...view that cults and sects are fringe organisations that are inevitably short lived and of little influence on contemporary society. Cults and sects are often hard to differentiate from one another, as a lot of them have very similar features such as a world-rejecting values and the offer of alternative explanations to traditional beliefs. According to Troeitsch, sects tend to be small, tight-knitted groups of individuals that often disagree with mainstream values and attempt to change society for the better. Cults on the other hand, are loosely knit, require a lot less commitment and do not always hold concrete beliefs. While some sects are low profile and harmless, others carry out horrific actions and rituals which have become apparent to the public through the media, such as 'Heaven’s Gate': a sect that conducted mass suicides as a way of gaining access to heaven, and the 'People’s Temple', a sect lead by the Reverend Jim Jones who famously drove a mass suicide in a jungle campsite in South America. The idea that neither sects nor cults are long lasting is an important one, with theologians such as Richard Neibuhr suggesting that sects cannot survive beyond one generation. He states that as they are often led and “held together” by one charismatic individual who claims to have some kind of “divine power”, following the death of this leader, the sect usually disappears. Furthermore, second generation members that are born into sects may not maintain the...
Words: 1095 - Pages: 5
...Assess the view that cults and sects are fringe organisations that are inevitably short lived and of little influence on contemporary society. Cults and sects are often hard to differentiate from one another, as a lot of them have very similar features such as a world-rejecting values and the offer of alternative explanations to traditional beliefs. According to Troeitsch, sects tend to be small, tight-knitted groups of individuals that often disagree with mainstream values and attempt to change society for the better. Cults on the other hand, are loosely knit, require a lot less commitment and do not always hold concrete beliefs. While some sects are low profile and harmless, others carry out horrific actions and rituals which have become apparent to the public through the media, such as 'Heaven’s Gate': a sect that conducted mass suicides as a way of gaining access to heaven, and the 'People’s Temple', a sect lead by the Reverend Jim Jones who famously drove a mass suicide in a jungle campsite in South America. The idea that neither sects nor cults are long lasting is an important one, with theologians such as Richard Neibuhr suggesting that sects cannot survive beyond one generation. He states that as they are often led and “held together” by one charismatic individual who claims to have some kind of “divine power”, following the death of this leader, the sect usually disappears. Furthermore, second generation members that are born into sects may not maintain the traditions...
Words: 1101 - Pages: 5
...Analyse a religious tradition(s) in New Zealand The New Zealand society has undergone many significant changes over the past 50 years, especially those involving the religious expression and teachings of the Catholic Church. Both educational and cultural changes have affected the positioning of religion in our society and as a consequence to this the amount of citizens who claim to be Christian does not match the amount of people who actually live in New Zealand. This is evolving New Zealand from being a country known as Christian to be known as a religiously diverse. This is evident through the census data. A census taken in 2006 shows that 55.6 percent of the people who answered the religious affiliation questions claimed to be within the Christian religion. This is compared to the 2001 Census which shows that 60.6 percent of people claimed to be Christian. From this census data it is becoming more obvious that religious expression in New Zealand is becoming more and more diverse. As the numbers of immigrants continue to rise the diversity of New Zealand continues to change dramatically. It is now common to find other religious groups such as Buddhists and Muslims in New Zealand and due to this the traditional religions, especially the Catholic Church, have seen fallen numbers. From this census data shown above, it states that the overall number of people who claim to be Catholic has dropped. Although the amount of people who claim to be Hindi, Muslim and Sikh have all...
Words: 1334 - Pages: 6
...documented overview of the major "Christian" sects, or what some have called cults. We are using the term sects to avoid the much more complicated concept of cults. Specific attention is given the essential biblical doctrines which they deny. No information is given on the origin and founders of the sects, since this is of relatively minor importance to the apologetic task. Guidelines are supplied to help the Christian worker in his communication of this information. An extensive bibliography is provided and recommended for further study. The source of doctrinal authority for spiritual truth is crucial. The source(s) which a group acknowledges will tend to determine the entire doctrinal framework of that group. This area, therefore, is the foundational issue between biblical Christianity and the sects. Biblical Christianity acknowledges the Bible alone as authoritative, because it alone is inspired by God. The sects also usually acknowledge the Bible as the inspired word of God. However, most of them claim that other writings are also inspired. These writings become the final doctrinal authority, since they are usually the grid through which the Bible is interpreted. Some sects ("Jehovah's Witnesses" and "The Way") believe that the Bible alone is inspired, but claim to have the uniquely correct interpretation and/or translation of the Bible. This interpretation becomes in practice the final authority of the sect. A. Acknowledgement by sects that the Bible is the inspired word of...
Words: 4800 - Pages: 20
...Churches are large organisations often with millions of members. Sects are usually a break away from a church usually because of disagreement and cults are new religions such as Scientology. The view that sects and cults are more important than the church may be due to the fact there are many of these new religious movements gaining status and becoming well known in certain societies. The reason they may be seen as more important than the church may be due to the fact the church is losing members and attendance is low whereas new religious movements are gaining more members and are becoming more socially accepted. People these days are now more individualistic due to modernity. They do things that benefit themselves rather than society for example young people believe in spirituality as it aims to improve the individual. Stark and Bainbridge say sects offer other worldly benefits such as a place in heaven and cults offer worldly benefits in this life. This could be a reason that they seem to be more important than church as people rather follow the new religious movements as opposed to the church because they are fulfilling the individuals need to feel they may have a better life now and after death . This could also be showing that people feel so oppressed in this life that they need to follow a new religious movement like a sect as it gives them comfort knowing in the afterlife they will be saved and free of the oppression they are faced with in today’s...
Words: 259 - Pages: 2
...Crime and Deviance Revision SCLY 4: Crime and Deviance with Methods in Context Sociology Department Greenhead College SCLY 4: Crime and Deviance with Methods in Context Remember: You have to revise everything, because you have no choice on the exam paper. The specification 1 Different theories of crime, deviance, social order and social control * Different definitions of crime, deviance, social order and social control * The distinction between sociological theories of crime and other theories (eg biological, psychological); crime and deviance as socially constructed * Functionalist theories of crime: Durkheim, anomie, collective conscience; Merton’s strain theory; manifest and latent functions; functionalist subcultural theories * Marxist and neo-Marxist theories of crime: classical Marxism, laws reflecting class interests; Neo-Marxism, hegemony, the CCCS studies, critical and new criminology * Interactionist theories of crime: labelling theory, the self-fulfilling prophecy * Feminist theories of crime: patriarchy, male control of women’s lives * Control theory and other contemporary approaches to crime: social bonds, communitarianism, situational prevention; postmodern theories; Foucault on individualisation and surveillance * Realist theories: New Left Realism and Right Realism * The relevance of the various theories to understanding different types of crime, and their implications for social policy. 2 The social distribution...
Words: 25825 - Pages: 104
...Describe and evaluate one other explanation of criminal/anti-social behaviour. (12) * One other explanation for criminal behaviour is labelling and the self-fulfilling prophecy. Labelling theory states that criminal or anti-social behaviour is a consequence of the application of a criminal label given to the individual by others around them. * This explanation has four main stages. Firstly, a label is assigned to the individual by others around them; such labels are derived from stereotypes. For example, hoody wearers being labelled as troublemakers because of their physical appearance. * Secondly, the labelled individual will be treated according to their label by others around them. For example, if a crime such as graffiti occurs and a hoody wearer is nearby they will be blamed because their label is of a troublemaker. * Thirdly, the labelled individual reacts by starting to believe their assigned label. As a reaction to constantly being treated differently, the hoody wearer starts to believe that they are a bad person. * Finally, this results in the labelled individual behaving in line with the expectations of those around them which confirms the label. For example, the hoody wearer engages in criminal behaviour therefore a self-fulfilling prophecy (SFP) has occurred whereby the label has become true. * One example to illustrate how labelling and the self-fulfilling prophecy occurs is the naming of boys in the Ashanti tribe according to the day of the week...
Words: 677 - Pages: 3
...All Islamic sects are monotheistic in nature. The Islamic creed: "There is no God but God, and Muhammad is his messenger." The great prophet Muhammad is said to be the last in a long line of prophets and Muhammad is his direct messenger. The Islamic scripture (the Qur’an) is revered text, and it is the heart of Islam. The Five Pillars (religious duties) of Islam are pertinent to all sects. The Five Pillars are: 1. Daily Confession of Faith (shahada) 2. Daily ritual prayer (salat) 3. Paying the alms tax (zakat) 4. Fasting during the month of Ramadan (sawm) 5. Pilgrimage to mecca (hajj) Separate Islamic groups do not recognize themselves as "denominations" amongst each other. For example, Sunnis and Shi'ites do not recognize one another as being apart of the same religious group. With 940 million adherents out of about 1.1 billion Muslims, Sunni Islam is the largest Islamic sect. Followers of the Sunni tradition are known as Sunnis or Sunnites; they sometimes refer to themselves as Ahlus Sunnah wal-Jamaa'h, "adherents to the Sunnah and the assembly." The Sunni are traditionalists (orthodox Muslims) that emphasize the Qur'an. The caliphate is determined by election or consultation. The laws are usually discussed and determined by census of opinion. Shia Islam encompasses most Muslims who are not counted among the Sunni. Shi'ites believe that the succession should always be passed through Mohammed's bloodline (the Imams). Another characteristic of Shia Islam is the continual...
Words: 458 - Pages: 2
...Early years Shantilal was born in the village of Chansad, Gujarat, on 7 December 1921. His parents, Motibhai and Diwaliben Patel, were disciples of Shastriji Maharaj and followers of the Akshar Purushottam faith.[2] Motibhai and Diwaliben were both involved in the Swaminarayan fellowship; Diwaliben’s family’s association with the Swaminarayan fellowship extended to the time of Bhagatji Maharaj.[3] Shastriji Maharaj had blessed young Shantilal at birth, and had told his father, “This child is ours; when the time is ripe, please give him to us. He will lead thousands to the devotion of God. Through him, thousands will attain liberation.”[4] Shantilal’s mother described him as a calm and soft-spoken, yet energetic and active child.[5] His childhood friends recall that Shantilal developed a reputation in the town and in school as an honest, reliable, mature, and kindhearted boy.[6] Even as a child, he possessed an uncommon empathy that led others to seek out and trust his opinions and judgments in matters large and small.[7] Shantilal was raised in a simple home environment, as his family was of modest means. Although he excelled in his studies, in the seventeen years he spent at home before becoming a sadhu, Shantilal only had the opportunity to attend school for six years.[8] As he grew older, Shantilal helped his household by doing chores on the family farm. Early spiritual inclination Shantilal was strongly inclined towards spirituality from a young age. Upon completing...
Words: 3009 - Pages: 13
...Question: "What is the difference between a sect and a cult?" Answer: The word sect comes from the Latin word secta, which means “school of thought.” It is a subjective term that may apply to a religious faith or denomination, or it may refer to a heretical splinter group. Sometimes, the connotation is one of disapproval, similar to the “destructive heresies” spoken of in 2 Peter 2:1, though there are no consistent or accepted exemplars to use to identify a sect. Sects are found in all religions. Islam has Sunnis and Shias, Judaism has Orthodox and Karaites, Hinduism has Shiyaism and Shaktism, and Christianity has Baptists and Lutherans. These are all examples of religious sects, and they can be thought of as “branches” of different religions. There are also non-religious sects, such as capitalists and socialists among economists, or Freudians and Jungians among psychiatrists. In contradistinction, the word cult always carries a negative connotation. There are specific criteria used to identify a cult. In Combatting Cult Mind Control, deprogrammer Steven Hassan singles out what he refers to as “destructive cults,” which he defines as “a pyramid-shaped authoritarian regime with a person or group of people that have dictatorial control. It uses deception in recruiting new members (e.g. people are NOT told up front what the group is, what the group actually believes and what will be expected of them if they become members).” Hassan also correctly points out that cults are...
Words: 516 - Pages: 3
...Difference Between, Cult, Sect and Church Mashell Chapeyama Zimbawe I have the opportunity to look deeper into the difference among the three aspects, sect, cult and church which seem to be closely related. They are related in that they deal with spiritual aspects of human beings and humanity in general. A cult and a sect are similar in that these are usually newly created religious groups of people. These two are similar in that they have a relatively fewer followers who, however are very committed to the group. A sect and a cult are also similar in that they usually originate around very charismatic leaders. These are not very established groups. The people are really devotees to their religious beliefs and standings. A cult has been described as a newly established religious group which is led by a charismatic leader. On the other hand a sect is described as a newly formed religious group, which has split from a parent religious group. The other similarity between a cult and a sect is that these two are said to be in high tension with the society. Being in tension with the society arise from the fact that these two’s teachings are a deviant from the normal teachings of the other religious groups. These two are viewed as weird by most people in the community, who do not believe in their principles and practices. A sect or a cult can grow up to become a denomination or a church. As soon as it gets more followers and the society has started accepting its teachings then...
Words: 364 - Pages: 2
...Identify and briefly explain three characteristics of sects. (9 marks) Sects have been defined by Troeltsch as a separate religious organisation, defined by certain characteristics. For example, a common characteristic of sects is an unofficial structure, without the formal hierarchy of leaders many other religious organisations (such as churches) have. Instead, as sects are often smaller, they are led by a single charismatic leader who unites all the followers within the sect. This can be exemplified by David Koresh and his sect known as the Branch Davidians, who was the single leader of the sect and controlled the members by preaching he was the reincarnation of David the Lamb from the Bible, therefore giving his leadership position the legitimacy and validity used by other sect leaders. A second characteristic is the restricted membership sects have compared to other religious organisations; instead of admitting children or those born into the organisation like denominations do, sects require their members to demonstrate a greater commitment to the belief. Therefore, adults only are admitted into sects in order to ensure the uniquely legitimate beliefs and commitments are secure, as the followers have demonstrated they are deeply committed. An example is the Hare Krishna sect, a movement based in Hinduism and the belief in the Hindu god Krishna. As this sect has behavioural restrictions such as all members required to be vegetarians, they only a...
Words: 639 - Pages: 3
...Identify and briefly explain three characteristics of sects (9 marks) Sects tend to be “world rejecting” which means they are oppositional to the rest of the world. This is partly caused by the fact that sects often claim they have a monopoly over the truth as the claim to re-establish fundamental truths. Sects target the marginalised and at the same time offer to these people a status identity in the sense that they often portray themselves as exclusive with a monopoly over the truth. They are radical in their rejection of the rest of society and other belief systems, are aggressive to the existing social order, and they are often in opposition to the state, therefore rejecting the normal status-quo and appearing to be hostile to wider society - which in turn perceives them as deviant. Sects normally demand total commitment from their member and strong internal discipline. Once a person joins a sect, members are often expected to end their connections with the outside world, often to the extent that they must withdraw completely from society. As sect members are usually expected to demonstrate total commitment to the organisation, they often have to obey strict rules and may even have new names and religious dress codes imposed on them. Sociologists have been knows to interpret that people who join sects are looking for a structure or meaning in their lives. Sects are often characterised by having charismatic leaders who can attract people who are influenced by their...
Words: 319 - Pages: 2
...Shia & Sunni Islam is divided into several branches and sub-sects. the two main sects of Islam are Sunni and Shia. Sunni is the largest group with 85 percent of the Muslim population whereas Shia’s make up 15% of the population. The two sects formed right immediately after the death of prophet as there was no leader for the community, so the people decided to choose themselves. The Sunni’s - which means "people of the community and the tradition" – decided that the leader should be someone respected by the community and know the disciples of the prophet. They chose Abu Bakr who was one of Muhammad's closest friend and he was the first caliphs to succeed Muhammad. After Abu Bakr came Umar, Uthman, and Ali. The Shia's, however, disagreed with...
Words: 918 - Pages: 4
...Discuss the differences between churches, sects and cults. A church: is a religious group that accepts the social environment in which it exists. In more plain language, a church is widely accepted by the host culture in which it resides. In America, Protestantism would be a church. It is generally accepted by the whole and is consistent with the culture's values (maybe not traditional Protestantism, but what forms we have of it today). Church may have denominations which are small changes made in the church that are still accepted by the host culture. A sect: is a religious group the rejects the social environment in which it exists. Now, it's not as extreme as that definition makes it seem. A sect doesn't necessarily share the same values as the host culture. This causes some friction between the religious group and the host culture, but we accept the group as a society because we're more tolerant to differing religions in this day and age. Many churches started as sects. One well-known example was the Nazarenes. This was an reform movement within Judaism formed by Jesus' apostles after the execution of Jesus circa 30 CE They were largely dispersed or killed some four decades later when the Romans attacked Jerusalem and destroyed the temple. Again the most obvious North American example of a sect that evolved into a denomination is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), the Mormons. Their founder, Joseph Smith, had a revelation from God that the...
Words: 1207 - Pages: 5
