A hidden or concealed heresy; religious beliefs that contradict official doctrine but are kept secret or disguised to avoid persecution.
Combining 'crypto-' (hidden) with 'heresy' (religious dissent), this term emerged in medieval and Reformation contexts to describe forbidden beliefs practiced in secret by persecuted religious minorities.
The term captures a real historical tragedy: religious minorities had to encode their beliefs and practices in secret symbols and hidden gatherings—the Huguenots in France and Catholics in Protestant England lived with cryptoheresy.
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