Essay about Cults and Sects and Their Influence in...

Cults and Sects and Their Influence in Contemporary Society A sect is a small religious group that has branched off a larger established religion. Sects have many beliefs and practices in common with the religion they have broken off from, but are differentiated by a number of theological differences. Sociologists use the word sect to refer to a religious group with a high degree of tension with the surrounding society, but whose beliefs are largely traditional. A cult, by contrast, also has a high degree of tension with the surrounding society, but its beliefs are new and innovative. Sects, in the sociological sense, are generally traditionalist and conservative, seeking to return a religion to†¦show more content†¦This description led Leo Ryan to visit Jonestown (Home of the movement) in 1978. The visit itself went well, up until the point Ryan went to leave with members of the movement who had decided they wanted to leave with him. Ryan and four others were killed by gunfire at the Port Kiatuma airport by the Temples security guar ds. Fearing retribution, a consensus was later reached by the project members to commit mass suicide. 914 people died; 638 adults and 276 children. Most appeared to have died after drinking a drink which contained cyanide - others however appeared to have been murdered by lethal injection. The coroner said that hundreds of bodies showed needle marks, indicating foul play. Other signs of foul play include bodies found dead due to gunshot wounds. The Peoples Temple and similar incidents (EG; Heavens Gate headed by Marshall Applewhite and Bonnie Nettles in the 1970s) generate a lot of public support for Anti-Cult and Counter-Cult Movements. The Anti-Cult Movement (ACM) consists of individuals and groups who attempt to raise public consciousness about what they feel are extreme danger. As they see it, the threat comes from small, coercive, manipulative groups -- mostly new religious movements. Although they have been largely discredited inShow MoreRelatedReligious Fundamentalism: The Muslims of Different Sects859 Words   |  3 Pagesinterreligious conflicts within the Islam as a religion. There are fundamentally four types or branches of Islam if we may call it as below: Islam followed by Sunnis, Islam followed by Shias, Islam followed by Wahabis, Islam followed by some other sects and groups (Syed B. Soharwardy, 2012). The most striking fact however is that they all claim to be the true Islam and each point fingers at the other Islam as being the Mushrik or the Kafir (pagan). They call each other names that should neverRead MoreReligion Is A Social Institution Essay1378 Words   |  6 Pagesdoes not matter where or what is practiced as long as there is a unified body of believers. 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