Zusammenfassung der Ressource
Characteristics of churches,
denominations, cults and sects
- Scope
- CHURCHES: National (or
international), very large
membership; inclusive
- DENOMONIATIONS:
National (or international),
large membership;
inclusive
- SECTS: Local or
national. Tend to
start small but
can grow
extremely large
- CULTS: Local,
national or
international, varies
in size; inclusive
- Internal organisation
- CHURCHES:
Hierarchical;
bureaucratic
- DENOMINARIONS:
Formal
bureaucratic
- SECTS:
Voluntary,
tight-knit,
informal
- CULTS: Voluntary;
loose structure
- Nature of leadership
- CHURCHES:
Professional
clergy with paid
officials
- DENOMINATIONS:
Professional clergy;
uses lay preachers
- SECTS: No
professional clergy,
often have a
charismatic leader
- CULTS: Individualistic, may be
based on a common interest
or provision of service;
inspirational leader
- `life span
- CHURCHES: Over
centuries
- DENOMINATIONS:
Often more than 100
years
- SECTS:
Sometimes
more than a
generation;
may evolve
into a
denominations
e.g. Mormons
- CULTS: Often
short-lived and
dies with the
leadership
- Attitude to wider
society
- CHURCHES: Recognises
the state and accepts
society's norms and
values
- DENOMINATIONS:
Generally accepts but
not part of formal
structure
- SECTS: Critical of
mainstream
society; often
reclusive with own
norms and values
- CULTS: May be critical or
accepting of society, but has
a unique approach that offers
more
- Claims to truth
- CHURCHES: Monopoly view of
the truth; strong use of
ritual with little arousal of
strong emotional response
- DENOMINATIONS: No
monopoly of truth; less
ritual but clear emphasis
on emotional fervour
- CULTS: Monopoly of the
truth, aim to re-establish
fundamental views
- SECTS: No monopoly
of the truth
- Type of membership
- CHURCHES: Little formal
commitment required,
often by birth
- DENOMINATIONS; Stronger
commitment and rules e.g.
teetotalism or non-gambling
- CULTS: Exceptional
commitment
- SECTS:
Membership flexible
- Examples
- CHURCHES: Anglicanism,
Roman, Catholicism, Islam,
Judaism, Hinduism,
Sikhism
- DENOMINATIONS:
Baptists, Methodists,
Pentecostalists
- CULTS: Mormons,
Jehovahs witnesses,
Moonies, Branch
Davidian, Salvation
army
- SECTS: Scientology,
Spiritualism,
Transcedenal
meditation, New age
idea