Sects

A sect is a religious group that has emerged from, or claims to represent, a more established faith tradition. In sociological usage, sects tend to be smaller, more tightly organized, and more exclusive in beliefs and practices than the parent tradition. They may arise through schism, reform movements, or charismatic leadership, and often emphasize a return to perceived original teachings, stricter discipline, and clearer boundaries between members and outsiders.

Sects are frequently distinguished from churches and denominations by size, authority structures, and social posture. Churches are typically larger, more integrated into public life, and pluralistic in outlook. Denominations are broader organizationally than sects and often encompass a range of practices within a tradition. Sects, by contrast, usually maintain strong internal cohesion, centralized leadership, and a more marked sense of in-group identity. They may encourage separateness from mainstream society or from other groups within the same faith.

Relationships to parent traditions vary. Some sects gradually evolve into denominations or become absorbed back into the larger tradition; others remain marginal or face external opposition. Sects may pursue distinctive rituals, dietary or dress codes, and specific moral or eschatological emphases, including apocalyptic or renewalist themes.

Critics note that the term can be used pejoratively, leading to stigmatization. Scholars generally treat sects as social formations with particular beliefs, practices, and boundary-maintaining strategies, and study their origins, growth, and interactions with broader society without endorsing or condemning them.