Present state rejecting a nonconformist belief (6)
I believe the answer is:
heresy
'belief' is the definition.
(I have seen 'Unorthodox belief ' mean 'heresy' so perhaps 'belief' could also mean 'heresy')
I don't understand how the remainder of the clue works.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for heresy that I've seen before include "Deviation from orthodox religious thinking" , "Unorthodox religious belief" , "Blasphemy" , "Doctrine that differs from the orthodox position" , "Opinion contrary to accepted beliefs of a religion" .)