4/14/2023 0 Comments Religious notion definition![]() Sociologists call these established sects. Some sects dissolve without growing into denominations. ![]() How might you classify the Mennonites? As a cult, a sect, or a denomination? (Photo courtesy of Frenkieb/flickr). Often a sect begins as an offshoot of a denomination, when a group of members believes they should separate from the larger group.įigure 2. When membership in a sect increases over time, it may grow into a denomination. They sometimes claim to be returning to “the fundamentals” or to be contesting the truth of a particular doctrine. ![]() Occasionally, a sect is a breakaway group that may be in tension with the larger society. From “protest” comes the term Protestant. For example, the Methodists and Baptists protested against their parent Anglican Church in England, just as Henry VIII protested against the Catholic Church by forming the Anglican Church. Most of the well-known Christian denominations in the United States today began as sects. Some groups that are controversially labeled as cults today include the Church of Scientology and the Hare Krishna movement.Ī sect is a small and relatively new group. In its pejorative use, these groups are often disparaged as being secretive, highly controlling of members’ lives, and dominated by a single, charismatic leader.Ĭontroversy exists over whether some religious groups are in fact cults, perhaps due in part to media sensationalism over groups like the polygamous Mormon FLDS or the Peoples Temple followers who died in a mass suicide at Jonestown, Guyana, in 1978. The term cult is sometimes used interchangeably with the term “new religious movement” (NRM). However, almost all religions began as cults and gradually progressed to levels of greater size, stability, and organization. In the United States today this term often carries pejorative connotations. For example, Christianity began as a cult, transformed into a sect, and today exists as an ecclesia.Ĭults, like sects, are new religious groups. Most religions transition through different organizational phases. Scholars are also aware that these definitions are not static. Ecclesia, denomination, and sect are terms used to describe these classifications. For instance, when the Roman Catholic Church emerged, it borrowed many of its organizational principles from the ancient Roman military and turned senators into cardinals, for example. ![]() Religions organize themselves-their institutions, practitioners, and structures-in a various ways. Can you match the symbol to the religion? What might a symbolic interactionist make of these symbols? (Photo courtesy of ) Types of Religious Organizations In no particular order, they represent Judaism, Wicca, Taoism, Christianity, Confucianism, Baha’i, Druidism, Islam, Hinduism, Zoroastrianism, Shinto, Jainism, Sikhism, and Buddhism. Figure 1. The symbols of fourteen religions are depicted here.
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