About

Heresy is a term used on the internet to describe a dislike of someone or a misdemeanor. It is commonly associated with Warhammer 40,000, and has been the subject of numerous image macros.

Origin

The term "heresy" by definition refers to any belief or action that goes against common beliefs and customs present in society. A heretic is a person who has been accused of heresy. The context of the term is usually used in relation to religion.^[1] However, on the internet, the word is used as a general insult. This context of the word came from the 1987 tabletop miniature war-game Warhammer 40,000. In the game, humanity has come to worship "The Emperor of Mankind" (shown below) who led the Great Crusade to restore humanity to the stars, as the one true god. In the Emperor's realm, the Church ruled over mankind.^[2] Because of the leadership of the church, heresy became one of the worst possible crimes a person could commit along with blasphemy.^[3]

Spread

The word heresy is regularly used around forums, blogs, and comment sections of the internet and is usually used along with images relating to Warhammer 40,000. Multiple sites using the term in relation to the game have been seen including Heresy Online^[4] and an article on 1d4chan.^[5]

4chan

Heresy is used to describe an image, topic, fandom, or thread that is considered a perversion or falsehood in most boards on 4chan. On /b/ however, Furry and My Little Pony threads were considered equally offensive and even bannable among moderators, and are thus usually the target of most heresy images and used to try and purge /b/ of "heretics."

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References