Editing Sect

{{short description|Subgroup of a particular religious or ideological doctrine}}
{{About|religious groups|other uses|Sect (disambiguation)}}
{{Discrimination sidebar|state=collapsed}}
[[File:Prevailing religious population by country percentage.svg|thumb|300px|Major denominations and [[religions]] of the world]]
A '''sect''' is a subgroup of a [[religion|religious]], [[politics|political]], or [[philosophy|philosophical]] belief system, typically emerging as an offshoot of a larger organization. Originally, the term referred specifically to religious groups that had separated from a main body, but it can now apply to any group that diverges from a larger organization to follow a distinct set of beliefs and practices. Sects often form when there is a perception of [[heresy]] either within the subgroup or from the larger group.

In an [[India]]n context, sect refers to an organized tradition.<ref name="sai.uni-heidelberg"/>

==Etymology==
[[File:Catalogue of Sects.GIF|thumb|right|280px|''A Catalogue of the Severall Sects and Opinions in England and other Nations: With a briefe Rehearsall of their false and dangerous Tenents''. Broadsheet. 1647]]
The word ''sect'' originates from the [[Latin]] noun ''secta'' (a feminine form of a variant past participle of the verb ''[[Wikt:sequi|sequi]]'', to follow) which translates to "a way, road".<ref name=oel_sect>
{{cite web
| url         = https://www.etymonline.com/word/sect#etymonline_v_23088
| title       = sect (n.)
| work        = [[Online Etymology Dictionary]]
| publisher   = [[Douglas Harper]]
| access-date  = 10 May 2022
| quote       = mid-14c., "distinctive system of beliefs or observances; party or school within a religion," from Old French secte, sete "sect, religious community," or directly from Late Latin secta "religious group, sect in philosophy or religion," from Latin secta "manner, mode, following, school of thought," literally "a way, road, beaten path," from fem. of sectus, variant past participle of [[Wikt:sequi|sequi]] "follow," from PIE root *sekw- (1) "to follow." Confused in this sense with Latin secta, fem. past participle of secare "to cut" (from PIE root *sek- "to cut"). Meaning "separately organized religious body" is recorded from 1570s.}}</ref> Figuratively, it signifies a (prescribed) way, mode, or manner. [[Metonym]]ously, sect refers to a discipline or school of thought as defined by a set of methods and doctrines. The various modern usages of the term stem largely from  confusion with the [[homonym]]ous (but etymologically unrelated) Latin word ''secta'' (the feminine form of the past participle of the verb ''[[Wikt:secare|secare]]'', to cut).

==Sociological definitions and descriptions==
{{Main|Church-sect typology}}
Sociologists have developed various definitions and descriptions for the term "sect." Early scholars like [[Max Weber]] and [[Ernst Troeltsch]] (1912) were among the first to define sects within the church-sect typology, viewing them as voluntary associations of individuals who meet specific religious qualifications. Unlike churches, membership in a sect is not inherited at birth; rather, it arises from a person's voluntary acceptance of the sect's doctrines and disciplines, which requires ongoing validation from both the follower and the sect itself. Sects often attract individuals from marginalized or underprivileged social groups and typically form from schisms within established churches that align with the dominant social order.<ref name="Dawson2009">{{Cite book|last=Dawson|first=Lorne L.|url=|title=The Oxford Handbook of the Sociology of Religion|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2009|isbn=978-0199588961|editor-last=Clarke|editor-first=Peter B.|pages=|chapter=Church-sect-cult: Constructing Typologies of Religious Groups|doi=10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199588961.013.0030}}</ref>

Sects frequently critique liberal trends within mainstream denominations, advocating for a return to what they view as authentic religious practices. Their beliefs and practices are usually more radical and ethically strict than those of mainstream churches, acting as a form of protest against the prevailing societal values.<ref name="Dawson2009" /> The American [[sociology|sociologists]] [[Rodney Stark]] and [[William Sims Bainbridge]] argue that sects present themselves as authentic, reformed versions of the faith they have separated from, maintaining a high degree of tension with the surrounding society.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Stark|first1=Rodney|author-link=Rodney Stark|last2=Bainbridge|first2=William Sims|author-link2=William Sims Bainbridge|date=1979|title=Of Churches, Sects, and Cults: Preliminary Concepts for a Theory of Religious Movements|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/1385935|journal=Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion|volume=18|issue=2|at=125|doi=10.2307/1385935|jstor=1385935|issn=0021-8294|url-access=subscription}}</ref> They further assert that sects have, in contrast to churches, a high degree of tension with the surrounding society.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Stark|first1=Rodney|title=The Future of Religion: Secularization, Revival, and Cult Formation|last2=Bainbridge|first2=William Sims|publisher=University of California Press|year=1985|isbn=0520048547|location=Berkeley|author-link=Rodney Stark|author-link2=William Sims Bainbridge}}</ref> Other sociologists, like Fred Kniss, suggest that sectarianism is best understood through the lens of what the sect opposes. Some religious groups may be in tension primarily with other co-religious groups of different ethnic backgrounds, while others may conflict with society at large rather than the church they originally separated from.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Kniss|first1=Fred|title=Sacred Assemblies and Civic Engagement: How Religion Matters for America's Newest Immigrants|last2=Numrich|first2=Paul D.|publisher=Rutgers University Press|year=2007|isbn=9780813541709|location=New Brunswick, N.J.}}</ref>

[[Sectarianism]] in the [[sociology of religion]], is sometimes defined as a worldview that emphasizes the unique legitimacy of a sect's creed and practices, often heightening tension with broader society by maintaining strict boundaries.<ref>McGuire, Meredith B. "Religion: the Social Context" fifth edition (2002) {{ISBN|0-534-54126-7}} page 338</ref>

In his book ''[[The Road to Total Freedom]]'', 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> describes that a sect is characterized by "[[epistemology|epistemological]] authoritarianism": meaning it has an authoritative source for determining heresy. According to Wallis, sects claim to have unique and privileged access to truth or salvation, and their followers often view those outside the group as being in error. In contrast, Wallis describes cults as being marked by "epistemological individualism," <ref>{{Cite book|last=Wallis|first=Roy|url=https://archive.org/details/roadtototalfreed00wallrich/mode/2up|title=The Road to Total Freedom: A Sociological Analysis of Scientology|publisher=Columbia University Press|year=1977|isbn=0-231-04200-0|location=New York|author-link=Roy Wallis|archive-url=}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Wallis|first=Roy|date=1975|title=Scientology: Therapeutic Cult to Religious Sect|url=https://doi.org/10.1177/003803857500900105|journal=Sociology|volume=9|issue=1|pages=89–100|doi=10.1177/003803857500900105|s2cid=144335265 |issn=0038-0385|url-access=subscription}}</ref>

==In other languages==
The corresponding words for "sect" in European languages other than English – ''Sekte'' (German), ''secte'' (French), ''secta'' (Spanish, Catalan), ''sectă'' (Romanian), ''setta'' (Italian),  ''seita'' (Portuguese, Galician), ''sekta'' (Polish, Czech, Slovak, Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian, Slovenian, Latvian, Lithuanian), ''sekt'' (Danish, Estonian, Norwegian, Swedish), ''sekte'' (Dutch), ''sekti'' (Finnish), - ''szekda'' (Hungarian), ''секта'' (Russian, Serbian, Bulgarian, Ukrainian), σέχτα (Greek) – refer to a harmful religious sect and translate into English as "[[cult]]".{{citation needed|date=October 2014}}

==In Buddhism==
{{Main|Schools of Buddhism}}
[[File:Japanese buddhist monk by Arashiyama.JPG|thumb|Japanese buddhist monk from the [[Sōtō Zen]] sect]]
The ''Macmillan Encyclopedia of Religion''<ref>Jones, L., Eliade, M., & Adams, C. J. (Eds.). (2005). ''Encyclopedia of religion'' (Second edition.). Macmillan Reference USA.</ref> distinguishes three types of classification of Buddhism, separated into "Movements", "Nikāyas" and "Doctrinal schools":

* Schools:
** [[Theravada]], primarily in [[South Asia]] and [[Southeast Asia]];
** [[Mahayana|Mahāyāna]], primarily in [[East Asia]];
** [[Vajrayana|Vajrayāna]], primarily in [[Tibet]], [[Bhutan]], [[Nepal]], [[India]], [[Mongolia]] and the Russian republic of [[Kalmykia]].
* [[Nikāya]]s, or monastic fraternities, three of which survive at the present day:
** [[Theravada|Theravāda]], in [[Southeast Asia]] and [[South Asia]];
** [[Dharmaguptaka]], in [[China]], [[Korea]] and [[Vietnam]];
** [[Mulasarvastivada|Mūlasarvāstivāda]], in the Tibetan tradition;

==In Christianity==
{{see also|List of Christian denominations|Christian denomination}}
[[File:Prayer meeting Korpela movement 1935.jpg|thumb|Prayer meeting of the [[Korpela movement]] in 1935]]
While the historical usage of the term "sect" in [[Christendom]] has had [[pejorative]] connotations, referring to a group or movement with [[Heresy in Christianity|heretical]] beliefs or practices that deviate from those of groups considered orthodox,<ref>[[Bryan R. 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 like isolation that departed from orthodox religious procedures."</ref><ref>{{CathEncy|wstitle=Sect and Sects}}</ref> its primary meaning is to indicate a community which has separated itself from the larger body from which its members came.

===Orthodox===
{{main article|Orthodoxy}}

===Roman Catholic sects===
{{main article|Independent Catholicism}}

===Protestant sects===
{{See also|List of the largest Protestant denominations}}

==In Hinduism==
{{Main|Hindu denominations|Sampradaya}}
[[File:Ganapati.1..JPG|thumb|[[Ganesha]] worshippers]]
The [[Indology|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."<ref name="sai.uni-heidelberg">{{cite book | title = Hinduism past and Present (2004) translated from German "Der Hinduismus" (1998)| first=Axel| last=Michaels| year=2004| author-link=Axel Michaels| publisher = Princeton University Press| isbn=0-691-08952-3}}</ref> 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 name="sai.uni-heidelberg"/>

==In Islam==
{{Main|Islamic schools and branches}}
{{Further|Fiqh|Madhhab}}
Islam was classically divided into two major sects, known as [[Sunni Islam]] and [[Shia Islam]]. [[Kharijites|Kharijite]] and [[Murijite Islam]] were two early Islamic sects. Each sect developed several distinct jurisprudence systems reflecting their own understanding of the Islamic law during the course of the [[history of Islam]].

=== Current sects ===
Sunnis are separated into five ''[[maddhab]]s''; [[Hanafi]], [[Maliki]], [[Shafi'i]], [[Hanbali]] and [[Ẓāhirī]]. The Shia, on the other hand, first developed [[Kaysanites|Kaysanism]], which in turn divided into three major groupings known as [[Fiver (sect)|Fivers]], [[Seveners]] and [[Twelvers]]. The [[Zaidiyyah|Zaydis]] separated first. The non-Zaydis were initially called "[[Rafida]]". The Rafidis later divided into two sub-groups known as [[Imamiyyah]] and [[Batiniyyah]].<ref>[[Ahmed Cevdet Pasha]], ''Kısas-ı Enbiyâ,'' vol. II, page 12.</ref>


* The Romani Islam, A special brand of Islam influenced by Romani mysticism emerged in the [[Western Balkans]] among the [[Muslim Romani people]] there.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://eudora-verlag.de/en/product/gypsy-islam-ethnographic-research-on-religion-in-the-western-balkans-henning-schwanke/ | title=Gypsy-Islam. Ethnographic research on religion in the Western Balkans&#91;Henning Schwanke&#93; – Eudora-Verlag Leipzig }}</ref>
* The "[[Imami]]-[[Shi'a]]" later brought into existence [[Ja'fari jurisprudence]]. [[Akhbari]]sm, [[Usuli]]sm, and [[Shaykhism]] were all ensued as variations of "Ja'fari fiqh", while [[Alawites]] and [[Alevis]] who are not the strict followers of "Ja'farism" are developed separately from the teachings of ''[[Ithna'ashari]] [[Imām]]s.''[[File:Ghardaia02.jpg|thumb|[[M'zab]] valley in Sahara has been home of the [[Ibadi]] branch of Kharijte sect.]]
* [[Batiniyya]] groups, on the other hand, were divided into two sub-groups known as [[Sevener]]s and [[Ismā'īlī]]s. [[Qarmatians]] who did not follow the [[Fatimid Caliphate]] were branched from the [[Seveners]]. Those groups of [[Batiniyya]] who followed the [[Fatimids]] are the ancestors of today's [[Ismā'īlī]]s. [[Druze]] was emerged as an offshoot of Ismāʿīlism at the beginning of the 11th Century. [[Isma'ilism]] at the end of the 11th Century split into two major branches known as [[Nizārī Ismā'īlī]] ''([[Order of Assassins|Assassins]] of [[Alamut]])'' and [[Musta’li Ismaili]]. As a result of the assassination of [[Fatimid Caliph]] [[Al-Amir bi-Ahkami'l-Lah]], [[Mustaali]] was once more again divided into [[Hafizi]]s and [[Taiyabi Ismaili]]s ''([[Dawoodi Bohra|Dawoodis]], [[Sulaymani]]s and [[Alavi Bohra|Alavis]]).'' 
* The Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i and Hanbali Sunnis, the Twelver groups, the Ismā'īlī groups, the Zaydis, the Ibadis, and the Ẓāhirīs continue to exist. In addition, new sects like [[Islam in the United States#African American Muslim movements|Black Muslim movements]], [[Quranists]], [[Salafis]], [[Wahhabis]], and [[Zikris]] have been emerged independently.

=== Former sects ===
* The Khawarij were initially divided into five major branches: [[Sufri]]s, [[Azariqa]], [[Najdat]], Adjarites and [[Ibadi]]s.

=== Amman Message ===
{{main||Amman Message}}
{{further|Islamic denominations}}
An Islamic convention held in [[Jordan]] in July 2005, which brought 200 Muslim scholars from over 50 countries together, announced the official recognition of eight [[Madhhab|schools]] of [[Fiqh|Islamic jurisprudence]]<ref>[http://ammanmessage.com/ The Amman Message summary] – Official website</ref> and the varying [[schools of Islamic theology]].<ref name="3Points">[http://ammanmessage.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=91&Itemid=74 The Three Points of The Amman Message V.1]</ref> The eight recognized [[List of Islamic schools and branches|Islamic schools and branches]] are:
# [[Sunni Islam|Sunni]] [[Hanafi]]
# Sunni [[Maliki]]
# Sunni [[Shafi'i]]
# Sunni [[Hanbali]]
# [[Shi'i]] [[Imamah (Shia doctrine)|Imāmī]] ''(followers of the [[Ja'fari jurisprudence]])''
# Shi'i [[Zaidiyyah|Zaydi]]
# [[Khawarij|Khariji]] [[Ibadi]]
# Sunni [[Ẓāhirī]]

==In Jainism==
{{Main|Jain schools and branches}}

==In Taoism==
{{Main|Taoist schools}}

==See also==
* [[Religious denomination]]
* [[One true church]]
* [[Religious exclusivism]]
* [[Religious pluralism]]
* [[Sectarianism]]
* [[Sectarian violence]]
* [[Non-denominational Islam]]
* [[Non-denominational Christianity]]
* [[Non-denominational Judaism]]
* [[Classifications of religious movements]]
* [[Cult]]
* [[Cult (religious practice)]]
* [[New religious movement]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{wiktionary}}
{{Wikiquote}}
* [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)
* [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.

{{Religion topics}}
{{New Religious Movements}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Sociology of religion]]
[[Category:Pejorative terms]]