"Heresy"

[Grailkeeper]

One of the big reveals of the Horus Heresy series was that the Imperium was not always religious, in fact it was meant to be an atheist empire free from dogma. The horus heresy has always been called the horus heresy, but it seems a little strange now with this new atheist information. As far as I am aware, none of the rebels has yet to be called a heretic in any of the books. The book series is obviously called the Horus Heresy series.


So any thoughts on this? at what point is it going to be viewed as a Heresy rather than simple Rebellion?

[jodrell]

One of the big reveals of the Horus Heresy series was that the Imperium was not always religious, in fact it was meant to be an atheist empire free from dogma. The horus heresy has always been called the horus heresy, but it seems a little strange now with this new atheist information. As far as I am aware, none of the rebels has yet to be called a heretic in any of the books. The book series is obviously called the Horus Heresy series.


So any thoughts on this? at what point is it going to be viewed as a Heresy rather than simple Rebellion?

History is written by the winners, and the winners of the Horus Heresy reorganised the Imperium into a theocracy. So when they came to write the history of that time, they saw it from that perspective.

My guess is that the average citizen of the Imperium circa M41 has no idea that the Imperium was originally secular in nature. In fact, the very suggestion would probably be considered heresy!

[Count Fenring]

I think this was seriously cemented in the age of apostasy. It says in the rule book "Zeal eclipses reason and the word of the Emperor is subverted by corrupt idealogues". Then followed by the age of Redemption which the imperial cult grows as never before it says.

[pgarfunkle]

The word heresy does not necessarily have to have religious connotations, it is a divergence from the standard or accepted. Therefore at the time of the Heresy the word could simply have been used to highlight the fact that the civil war was something bigger than simply a rebellion of men against their leader. It was the rebellion of the favoured son against his father, astartes fighting their brothers. Something which the first few books do their best to emphasise as unthinkable.

[wittdooley]

Well, I think the Horus Heresy just sounds better than the Horus Fratracide

[pgarfunkle]

lol you are not wrong there