Orthodoxy means officially sponsored truth whose deviation carries penalties.

Evidence

Sometimes a mythology becomes an orthodoxy. This term, from two Greek words meaning the right idea, was first used by Plato, and has come to mean a systematized statement of officially sponsored truth. There is of course historical orthodoxy in many societies, deviation from which can be dangerous and in certain circumstances even fatal—professionally in democracies, physically in dic­ tatorships. — Bernard Lewis, From Babel to Dragomans, 1832

Categorization

• DEFINE: Defines orthodoxy, tracing it to Plato, and notes the asymmetry of its punishment — professional in democracies, physical in dictatorships.