The Only Use

heathen
in
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
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He said it warn't no use talking, heathens don't amount to shucks alongside of pirates to work a camp-meeting with.†
Chpt 20

heathens = people who are not civilized or not moral -- typically said humorously OR an offensive term for people who do not believe in a preferred religion

Definitions:

(1) (heathen)
an often offensive (sometimes humorous) word for someone seen as uncivilized or immoral, especially because she does not share the speaker’s religion or comes from a culture unfamiliar with it

This word is usually judgmental or insulting, so today it is used mostly in joking contexts or when describing older attitudes.
(2) (meaning too rare to warrant focus)
More rarely, heathen can refer to a person who lacks culture or good taste.