All major religions have offshoots that take accepted doctrine and distort it, forming a group that is considered apostate.
This is different from a sect, that takes one or two teachings and over emphasize those and sometimes make salvation requirements from teachings that are not required for salvation.
Are we seeing a rise in cult activity in Christianity?
Hinduism and Judaism are experiencing this right now.
Cults or sects?
As an expert in historical religious movements, how do you classify each of these, that spun out of the Great Awakening?
Quakers
Seventh Day Adventists
Mormons
Jehovah’s Witnesses
I recently became interested in looking into a group that calls themselves The Twelve Tribes. Very cultish- but they (as each of the others do) consider themselves to be a sect of Christianity.
I’d love to hear your perspective.
I define a cult as a group that denies basic tenets of a major religion, yet insists it is of that religion. Non-trinitarian, raising a book to equality with scripture, elevating their founder or others to a Christlike status are examples. Cults are also defined by control techniques. Demanding that members cut off family that leave the group, etc. Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses both fall into the category, and odd as it seems consider each other to be cults.
A sect takes one or two doctrines and elevated them to a status above other doctrines, or changed the definition of a doctrine a bit. Example: Holiness churches thst demand a second work of grace subsequent to salvation, or Pentecostals who insist speaking in tongues is THE proof of salvation and sanctification. Sects tend to be legalistic as well.
Seventh Day Adventists are a sect.
There are secular cults as well, based on a business or other secular groups.
The melding of Christianity with other religions, political groups, or health/exercise demands. Yes! A church that demands you be trim snd good looking exists! They have scales to weigh you, you must dress to the hilt to be a member.
Some would define Quakers as a cults, others as a sect I think they are a low control cult.
The Twelve Tribes are indeed a cult, the last of the old Jesus movement hippie groups. They are in the Messianic category, and they target college age folks. Very legalistic. I believe they operate an organic sandwich shop near the Appalachian Trail.
I want to be very clear: in the United States , ALL religions have freedom to practice their beliefs, even cults. I do not believe that should be curtailed in any way. Those that call members to commit criminal activity must be legally held responsible, however.
This isn’t just pretty talk. It is hard. Particular when dealing with extremist Hasidic Jews overtaking a village, Asian gun cults building a compound near where you hunt deer, or the secretive church thst has church bells blasting early in the morning on your day off.
Freedom for them, IMO, means freedom or all of us- and categorizing these groups is quite time consuming but must be done to determine if a group is indeed practicing a religion or if it is a cover for criminal activity.
Warren Jeffs, anyone?