The strangest and most dangerous sects of our time | Blogger nattchekhova on the website SPLETNIK.RU July 20, 2020

“If you want to get rich, invent a new religion.” Lafayette Ronald Hubbard, creator of Scientology The word “sect” is known to everyone, but few can define the word “sect,” name its characteristic features, or say how a sect differs from a theological school? The article discusses the basic concepts and characteristics of sects, as well as how you can help a person who has fallen into a sect.

As people say: “When you get burned with milk, you blow with water,” but not everything that differs from the official religion is called a sect. You should not mindlessly believe the documents of the church, because... any teaching that is based on the Orthodox, in the opinion of the church, is sectarian (according to monitoring carried out by the Russian Orthodox Church, sects include: Buddhists, Wushu, Aikido, Norbekov and many others).

Sociologists have not yet decided on the definition of the word “sect.” Some define it as a religious group that is not widely recognized. Others say that a sect is an ideological (not necessarily religious) association of people under the leadership of a charismatic leader. But in both cases, it is recognized that the leader of the sect has a very strong influence on his “flock,” sometimes to the point of their complete subjugation, similar to zombification.

A sect arises due to the activities of one or several people. But later it can develop into a major trend within one of the religions or even claim the title of a separate “new” religion. It is a mistake to think that sects have appeared only in recent years or decades. They have always been, by the way, from the Bible we can learn that in the first century Christianity, i.e. the teachings of Christ were also considered a Jewish (Jewish) sect, because it differed from the then official religion.

What is a sect and why is it dangerous?

As already noted, a sect is a group of people who have separated from some creed and are opposed to it.

The first danger of a sect is that if one of the family members has joined it, the leaders of the sect will make every effort to separate the person from his family and deprive him of his property. And in such situations, most people make a choice that is far from being in favor of their family.

Another danger of sects is the brainwashing of children, because many adults join sects together with their children. If a child encounters the beliefs of “spiritual mentors” throughout childhood, then their life goal will only be to please the mentors.

Another danger of sects is considered to be distance from public life. If a person somehow manages to leave the sect, then he simply will not be able to adapt to real life and there is a high probability of suicide.

Origin and features of the use of the concept “sect”

Etymologically, the word sect comes from - “to follow someone, to obey”; at the same time, quite early this word began to be associated with the word and other derivatives from - “to cut, divide, cut off.” The word "sect" was originally a neutral term to describe individual political, philosophical and religious groups, and was used in a polemical context even in the pre-Christian era. Originally in Latin, the word secta had the following meanings: path, rule, way of action, thought or life; teaching, direction, school; heresy, false teaching; gang

In the early Christian era, the word “sect” began to primarily denote a false teaching that broke away from the main community, used for translation (which also at first simply meant “teaching, school, direction,” and then narrowed to the concept of “false teaching, heresy”). These two words were used as synonyms in the Latin West until modern times.

After the Reformation, a distinction was established between the meanings of the terms: the word “ sect ” began to designate an organization or group of people, and “ heresy ” was an unorthodox teaching contained by a sect or denomination, and this rule of word usage was also addressed to the past of Christianity (thus, one can, for example, say that the Severian sect professed the Monophysite heresy). This distinction between these concepts was adopted by Russian theological science during the synodal period in the history of the Russian Orthodox Church. In Greek theology, until today, only one word is used in both meanings.

The Russian-language terminology of religious groups differs markedly from, for example, the English-language terminology. In particular, the concept of sect corresponds to two terms: sect and cult, the main difference between which is the fact that a cult does not necessarily need to branch off from another religious group and that there is no call for the purification of a given religious teaching and a return to its original roots. Instead, cults are based on new revelations, prophecies and unconventional or esoteric knowledge. Recently, the concept of New Religious Movements (NRM) has been increasingly used for cults in the broad sense of the word.

At the same time, it is often used in relation to the traditional directions of many religions (for example, the main movements of Islam or Christianity), which is completely unusual for the Russian sect.

Sect in dictionaries

V.I. Dal defined the word “sect” as “French. a brotherhood that has accepted its own separate doctrine of faith; agreement, interpretation, schism or heresy.”

D. N. Ushakov defined the word “sect” as “1. a religious community consisting of people who broke away from the dominant church and adopted a new creed 2. trans. A group of people who have isolated themselves from communication with others, who have withdrawn into themselves (disapproves).”

In the Great Legal Dictionary, the word “sect” is defined as “a group of believers that has broken away from the main or dominant religious denomination, adhering to its own views and interpretations of its individual dogmas, rituals, teachings, etc.”

Features of the use of the concept

The word “sect” itself is not neutral; it contains deep, historically determined connotations and in the Russian language often has a derogatory connotation. Indirect confirmation of this are the words “sectarian”, “sectarianism” and “sectarian” derived from this term, which cause negative associations and are usually used polemically or pejoratively.

Due to the emotional connotation, religious scholars avoid using this term except in the description of historical processes, preferring the terms “religious groups”, “religious organizations”, “religious formations”, “religious movements”. The word “sect” is used exclusively by publicists and religious figures (in relation to other religious organizations), almost always in a derogatory sense.

It should be remembered that this word, as a rule, does not denote the teaching itself, but the organization representing it.

The term “Sect” is not used (except in isolated cases) in the regulations of the Russian Federation.

Literature

Dvorkin A.L. Sectology. Totalitarian sects. Experience of systematic research. Ed. 3rd. Nizhny Novgorod: Publishing house of the brotherhood in the name of St. Prince Alexander Nevsky, 2002
S. V. Bulgakov Handbook of heresies, sects and schisms. Publishing house "Sovremennik". Moscow, 1994
Schaefer W. Baha'i Faith: Sect or Religion? // Baha'i Studies. Bahá'í Research Association Publication No. 16
Irving Hexam. New religious movements. Pocket dictionary. Alexandria, Ezra, 2006.
Stanley J. Grenz, David Gurecki, Cherith Fee Nordling. Theological terms. Pocket dictionary. Alexandria, Ezra, 2006.
A. Etkind. Russian sects still seem “obscure” // Etkind A. Non-fiction in Russian is true. Review book. — M.: NLO, 2007, p. 91-107

Types of sects

Today there are several types of sects:

Totalitarian. A closed group whose leader has unquestioned authority. Members of the sect are strictly prohibited from contacting the outside world and their loved ones. At the slightest disobedience, a person receives serious punishment, even death.
Satanic. An organization built on cruelty, preaching the cult of Evil. Only complete callousness and lack of pity are encouraged. Such groups arise among young people, they visit cemeteries and carry out ritual killings.
Occult. The organization's teachings are based on a belief in fantastic elements. The leader of the group notes that the world will soon perish, and only he has an idea of how to escape. Members of the organization conduct seances of spiritualism, disturbing the souls of the dead.
Sectarian organizations where sexual relations are encouraged. Participants in such organizations constantly pray, gradually entering a trance, resulting in a dulling of consciousness. After the “teacher’s” call to make love, there is no resistance at all. Orgies are a characteristic feature of such organizations.

Are Baptists sectarians or not?

Baptists are a Protestant sect. The organization is widespread throughout the world, in particular in Russia and Ukraine.

They refuse such basic sacraments of the church as communion and baptism. Baptism is performed in adulthood, and they call priests presbyters.

Members of the organization do not accept the cross and prayer in front of the icon, and do not believe in the Mother of God and the saints. The Bible is considered a holy book, but it has a different interpretation than that of Christians.

Ardent opponents of alcoholic beverages, they are even forbidden to sit at the same table with people who drink alcohol.

Signs of a sect: psychology

The characteristic features of the sect are the following:

Marketing - The leaders of the organization are trying to attract more participants, so the group members actively attract new people.
Ranks and double teaching - when joining a sect, a person receives only superficial knowledge, but as he moves up the hierarchy, he is told new information that differs from the primary one.
Contributions - in most sects, a “tithe” is collected from a person’s income, and it is from these contributions that the organization develops.
Presence of a leader - every organization has its own leader, about whom only information is known that confirms his “sacredness.”
Suppression of rational thinking - information is presented to a cult member in such a way that he does not have the opportunity to think about it.

How to help a person who has fallen into a sect? Some tips:

First of all, don’t panic and don’t run to fortune tellers, it will only get worse. Have patience, support from friends and family, and try different methods: If possible, try to excommunicate him from the sect - go with him as far as possible and for as long as possible. Dependence on a sect may disappear at a distance, or this trip will provide an opportunity to take an outside look at the organization he has joined. It may not be easy and it will be like a drug addict going through withdrawal, but it will be worth it. Everyone has a person whose opinion we always listen to or have listened to. It is important to find such a person and negotiate with him to save the one who has fallen into the sect. It's unlikely to be parents, more likely a friend or girlfriend. This “authority” can “accidentally” meet a newly-minted sectarian and talk to him about life and new views in a soft and non-intrusive manner. This should not look like persuasion or criticism, this will only make the situation worse. You may need more than one such “random” meeting and, of course, this will require time and patience. For your part (family, relatives), give up all attempts to explain to your loved one the absurdity of the sect’s creed and the inadequacy of his behavior, this will lead to even greater scandals and aggravation of relations. Show with all your behavior that you recognize your loved one’s right to search, to make their own choice, even if it’s wrong, and that your loved one is dear to you in itself, regardless of his beliefs. On the other hand, do not under any circumstances pretend that you have changed your mind or have finally accepted the changes that have occurred with your loved one. This will either strengthen his commitment to the sect, or he will discover your lies and completely lose the remnants of trust in you. Try to come to an agreement - you do not criticize his “organization” (the term “sect” will naturally irritate your loved one, so it is better to try to avoid it), and he does not engage in propaganda at home and does not try to involve other family members. You can gently draw your loved one’s attention to obvious contradictions in his behavior and statements, at the same time, without forcing him to explain these contradictions: your task is to distract him from the sect. Also try to remember more often the joyful moments of life from his childhood or life together. This will help maintain connections with family and social life, which is exactly what the sect is trying to avoid. Under no circumstances give him money - this is the same as giving money to a drug addict for drugs: any money you give will still be immediately transferred to the sect. Try to collect all possible information about the sect that your loved one or acquaintance has joined, but secretly from him, so as not to irritate him and not to lose his already fragile trust. This information can be useful when contacting law enforcement agencies, journalists or psychologists. As a last resort, you can also join this sect and try to stand out from the crowd, show off your zeal or activist abilities, bring new (false) adherents, etc. Having mastered the situation, you will be able to more easily influence the consciousness of your friend and will be able to bring him out of the state of dependence, opening his eyes and the truth to what is happening. And the last piece of advice is to give your friend this article to read. Elena,