What's the difference between a cult, a sect, and mainstream religion? Is it simply a matter of connotation—like freedom fighter vs. terrorist?
Cult n. a system of religious worship esp. as expressed in ritual... devotion to a person or thing (OCED).
So Catholicism is a cult then? Catholics certainly have an established ritual of worhsip, and that worship is directed toward a person (Jesus) and thing (God). In a wider context, is Christianity itself not therefore simply a monotheistic cult with the same "rights of existence" as the bull-worshipping Minoans? Throughout history we have worshipped over 1600 Gods (see Godchecker.com); is it fair to assert that all other religions aside from our own are cults?
In our society, as Wikipedia asserts:
... the term cult has taken on a pejorative and sometimes offensive connotation... the quintessential modern cult is thought to be religion taken to the extreme, usually characterized by high levels of dependency and obedience to the cult's leadership, by separation from family and non-believers, and by the infiltration of religion into nearly every aspect of daily life... [skeptics] say that the only difference between a cult and a religion is that the latter is older and has more followers and as a consequence seems less controversial because society has become used to it.
It would seem therefore that the traditional meaning of "cult" is not the meaning that we generally infer today, despite disagreement over what we actually mean by the word. "Cult" is a term like "freedom fighter" or "terrorist"—it depends upon whether you are in-group or out-group, a sympathiser or a victim.
So VIEWPOINT is important.
Sect n. a body of people subscribing to religious doctrines different from those of others within the same religion... a religious denomination (OCED).
Catholics have different doctrines from other Christian groups, such as the Evangelists, so surely this makes Catholicism a sect—even though they outnumber Evangelists 22:1 in the US (2001 figures).
Maybe, because the word "sect" would seem to have connotations in our society, euphemisms are in use e.g. denomination n. Church or religious sect (OCED). If you ask a Christian what denomination they belong to this is likely to result in an answer, rather than outrage, had you enquired as to the name of their sect. However, they will likely be content with the description of a Shi'ite or Sunni as a member of an Islamic sect.
Wikipedia defines a sect as a "small religious group that has branched off of a larger established religion" and a denomination as "a large, well established religious group". Hmmm, so we can speak of Shi'ite and Sunni denominations, and refer to the Bahá’í for example, as a Shi'ite Islamic sect? Likewise, within the Christian Protestant denomination, we have the Lutherian and Calvinist sects? Except we call them "Churches"—not sects!
So SIZE apparently matters. Wikipedia also helpfully states that:
Sociologists use the word sect to refer to a religious group with a high degree of tension with the surrounding society, but whose beliefs are (within the context of that society) largely traditional. A 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.
OK, so AGE also matters.
Viewpoint, size, age. Perhaps it is best to avoid connotation and reduce the risk of judgement or offense, and refer to all denominations/ sects/ cults simply as religious "groups"?
0 responses to Cults vs. sects vs. mainstream religion