf. 2 Thess 2:4-12; I Thess 5:2-3; 2 Jn 7; I Jn 2:1 8, 22.

269 UR 3 § 1.

270 Cf. CIC, can. 751.

271 Origen, Hom. in Ezech. 9, 1: PG 13, 732.

11 CIC, can. 751: emphasis added.

23 Cf. Ex 34:6.

24 Cf. Ex 17:8-12; Num 12:13-14.

25 Ps 106:23; cf. Ex 32:1-34:9.

All above references can be viewed by left clicking on them from here:

http://www.kofc.org/un/catechism/search.action

(technically, you have to be a Catholic before you can be an apostate)

An Apostate, is an Oathbreaker. That's all.

Do your own homework.