Cults and Sects.

Cults and Sects.


A chocolate cake.


Cults and Sects. 

They are both groups that deviate from mainstream religious or social norms, but they differ in certain key ways:


Cults: 

Often centered around a charismatic leader and have beliefs that are significantly different from mainstream society. Cults tend to be exclusive, controlling, and can be seen as manipulative or even dangerous. They often demand high levels of commitment from their members and can isolate them from the outside world.


Sects: 

Typically offshoots of established religions, maintaining many of the original beliefs but differing in some key aspects. Sects are usually more organized and less extreme than cults, often arising from disputes or reform movements within a religion. While sects might still be seen as unorthodox, they are generally not as isolated or controlling as cults.


In summary, cults are often seen as more radical and isolated, while sects are more closely related to mainstream religions but with distinct differences.


I disagree with this analysis, somewhat.


To me a Cult is a movement that purports to be under the doctrine of the original movement; but, does not adhere to the fundamentals of the original doctrine.


And, to me a Sect is a movement that adheres to the original doctrine; but, differs on nonessential criteria of the original doctrine.


A good analogy is:

If a chocolate cake is symbolic of the original 'doctrine' and a vanilla cake, covered in chocolate icing, purports to be a chocolate cake; it's only in the cutting into sections that we will unveil the missadhearance to the original design.

So the vanilla cake is shown to be a Cult, whereas the chocolate cake cut into SECTions reveals the Sects of the original design (ie. Doctrine).

Ya 'now wha' I'm sayin'?

Ya 'now wha' I is meanin'?


A Cult.


Let's say that a chocolate cake is the real thing.....the correct doctrine.

Now let's imagine a vanilla cake that coats itself with chocolate icing.

It's only when we cut it open that we will see that it's not a chocolate cake. Not the correct doctrine.

The vanilla cake is a cult.

Now, if we cut the chocolate cake into 8 sections....then each piece is still a chocolate cake but in sections.

Each one is a sect.






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