Cults and sects, religious

An act of religious WORSHIP, or a small intense religious group, often one considered controversial. In religion, the word "cult" can mean any kind of worship, especially that of a particular god or shrine, as in speaking of ancient Greece one might refer to the "cult of APOLLO." Likewise, "sect" can denote any faction or group, especially a small one strongly devoted to a certain belief. In the 20th century, however, these words have come to have particular meanings in the sociology of religion, and "cult" especially has acquired a very negative meaning in the media and in the eyes of the general public. In the traditional sociology of religion, cults and sects are religious "withdrawal groups," that is, groups of people who withdraw from the dominant religion of the society in order to practice what they believe to be a purer, truer, or better religion, even if that means being associated only with a small body of like-minded believers. They are likely to regard the predominant religion as lukewarm and hypocritical, if not plain wrong. These groups are bound to offer a strong, intensely-felt commitment or experience; this takes the place of looser but important community and family and traditional bonds supported by the conventional faith. Usually they have, or were founded by, a powerful leader of strong charisma or personal appeal. Sociologists use the word "sect" to refer to such a withdrawal group within a predominant or major faith, which presents a "purer" and more intense version of the same. Examples would be the AMISH or JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES within CHRISTIANITY, certain strict Hasidic groups (see HASIDISM) in JUDAISM, and comparable movements within ISLAM or HINDUISM. Usually followers of sects live closeknit lives regulated in many important respects, from dress to diet to occupation, by the sect; this of course sets them apart from the rest of society. Cult, on the other hand, means a withdrawal group based on an alternative or imported religion, like those in the United States grounded in Eastern religions or in an esoteric tradition like ROSICRUCIANISM. Often they offer subjective practices like MEDITATION or chanting. Some may enjoy a closeknit, regulated community, but may also have a more diffuse following of people who just attend their lectures or read their books and perhaps do the practice from time to time. It is important to realize that this scheme does not apply too well to the fl uid religious situation in the United States. It is based on Europe, where a society typically has one state church or dominant religion—ROMAN CATHOLICISM in Spain, LUTHERANISM in Scandinavia—against which withdrawal groups are tiny and clear-cut entities. In America, while doubtless some religions are more dominant and considered more respectable than others, the scene is far more pluralistic and is always changing. Groups once stigmatized as sectarian or cultish move up to become major faiths, as have the Mormons, Methodists, and Catholics. Others may lose infl uence they once had. People now move from one to another with far less social penalty than in the past. For this reason the terms "cult" and "sect" should be used cautiously. "Cult" should also be used with care because it has come to have a negative meaning. People use it to refer to religious groups that are believed to be excessively authoritarian, to destroy the freedom and values of members, to cut them off from their families and community, and even to incite them to criminal activity. Undoubtedly religions past and present have acted in such destructive ways. But no one calls their own religion a cult; that is always an outsider's label. The trouble is that the term imposed by an outsider may stereotype it before one has really looked at how it is different, and how different people within the group may have different experiences. Scholars increasingly just speak of "new religious movements" and study them on a case-by-case basis.