What is the name for a type of religious organization that stands apart from the larger society?

Types of religious organizations include churches, denominations, sects, and cults.

Sociologists divide religious organizations into four basic types: churches, denominations, sects, and cults. The types fall along a continuum. Churches are the largest type of group and have the most influence over society. Cults are the smallest. Cults may have a great deal of influence over their members but little influence over society at large.

In sociology, a church is an established religious organization that is well integrated into the larger society. Churches have well-established rules and expect their leaders to be formally trained, educated, and ordained. They are highly organized, with a formal bureaucratic structure. One type of church is an ecclesia, a large, formally organized religious institution that is part of the state. An ecclesia provides a national religion. Most members of the nation belong to the ecclesia, and most of the members are born into the ecclesia rather than making a decision to join it. An ecclesia is closely interwoven with the state and society, exerting strong influence over both. Examples include the Roman Catholic Church in Spain, Islam in Saudi Arabia, and the Anglican Communion in England. In some ecclesiastic societies, such as Saudi Arabia, religious leaders have a great deal of influence in the government. In others, such as England, religious leaders have relatively little influence.

A denomination is a subgroup or branch of a religion that has its own tradition, interpretation of religious faith, and identity. Denominations tend to coexist on relatively positive terms with other denominations and have established their role in society. Most mainstream Protestant Christian groups, such as Baptists, Lutherans, and Methodists, are denominations. The three major branches of Judaism—Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform—can be described as denominations.

A sect is a subgroup that breaks away from a larger religious organization. A sect is sometimes an offshoot of the larger church or of a smaller denomination. Sometimes the sect breaks away in protest. Sect members may disagree with the way the larger group interprets the religion's doctrine. They may, for example, believe they should adhere to a stricter, more fundamental interpretation. Sects differ from denominations in that they are usually small, relatively new groups not as assimilated into society.

Over time, some sects dwindle away. Others develop into denominations. Most Protestant Christian denominations began as sects. For example, Anglicans broke away as a sect from the larger Roman Catholic Church. Methodists broke away as a sect from the Anglican Communion. Anglicans and Methodists are now consideration denominations. A third group of sects do not become denominations and instead become what sociologists call established or institutionalized sects. One example is the Amish Mennonites, a 300-year-old Protestant sect that continues to reject wider society.

A cult is a religious group composed of individuals who reject what they see as the values of the outside society. Like sects, cults are new, relatively small groups. Unlike sects, they often form independently rather than as an offshoot of a larger religious group. Cults usually embrace new beliefs that are outside societal norms. Cults tend to be secretive, insular, and organized around a charismatic leader. The term cult is often pejorative. However, sociologists point out that most world religions, including Christianity and Islam, began thousands of years ago as cults.

Not to be confused with sex.

Major denominations and religions of the world

A sect is a subgroup of a religious, political, or philosophical belief system, usually an offshoot of a larger group. Although the term was originally a classification for religious separated groups, it can now refer to any organization that breaks away from a larger one to follow a different set of rules and principles. Sects are usually created due to perception of heresy by the subgroup and/or the larger group.

In an Indian context, sect refers to an organized tradition.[1]

Etymology[edit]

A Catalogue of the Severall Sects and Opinions in England and other Nations: With a briefe Rehearsall of their false and dangerous Tenents. Broadsheet. 1647

The word sect comes from the Latin noun secta (a feminine form of a variant past participle of the verb sequi, to follow) meaning "a way, road".[2] Figuratively, sect refers to a (prescribed) way, mode, or manner. Metonymously, sect refers to a discipline or school of thought as defined by a set of methods and doctrines. The many disparate usages of the word sect in modern times is largely due to confusion with the homonymous (but etymologically unrelated) Latin word secta (the feminine form of the past participle of the verb secare, to cut).

Sociological definitions and descriptions[edit]

There are several different sociological definitions and descriptions for the term.[3] Among the first to define them were Max Weber and Ernst Troeltsch (1912). In the church-sect typology, sects are defined as voluntary associations of religiously qualified persons:[4] membership is not ascribed at birth but results from the free acceptance of the sect's doctrine and discipline by the follower, and from the continuous acceptance of the follower by the sect. Sects tend to draw disproportionately from the underprivileged elements of society, and are usually created by schisms within churches, which are aligned with the dominant social structure.[5] They are often decrying liberal trends in denominational development and advocating a return to true religion; their beliefs and practices tend to be more radical and ethically stern than those of churches, and constitute an act of protest against the values of the rest of society.[5] The American sociologists Rodney Stark and William Sims Bainbridge assert that "sects claim to be authentic purged, refurbished version of the faith from which they split".[6] They further assert that sects have, in contrast to churches, a high degree of tension with the surrounding society.[7] Other sociologists of religion such as Fred Kniss have asserted that sectarianism is best described with regard to what a sect is in tension with. Some religious groups exist in tension only with co-religious groups of different ethnicities, or exist in tension with the whole of society rather than the church which the sect originated from.[8]

Sectarianism is sometimes defined in the sociology of religion as a worldview that emphasizes the unique legitimacy of believers' creed and practices and that heightens tension with the larger society by engaging in boundary-maintaining practices.[9]

In his book The Road to Total Freedom, the English sociologist Roy Wallis[10] argues that a sect is characterized by "epistemological authoritarianism": sects possess some authoritative locus for the legitimate attribution of heresy. According to Wallis, "sects lay a claim to possess unique and privileged access to the truth or salvation" and "their committed adherents typically regard all those outside the confines of the collectivity as 'in error'". He contrasts this with a cult that he described as characterized by "epistemological individualism" by which he means that "the cult has no clear locus of final authority beyond the individual member."[11][12]

In other languages[edit]

The corresponding words for "sect" in European languages other than English – Sekte (German), secte (French), secta (Spanish, Catalan), sectă (Romanian), setta (Italian), seita (Portuguese, Galician), sekta (Polish, Czech, Slovak, Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian, Slovenian, Latvian, Lithuanian), sekt (Danish, Estonian, Norwegian, Swedish), sekte (Dutch), szekta (Hungarian), секта (Russian, Serbian, Bulgarian, Ukrainian), σέχτα (Greek) – refer to a harmful religious sect and translate into English as "cult".[citation needed] In France, since the 1970s, secte has a specific meaning[which?] which is very different from the English word.[13][need quotation to verify]

In Buddhism[edit]

Japanese buddhist monk from the Sōtō Zen sect

The Macmillan Encyclopedia of Religion distinguishes three types of classification of Buddhism, separated into "Movements", "Nikāyas" and "Doctrinal schools":

• Schools:
  • Theravada, primarily in South Asia and Southeast Asia;
  • Mahāyāna, primarily in East Asia;
  • Vajrayāna, primarily in Tibet, Bhutan, Nepal, India, Mongolia and the Russian republic of Kalmykia.
• Nikāyas, or monastic fraternities, three of which survive at the present day:
  • Theravāda, in Southeast Asia and South Asia;
  • Dharmaguptaka, in China, Korea and Vietnam;
  • Mūlasarvāstivāda, in the Tibetan tradition;

In Christianity[edit]

While the historical usage of the term "sect" in Christendom has had pejorative connotations, referring to a group or movement with heretical beliefs or practices that deviate from those of groups considered orthodox,[14][15] its primary meaning is to indicate a community which has separated itself from the larger body from which its members came.

Orthodox[edit]

Roman Catholic sects[edit]

There are many groups outside the Roman Catholic Church which regard themselves as Catholic, such as the Community of the Lady of All Nations, the Palmarian Catholic Church, the Philippine Independent Church, the Brazilian Catholic Apostolic Church, the Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God, Most Holy Family Monastery, and others.

Protestant sects[edit]

In Hinduism[edit]

The Indologist Axel Michaels writes in his book about Hinduism that in an Indian context the word "sect does not denote a split or excluded community, but rather an organized tradition, usually established by founder with ascetic practices."[1] According to Michaels, "Indian sects do not focus on heresy, since the lack of a center or a compulsory center makes this impossible – instead, the focus is on adherents and followers."[1]

In Islam[edit]

Islam was classically divided into two major sects, known as Sunni Islam and Shia Islam. Kharijite and Murijite Islam were two early Islamic sects. Each sect developed several distinct jurisprudence systems reflecting their own understanding of the Islamic law during the course of the history of Islam.

Current sects[edit]

Sunnis are separated into five maddhabs; Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i, Hanbali and Ẓāhirī. The Shia, on the other hand, first developed Kaysanism, which in turn divided into three major groupings known as Fivers, Seveners and Twelvers. The Zaydis separated first. The non-Zaydis were initially called "Rafida". The Rafidis later divided into two sub-groups known as Imamiyyah and Batiniyyah.[16]

• The "Imami-Shi'a" later brought into existence Ja'fari jurisprudence. Akhbarism, Usulism, and Shaykhism were all ensued as variations of "Ja'fari fiqh," while Alawites and Alevis who are not the strict followers of "Ja'farism" are developed separately from the teachings of Ithna'ashari Imāms.

  M'zab valley in Sahara has been home of the Ibadi branch of Kharijte sect.

• Batiniyya groups, on the other hand, were divided into two sub-groups known as Seveners and Ismā'īlīs. Qarmatians who did not follow the Fatimid Caliphate were branched from the Seveners. Those groups of Batiniyya who followed the Fatimids are the ancestors of today's Ismā'īlīs. Druze was emerged as an offshoot of Ismāʿīlism at the beginning of the 11th Century. Isma'ilism at the end of the 11th Century split into two major branches known as Nizārī Ismā'īlī (Assassins of Alamut) and Musta’li Ismaili. As a result of the assassination of Fatimid Caliph Al-Amir bi-Ahkami'l-Lah, Mustaali was once more again divided into Hafizis and Taiyabi Ismailis (Dawoodis, Sulaymanis and Alavis).
• The Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i and Hanbali Sunnis, the Twelver groups, the Ismā'īlī groups, the Zaydis, the Ibadis, and the Ẓāhirīs continue to exist. In addition, new sects like Black Muslim movements, Quranists, Salafis, Wahhabis, and Zikris have been emerged independently.

Former sects[edit]

• The Khawarij were initially divided into five major branches: Sufris, Azariqa, Najdat, Adjarites and Ibadis.

Amman Message[edit]

An Islamic convention held in Jordan in July 2005, which brought 200 Muslim scholars from over 50 countries together, announced the official recognition of eight schools of Islamic jurisprudence[17] and the varying schools of Islamic theology.[18] The eight recognized Islamic schools and branches are:

1. Sunni Hanafi
2. Sunni Maliki
3. Sunni Shafi'i
4. Sunni Hanbali
5. Shi'i Imāmī (followers of the Ja'fari jurisprudence)
6. Shi'i Zaydi
7. Khariji Ibadi
8. Sunni Ẓāhirī

In Jainism[edit]

See also[edit]

• Classifications of religious movements
• Cult (religious practice)
• New religious movement
• One true church
• Religious exclusivism

References[edit]

1. ^ a b c Michaels, Axel (2004). Hinduism past and Present (2004) translated from German "Der Hinduismus" (1998). Princeton University Press. ISBN 0-691-08952-3.
2. ^ "sect (n.)". Online Etymology Dictionary. Douglas Harper. Retrieved 10 May 2022. mid-14c., "distinctive system of beliefs or observances; party or school within a religion," from Old French secte, sete "sect, religious community," or directly from Late Latin secta "religious group, sect in philosophy or religion," from Latin secta "manner, mode, following, school of thought," literally "a way, road, beaten path," from fem. of sectus, variant past participle of sequi "follow," from PIE root *sekw- (1) "to follow." Confused in this sense with Latin secta, fem. past participle of secare "to cut" (from PIE root *sek- "to cut"). Meaning "separately organized religious body" is recorded from 1570s.
3. ^ McCormick Maaga, Mary (1998). "Three Groups in One". Hearing the Voices of Jonestown. Syracuse University Press. ISBN 0815605153.
4. ^ Chalcraft, David J. (2007). "The Development of Weber's Sociology of Sects: Encouraging a New Fascination". In Chalcraft, David J. (ed.). Sectarianism in Early Judaism: Sociological Advances. London, Oakville: Equinox Publishing. p. 27. ISBN 978-1-84553-083-9.
5. ^ a b Dawson, Lorne L. (2009). "Church-sect-cult: Constructing Typologies of Religious Groups". In Clarke, Peter B. (ed.). The Oxford Handbook of the Sociology of Religion. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199588961.013.0030. ISBN 978-0199588961.
6. ^ Stark, Rodney; Bainbridge, William Sims (1979). "Of Churches, Sects, and Cults: Preliminary Concepts for a Theory of Religious Movements". Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion. 18 (2). 125. doi:10.2307/1385935. ISSN 0021-8294. JSTOR 1385935.
7. ^ Stark, Rodney; Bainbridge, William Sims (1985). The Future of Religion: Secularization, Revival, and Cult Formation. Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN 0520048547.
8. ^ Kniss, Fred; Numrich, Paul D. (2007). Sacred Assemblies and Civic Engagement: How Religion Matters for America's Newest Immigrants. New Brunswick, N.J.: Rutgers University Press. ISBN 9780813541709.
9. ^ McGuire, Meredith B. "Religion: the Social Context" fifth edition (2002) ISBN 0-534-54126-7 page 338
10. ^ Barker, E. New Religious Movements: A Practical Introduction (1990), Bernan Press, ISBN 0-11-340927-3
11. ^ Wallis, Roy (1977). The Road to Total Freedom: A Sociological Analysis of Scientology. New York: Columbia University Press. ISBN 0-231-04200-0.
12. ^ Wallis, Roy (1975). "Scientology: Therapeutic Cult to Religious Sect". Sociology. 9 (1): 89–100. doi:10.1177/003803857500900105. ISSN 0038-0385. S2CID 144335265.
13. ^ Esquerre Arnaud, "Lutter contre les sectes: l’invention d’un psycho-pouvoir", Le Banquet, n°24, février 2007, p. 199-212
14. ^ Wilson, Bryan Religion in Sociological Perspective 1982, ISBN 0-19-826664-2 Oxford University Press page 89
    "In English, it is a term that designates a religiously separated group, but in its historical usage in Christendom it carried a distinctly pejorative connotation. A sect was a movement committed to heretical beliefs and often to ritual acts and practices like isolation that departed from orthodox religious procedures."
15. ^ Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Sect and Sects" . Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
16. ^ Ahmed Cevdet Pasha, Kısas-ı Enbiyâ, vol. II, page 12.
17. ^ The Amman Message summary – Official website
18. ^ The Three Points of The Amman Message V.1

External links[edit]

Look up sect in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Wikiquote has quotations related to Sect.

• Church sect theory by William H. Swatos, Jr . in the Encyclopedia of Religion and Society by Swatos (editor)
• Apologetics Index: research resources on cults, sects, and related issues. The publisher operates from an evangelical Christian point of view, but the site links to and presents a variety of viewpoints.
• ReligionNewsBlog.com Current news articles about religious cults, sects, and related issues.

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