Sect 26898 222848717 2008-07-01T12:16:39Z 78.157.7.21 {{Otheruses4|religious groups|an astrological factor|astrology of sect}} In the [[sociology of religion]] a '''sect''' is generally a small [[religion|religious]] or [[politics|political]] group that has broken off from a larger group, for example from a large, well-established religious group, like a ''[[religious denomination|denomination]]'', usually due to a dispute about doctrinal matters. In its historical usage in [[Christendom]] the term has a pejorative connotation and refers to a movement committed to [[Christian heresy|heretical]] beliefs and that often deviated from orthodox practices.<ref>[[Bryan Wilson|Wilson, Bryan]] ''Religion in Sociological Perspective'' 1982, ISBN 0-19-826664-2 [[Oxford University Press]] page 89<br>"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 that departed from orthodox religious procedures."</ref> A sect as used in an [[India]]n context refers to an organized tradition. ==Etymology== The word '''sect ''' comes from the [[Latin]] ''secta'' (from ''sequi'' to follow), meaning (1) a course of action or way of life, (2) a behavioural code or founding principles, (3) a specific philosophical school or doctrine. ''Sectarius'' or ''sectilis'' also refer to a scission or cut, but this meaning is, in contrast to popular opinion, unrelated to the etymology of the word. A ''sectator'' is a loyal guide, adherent or follower. ==Sociological definitions and descriptions== :<div class="noprint">''Main article{{#if:{{{2|}}}|s}}: [[church-sect typology|{{{l1|church-sect typology}}}]]{{#if:{{{2| }}} |{{#if:{{{3|}}}|,&#32;|&#32;and&#32;}}[[{{{2}}}|{{{l2|{{{2}}}}}}]]}}{{#if:{{{3|}}} |{{#if:{{{4|}}}|,&#32;|,&#32;and&#32;}}[[{{{3}}}|{{{l3|{{{3}}}}}}]]}}{{#if:{{{4|}}} |{{#if:{{{5|}}}|,&#32;|,&#32;and&#32;}}[[{{{4}}}|{{{l4|{{{4}}}}}}]]}}{{#if:{{{5|}}} |, and [[{{{5}}}|{{{l5|{{{5}}}}}}]]}}''{{#if:{{{6| }}}|&#32; (too many parameters in &#123;&#123;[[Template:main|main]]&#125;&#125;)}}</div> There are several different sociological definitions and descriptions for the term.<ref>McCormick Maaga, Mary excerpt from her book ''Hearing the Voices of [[Jonestown]]'' (Syracuse: Syracuse University Press, 1998) [http://jonestown.sdsu.edu/AboutJonestown/Articles/three.htm available online]</ref> Among the first to define them were [[Max Weber]] and [[Ernst Troeltsch]] (1931)<ref>McCormick Maaga, Mary excerpt from her book ''Hearing the Voices of [[Jonestown]]'' (Syracuse: Syracuse University Press, 1998) [http://jonestown.sdsu.edu/AboutJonestown/Articles/three.htm available online]</ref>. In the [[church-sect typology]] they are described as newly formed religious groups that form to protest elements of their parent religion (generally a [[Religious denomination|denomination]]). Their motivation tends to be situated in accusations of apostasy or [[heresy]] in the parent denomination; they are often decrying liberal trends in denominational development and advocating a return to true religion. The American [[sociology|sociologists]] [[Rodney Stark]] and [[William Sims Bainbridge]] assert that "sects claim to be authentic purged, refurbished version of the faith from which they split".<ref>[[Rodney Stark|Stark, Rodney]], and [[Williams Sims Bainbridge]] (1979) ''Of Churches, Sects, and Cults: Preliminary Concepts for a Theory of Religious Movements'' Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 18, no 2: 117-33</ref> They further assert that sects have, in contrast to churches, a high degree of tension with the surrounding society.<ref>[[Rodney Stark|Stark, Rodney]], and [[William Sims Bainbridge]] (1985) ''The Future of Religion: Secularization, Revival, and Cult formation'' Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press</ref> '''[[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.<ref>McGuire, Meredith B. "Religion: the Social Context" fifth edition (2002) ISBN 0-534-54126-7 page 338</ref> A religious or political [[cult]], by contrast, also has a high degree of tension with the surrounding society, but its beliefs are, within the context of that society, new and innovative. Whereas the cult is able to enforce its [[Norm (sociology)|norm]]s and ideas against members, a sect normally doesn't strictly have "members" with definite obligations, only followers, sympathisers, supporters or believers. Mass-based [[socialist]], [[social-democratic]], [[labour movement|labor]] and [[communist]] parties often had their historical origin in [[utopian]] sects, and also subsequently produced many sects, which split off from the mass party. In particular, the communist parties from 1919 experienced numerous splits; some of them, it is argued, were sects from their foundation. One of the main factors that seems to produce political sects is the rigid continued adherence to a doctrine or idea after its time has passed, or after it has ceased to have clear applicability to a changing reality. The English sociologist [[Roy Wallis]]<ref>[[Eileen Barker|Barker, E]]. ''New Religious Movements: A Practical Introduction'' (1990), Bernan Press, ISBN 0-11-340927-3</ref> argues that a sect is characterized by “[[epistemology|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.”<ref>Wallis, Roy ''The Road to Total Freedom A Sociological analysis of Scientology'' (1976) [http://whyaretheydead.net/krasel/books/wallis/wallis1.html available online (bad scan)]</ref><ref>Wallis, Roy ''Scientology: Therapeutic Cult to Religious Sect'' [http://soc.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/9/1/89 abstract only] (1975)</ref> ==Sects in Islam== There are many divisions of Islam into sects, schools, traditions, and related faiths *See also [[Divisions of Islam|Islamic sects]] ==The concept of sect as used in an Indian context== 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.” And 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.”<ref>[http://www.sai.uni-heidelberg.de/abt/IND/mitarbeiter/michaels/cv.html Alex Michaels] "Hinduism past and Present" (2004) Princeton University Press, ISBN 0-691-08952-3, translated from German "Der Hinduismus" (1998) page 319</ref> *See also [[Hindu sects]] ==Sect in Christian theology== Early Christianity started as a Jewish sect.<ref>[http://www.icjs.org/info/rebbe.html Institute for Christian and Jewish Studies]</ref><ref>[http://www.quodlibet.net/pierce-matthew.shtml Online Journal of Christian Theology and Philosophy]</ref> During reformation times, many churches such as [[Lutheranism|Lutheran]] and [[Anglicanism|Anglican]] split from Catholic church and could be regarded as sects in this context. However Catholic church hesitates to call them sects any more.{{Fact|date=December 2007}}<!---how do you document hesitation? Can't use sentence w/o it though=---> ===Meaning of the word in countries with strong Catholic traditions=== In [[Latin America]] and [[Europe]] it is often applied by Roman Catholics to any non-[[Roman Catholic]] religious group, regardless of size, for example [[Universal Life]],[[Mormonism|Mormons]], [[Evangelicalism|Evangelical]]s, [[Pentecostalism|Pentecostals]], [[Seventh-day Adventist]]s, [[Hare Krishna]], etc. ===Roman Catholic sects=== There are many groups outside the Roman Catholic church which are regarded like Catholic sects such as [[Community of the Lady of All Nations]], [[Palmarian Catholic Church]], [[Philippine Independent Church]], [[Brazilian Catholic Apostolic Church]], [[Free Catholic Church]], [[Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God]] etc.{{Fact|date=December 2007}}<!---Sentence needs to be revised. Further down in the article, it explains that Protestants can confuse "sects" and "cults." I we need to stick to a single definition throughout the article for each, probably the Catholic one since the definition is more limited. I think the editor meant to say that Opus Dei is a cult within the RC church. Most of the others are outside the RC church. Need reference to prove that the RC church considers them sects or somebody does.---> ===Meaning of the word in countries with strong Orthodox traditions=== Similarly, in some European countries where Protestantism has never gained much popularity Orthodox churches (both Greek and Roman) often depict Protestant groups (especially smaller ones) as sects. This can be observed, among others, in [[Bulgaria]], [[Republic of Macedonia]], [[Russia]], [[Ukraine]], [[Belarus]] and [[Poland]]. === Meaning of the word in countries with strong Protestant traditions === The word sect is often use to label groups referred to as cults. ==Corresponding words in French, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Polish, Dutch, Romanian and Hungarian== In [[Europe]]an languages other than [[English language|English]] the corresponding words for 'sect', such as "secte", "secta", "seita", "sekta", "sekte", "Sekte" or "szekta" are used sometimes to refer to a harmful religious or political sect, similar to how English-speakers popularly use the word '[[Cult (disambiguation)|cult]]'. In France, since the 1970's, "secte" has a specific meaning, which is very different of the English word <ref>Esquerre Arnaud, « Lutter contre les sectes : l’invention d’un psycho-pouvoir », ''Le Banquet'', n°24, feb. 2007, p. 199-212</ref> . ==See also== *[[Cult]] *[[Ideal type]] *[[List of religious sects]] *[[Religious denomination]] *[[Ecclesia (sociology of religion)]] *[[Sectarianism]] *[[Sociology of religion]] ==References== {{reflist}} ==External links== *[http://jonestown.sdsu.edu/AboutJonestown/Articles/three.htm Three Groups in One by Mary McCormick Maaga] excerpt from her book ''Hearing the Voices of [[Jonestown]] (Syracuse: Syracuse University Press, 1998) * [http://www.apologeticsindex.org/ 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. * [http://www.religionnewsblog.com ReligionNewsBlog.com] Current news articles about religious cults, sects, and related issues. *[http://hirr.hartsem.edu/ency/cstheory.htm Church sect theory] by William H. Swatos, Jr . in the Encyclopedia of Religion and Society by Swatos (editor) [[Category:Sociology of religion]] [[ar:طائفة]] [[be:Сэкта]] [[be-x-old:Сэкта]] [[bs:Kult]] [[bg:Секта]] [[ca:Secta]] [[cs:Sekta]] [[da:Sekt]] [[de:Sekte]] [[et:Sekt]] [[es:Secta]] [[fr:Culte]] [[hr:Sekta]] [[id:Sekte]] [[ia:Secta]] [[is:Sértrúarsöfnuður]] [[it:Setta]] [[he:כת]] [[lb:Sekten]] [[lt:Sekta]] [[hu:Szekta]] [[nl:Sekte]] [[ja:カルト]] [[no:Sekt]] [[pl:Sekta]] [[pt:Seita]] [[ru:Секта]] [[sq:Sekti]] [[sk:Sekta]] [[sl:Sekta]] [[fi:Lahko (uskonto)]] [[sv:Sekt]]