Information AboutSect |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT SECT | |
| religious faiths, traditions, and movements | |
| sociology of religion | |
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In the Sociology Of Religion a sect is generally a small Religious or Political group that has broken off from a larger group, for example from a large, well-established religious group, like a '' Denomination '', usually due to a dispute about doctrinal matters. In its historical usage in Christendom the term has a pejorative connotation and refers to a movement committed to Heretical beliefs and that often deviated from orthodox practices. Wilson, Bryan ''Religion in Sociological Perspective'' 1982, ISBN 0-19-826664-2 Oxford University Press page 89 "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 that departed from orthodox religious procedures." A sect as used in an India n context refers to an organized tradition. ETYMOLOGY The word sect comes from the Latin ''secta'' (from ''sequire'' to follow), meaning (1) a course of action or way of life, (2) a behavioural code or founding principles, (3) a specific philosophical school or doctrine. ''Sectarius'' or ''sectilis'' also refer to a scission or cut, but this meaning is, in contrast to popular opinion, unrelated to the etymology of the word. A ''sectator'' is a loyal guide, adherent or follower. SOCIOLOGICAL DEFINITIONS AND DESCRIPTIONS |
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