DISSIDENTS (DISSENTERS). - This name is given to those who remain separated from the Catholic Church for disciplinary and doctrinal reasons. In particular, it denotes the Christians of the separated Churches of the East, improperly called Orthodox (v. ORIENTE CRISTIANO).
In England this name is given to all those who dissent from the doctrine or discipline of the Church established (established) or recognized by the State, namely the Anglican Church. They are also called nonconformists, although some wish to reserve this name only for those who did not accept the Act of uniformity of 1662; and recusants (recusants), although this name is more frequently applied to Catholics and sometimes to the non-jurors, or those who did not take the oath.
Thus, Catholics, Independents, Congregationalists, Baptists, Puritans, English Presbyterians, Quakers, Methodists, and certain English sects of lesser importance are generally included under the name of d.
In Scotland, those who separated from the state Presbyterian Church, such as the Cameronians, the Secessionists, the Burghers, the antiburghers, the Relief Synod, the United presbyterian Church, the Free Church, etc., are also called d. or dissenters by some authors; but they reject this name and wish to be called simply “secessionists,” because they maintain that they never dissented from the doctrine of the established Church, that is, the (Presbyterian) Church of Scotland, but only from its discipline or ecclesiastical government.