A sect is a religious group that has separated from the mainstream in religion. In addition, there are other interpretations of this term. For example, a sect is any group (not necessarily religious) that has its own practices and teachings that are different from the dominant ideology.
Instructions
Step 1
The word "sect" takes its etymological roots from the Latin language, from the word secta, which means "a separated part of a religious community." The word is derived from sequor, which means "to obey, to follow someone." Initially, this concept was neutral and was used to describe individual philosophical, political and religious associations and groups. In Russian, however, this term has a negative connotation, very often used to demean. For this reason, religious scholars do not use this concept when describing history, but use neutral definitions of "religious groups", "religious movements", etc.
Step 2
A totalitarian sect is an organization that poses a clear danger to the health and life of people, as a rule, it presents itself in the form of a religious, commercial, social, health-improving or educational organization to cover its illegal activities. This concept is used in areas such as sociology, criminology, psychology, and is also found in various regulatory documents and encyclopedias.
Step 3
The beginning of the 1990s for Russia was marked by the emergence of a large number of new religious associations. A similar situation was noted in the United States in the 1960s and a little later in Western Europe. In Europe, which has a long tradition of religious freedom, religious minorities were described using concepts such as "cult" and "sect", which were almost identical. In some European countries, the concept of "sect" was more negative.
Step 4
Due to the obvious negative connotation of such terms as “cult” and “sect”, the definition of “new religious movement” is used instead. With its help, associations are described that differ from the existing generally recognized religions.
