When (and how) does one differentiate a religion from a sect ?
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A sect would be the subset of a religion.
It’s sort of like the uncanny valley in CGI. It’s somewhat easy for people of two different religions to understand they have different religions. But once get really, really close to the same belief structure there is usually a “rejection” zone where people will feel very strongly “I DO NOT AGREE WITH THAT!” It might seem minor to someone on the outside, but to the “in group” that little difference is a HUGE difference and they no longer accept that belief as compatible with their own.
Now factor in the size of the beliefs, if 1,000,000 million hold “the original” belief, and 1,000 branch off with their new subtly different belief, they are the sect, and the “original belief” is the religion.
In usage, like the Uncanny Valley premise, the term “sect” is a loaded term, it implies a strong rejection of the subtle different with over tones of ‘dangerous’ or ‘extreme’. Calling someone a sect isn’t a minor thing, it implies a severe, negative, judgement.
A sect would be the subset of a religion.
It’s sort of like the uncanny valley in CGI. It’s somewhat easy for people of two different religions to understand they have different religions. But once get really, really close to the same belief structure there is usually a “rejection” zone where people will feel very strongly “I DO NOT AGREE WITH THAT!” It might seem minor to someone on the outside, but to the “in group” that little difference is a HUGE difference and they no longer accept that belief as compatible with their own.
Now factor in the size of the beliefs, if 1,000,000 million hold “the original” belief, and 1,000 branch off with their new subtly different belief, they are the sect, and the “original belief” is the religion.
In usage, like the Uncanny Valley premise, the term “sect” is a loaded term, it implies a strong rejection of the subtle different with over tones of ‘dangerous’ or ‘extreme’. Calling someone a sect isn’t a minor thing, it implies a severe, negative, judgement.
A sect is a subgroup of a religion, usually one with significant disagreements with the main religion it is based upon. For example, LDS/Mormonism is a sect of Christianity – all Christians believe in a divine Jesus, but the details about how to worship are very different for Mormons vs. Protestants, Catholics, etc.
There is no hard and fast rule, but _generally_ speaking, a sect still sees itself as part of a larger religious belief system, with _minor_ aspects adjusted/changed. So, for example, both Presbyterians and Baptists see themselves as _sects_ of Christianity – they hold the same holy book and believe in the same Trinity, but differ on some of the more specific aspects of the faith.
Contrast this with Christianity and Islam – they have different holy books and believe in a very different stories of prophets and God(s).
There is no hard and fast rule, but _generally_ speaking, a sect still sees itself as part of a larger religious belief system, with _minor_ aspects adjusted/changed. So, for example, both Presbyterians and Baptists see themselves as _sects_ of Christianity – they hold the same holy book and believe in the same Trinity, but differ on some of the more specific aspects of the faith.
Contrast this with Christianity and Islam – they have different holy books and believe in a very different stories of prophets and God(s).
A sect would be the subset of a religion.
It’s sort of like the uncanny valley in CGI. It’s somewhat easy for people of two different religions to understand they have different religions. But once get really, really close to the same belief structure there is usually a “rejection” zone where people will feel very strongly “I DO NOT AGREE WITH THAT!” It might seem minor to someone on the outside, but to the “in group” that little difference is a HUGE difference and they no longer accept that belief as compatible with their own.
Now factor in the size of the beliefs, if 1,000,000 million hold “the original” belief, and 1,000 branch off with their new subtly different belief, they are the sect, and the “original belief” is the religion.
In usage, like the Uncanny Valley premise, the term “sect” is a loaded term, it implies a strong rejection of the subtle different with over tones of ‘dangerous’ or ‘extreme’. Calling someone a sect isn’t a minor thing, it implies a severe, negative, judgement.
A sect is a subgroup of a religion, usually one with significant disagreements with the main religion it is based upon. For example, LDS/Mormonism is a sect of Christianity – all Christians believe in a divine Jesus, but the details about how to worship are very different for Mormons vs. Protestants, Catholics, etc.
A sect is a subgroup of a religion, usually one with significant disagreements with the main religion it is based upon. For example, LDS/Mormonism is a sect of Christianity – all Christians believe in a divine Jesus, but the details about how to worship are very different for Mormons vs. Protestants, Catholics, etc.
There is no hard and fast rule, but _generally_ speaking, a sect still sees itself as part of a larger religious belief system, with _minor_ aspects adjusted/changed. So, for example, both Presbyterians and Baptists see themselves as _sects_ of Christianity – they hold the same holy book and believe in the same Trinity, but differ on some of the more specific aspects of the faith.
Contrast this with Christianity and Islam – they have different holy books and believe in a very different stories of prophets and God(s).
Well, Joseph Smith did it by writing his own fanfic about the Bible and the convincing a bunch of people it was true so that he could sleep with their wives.
It’s an oversimplification, sure, but not by much.
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