Cult Vs. Religion Contemporary Religious Essay

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Sect -- in sociology and anthropology, the term sect refers to a group that forms inside another group and takes on some individual characteristics that are based on, but not completely, like the parent or other group. In religion, for instance, denominations may be considered sects. Other academic definitions of the term tend to look at a socio-cultural definition, in that what is it that the group, the sect, is in tension with and why did it believe it had to separate (e.g. The Episcopalians separating over the ordination of a gay Bishop) (Wilson, 1992, 5-9).

Sects also occur in political, social, and cultural groups and, like religious sects, are splinter groups who leave a party or organization because of disagreement on some level. The early International Communist Parties of 1915-1935, for instance had numerous sects. All these were based on the doctrine of Marx & Engles, but took on a slightly different thrust based on location (Russia, China, United States, Great Britain), and whether they believed the 1917 Revolution was carried out properly. One additional definition says that sects, "lay claim to possess unique and privileged access to the truth or salvation and their committed adherent typically regard all those outside the confines of the collectivity as 'in error'" (Wallis, 1975).

At times in history, the term had a negative meaning, at least in Christianity. At times, even though early Christianity began as a Jewish sect, it referred to a group or movement with heretical beliefs that deviated from orthodoxy (Wilson, 1982, 89).

Eschatology -- Eschatology is a part of philosophy and theology that is concerned with initial beliefs, archetypal subjects, and the ultimate destiny of humanity. In theology, this is focused more on a study of Revelations, or the four last things: death, judgment, heaven, and hell (OED, 2010). Within Christian philosophy, eschatology also studies the idea of free will and asking for God's help regarding sin and help with the many issues of daily life traverses thoughts back to the historical Sermon on the Mount, and the resulting Lord's Prayer.

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It is well documented that the young Augustine was influenced by the writings of Origen, whose writings and commentaries on the availability of God to the common man were catechetical texts available to scholars of Augustine's time. Specifically, Origen's view on the resurrection and the humanity of the Lord's Prayer were attractive to Augustine, who took the ideas further, commenting that through the power of prayer and Christ's resurrection, the flesh of humanity will be essentially transformed into a spiritual body (Heidl, 2003, p. 234).

In philosophy, the term can be used as the study of shared beliefs and allegorical interpretations. However, even in philosophical focus, the idea comes down to the way humans interpret their place on earth and the core of events that have not come to past but, through prophecy, give humans a broad view of history -- the people, eras, events, and ideas that are part of the ongoing process of life (Schwarz, 2000).

REFERENCES and WORKS CONSULTED

Heidl, G. (2003). Origen's Influence on the Young Augustine. Gorgias Press LLC.

Lalich, J. And M. Langone. (2009). "Characteristics Associated With Cultic Groups."

ICSA. Cited in:

http://www.csj.org/infoserv_cult101/checklis.htm

Lewis, J. (2005). Cults: A Reference Handbook. New York: ABC-CLIO.

____. (2004). The Oxford Handbook of New Religions. Oxford University Press.

Oxford English Dictionary. (2010). Definition of Eschatology. Cited in:

http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/50077867?single=1&query_type=word&queryword=eschatology

Schwarz, H. (2000). Eschatology. Eerdmans Publishing.

Stark, R., W. Bainbridge. (1987). The Future of Religion: Secularization, Revival,

And Cult Formation. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.

Wallis, R. (1975). "Scientology: Therapeutic Cult to Religious Sect." Sociology. 9 (1):

89-100.

Wilson, B. (1982). Religion in Sociological Perspective. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

____. (1992). The Social Dimensions of….....

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