the.com/heretic

means Someone who holds a belief that breaks from established doctrine, especially within a religion.

from From Greek 'hairetikos,' meaning 'able to choose,' rooted in 'hairesis,' meaning 'choice' or 'school of thought' — originally just meant a sect or faction that chose its own views. Early Christian writers narrowed it to mean choosing wrongly, specifically departing from official church teaching, and the word curdled into an accusation. The irony is baked right into the roots: 'heretic' literally means someone who thinks for themselves.