Sebbi
11-25-2004, 06:40 PM
They are not.
They were cults but are not anymore.
The following is taken from "Sociology Alive" by Stephan Moore. The chapter is "Sects, cults and new religious movements"
Definitions
Churches - A church is religious organisation with paid officials, usually fully integrated into the values of society. It has regular formal acts of worship in a special place put aside for that purpose. One of the major churches generally linked to the state, and is known as the 'established church'; in England this is the Church of England.
Sects - A sect is a religious organisation which is very strict in it's beliefs and control of it's membership. Usually they believe that only they have found the truth concerning God. There are rarely any paid officials. They are generally strongly opposed to the accepted values of society.
Examples of sects which have grown into new religious movements include Jehovah's Witnesses and Scientology. They have retained many of the sect features such as a degree of secrecy and strict discipline.
Denominations - A demonination is a religious organisation which is accepted by the wider society, although it has no connection with the state. It is smaller in size than a church and the running of it is far more in the hands of the congregation than in a church. Often denominations are sects that have grown in size and have become less critical of other religious groups. The Methodists are an example of a denomination.
Cults - A cult is an extreme version of a sect, but is much smaller and can exist within a wider church. It is usually based upon one charismatic leader.
The development of churches from cults (the following is a flow diagram, which unfortunately I can'ts draw, but I'll try to represent it as best I can).
Group of people facing exclusion and deprivation--->
People searching for a more meaningful life, dissatisfied with current religion--->
--->Charismatic leader emerges--->
--->Cult or sect founded. Obediant to orders of the leader--->
--->Grows in size and complexity--->
--->Leader appoints people to help run sect--->
--->Leader died--->
--->Leader's assistants carry on his/her teachings--->
--->Gradually formal rules emerge and an organisation is contructed to run the religion--->
--->Large scale religion with clear rules and hierarchy--->
--->Becomes Church
or
--->Becomes demominationBlessings
Sebbi
They were cults but are not anymore.
The following is taken from "Sociology Alive" by Stephan Moore. The chapter is "Sects, cults and new religious movements"
Definitions
Churches - A church is religious organisation with paid officials, usually fully integrated into the values of society. It has regular formal acts of worship in a special place put aside for that purpose. One of the major churches generally linked to the state, and is known as the 'established church'; in England this is the Church of England.
Sects - A sect is a religious organisation which is very strict in it's beliefs and control of it's membership. Usually they believe that only they have found the truth concerning God. There are rarely any paid officials. They are generally strongly opposed to the accepted values of society.
Examples of sects which have grown into new religious movements include Jehovah's Witnesses and Scientology. They have retained many of the sect features such as a degree of secrecy and strict discipline.
Denominations - A demonination is a religious organisation which is accepted by the wider society, although it has no connection with the state. It is smaller in size than a church and the running of it is far more in the hands of the congregation than in a church. Often denominations are sects that have grown in size and have become less critical of other religious groups. The Methodists are an example of a denomination.
Cults - A cult is an extreme version of a sect, but is much smaller and can exist within a wider church. It is usually based upon one charismatic leader.
The development of churches from cults (the following is a flow diagram, which unfortunately I can'ts draw, but I'll try to represent it as best I can).
Group of people facing exclusion and deprivation--->
People searching for a more meaningful life, dissatisfied with current religion--->
--->Charismatic leader emerges--->
--->Cult or sect founded. Obediant to orders of the leader--->
--->Grows in size and complexity--->
--->Leader appoints people to help run sect--->
--->Leader died--->
--->Leader's assistants carry on his/her teachings--->
--->Gradually formal rules emerge and an organisation is contructed to run the religion--->
--->Large scale religion with clear rules and hierarchy--->
--->Becomes Church
or
--->Becomes demominationBlessings
Sebbi