{"id":6657,"date":"2020-02-27T19:26:37","date_gmt":"2020-02-27T13:56:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/?p=6657"},"modified":"2025-07-14T16:14:58","modified_gmt":"2025-07-14T10:44:58","slug":"what-is-a-sect","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/what-is-a-sect\/","title":{"rendered":"What is a SECT ?"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_is_a_SECT\"><\/span><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\">What is a SECT ?<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Relevant_For_Sociology_Optional_UPSC\"><\/span><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\">(Relevant For Sociology Optional UPSC)<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\"><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_68 ez-toc-wrap-center counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-light-blue ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title \" >What's Inside this Blog!<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/what-is-a-sect\/#What_is_a_SECT\" title=\"What is a SECT ?\">What is a SECT ?<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-2' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/what-is-a-sect\/#Relevant_For_Sociology_Optional_UPSC\" title=\"(Relevant For Sociology Optional UPSC)\">(Relevant For Sociology Optional UPSC)<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/what-is-a-sect\/#_What_is_a_Sect\" title=\"\u00a0What is a Sect?\">\u00a0What is a Sect?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/what-is-a-sect\/#Why_it_is_distinguished\" title=\"Why it is distinguished?\">Why it is distinguished?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/what-is-a-sect\/#_What_does_the_sect_imposes\" title=\"\u00a0What does the sect imposes?\">\u00a0What does the sect imposes?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/what-is-a-sect\/#Characteristics_of_Sect\" title=\"Characteristics of Sect:\">Characteristics of Sect:<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/what-is-a-sect\/#How_did_the_Concept_of_Sect_originate\" title=\"How did the Concept of Sect originate?\">How did the Concept of Sect originate?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/what-is-a-sect\/#Read_more_BLogs\" title=\"Read more BLogs\">Read more BLogs<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-25879 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Untitled-design-9.png\" alt=\"What is SECT by Vikash ranjan sir at Triumph IAS, UPSC Sociology Optional\" width=\"1080\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Untitled-design-9.png 1080w, https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Untitled-design-9-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Untitled-design-9-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Untitled-design-9-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Untitled-design-9-768x768.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1080px) 100vw, 1080px\" \/><\/p>\n<table style=\"border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 100%;\">\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"_What_is_a_Sect\"><\/span><span style=\"color: #333333; font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\"><strong>\u00a0What is a Sect?<\/strong><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\">A\u00a0<strong>sect<\/strong>\u00a0is a subgroup of a religious, political or philosophical belief system, usually an offshoot of a larger religious group. <strong>The word sect comes from the Latin <\/strong>Secta, meaning an organized religious body or organization,<strong> oriented towards \u2018a course of action or way of life\u2019.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\">In other words, A sect is a type of religious group that is distinguished by having broken away from a larger organization. Members of sects are predominantly lower class and have usually attained membership through conversion. The power structure in a sect is informal and leaders are untrained and typically chosen by the members. In relation to other religious organizations, sects tend to be nonconformist and oppositional, although they are less so than cults.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_it_is_distinguished\"><\/span><span style=\"color: #333333; font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; background-color: #ffffff;\"><strong>Why it is distinguished?<\/strong><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\">The chief feature of a religious sect is that <strong>it is a voluntary association<\/strong>. It is <strong>a small religious group that has branched off of a larger established religion<\/strong>. Sects have many beliefs and practices in common with the religion But they have broken off from, but are differentiated by <strong>a number of doctrinal differences<\/strong>. Many Sociologists use the word sect to refer to a religious group with a high degree of tension with the surrounding society, but whose <strong>beliefs are (within the context of that society) largely traditional.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"_What_does_the_sect_imposes\"><\/span><span style=\"color: #333333; font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\"><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><strong>What does the sect imposes?<\/strong><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\"><strong>A sect seeks to impose<\/strong> a rigid pattern of ideal conduct on its members <strong>but seeks toleration rather than change from the larger society<\/strong>. <strong>Sects are concerned with purity of doctrine and with the depth of genuineness of religions feeling. <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Characteristics_of_Sect\"><\/span><span style=\"color: #333333; font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\"><strong>Characteristics of Sect:<\/strong><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\">A sect is a relatively small religious group. It is an organized body of people developing a kind of religious consciousness and raising as a major critic to mainstream<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\">Sect is ideologically and operationally closed.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\">Its members are usually, though by no means always, drawn from the lower classes and the poor.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\">Sects often reject many of the norms and values of the wider society and replace them with beliefs and practices which sometimes appear strange to the non-believer.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\">Sect institute a strict pattern of behaviour for members to follow and make strong claims on their loyalty.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_did_the_Concept_of_Sect_originate\"><\/span><span style=\"color: #333333; font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\"><strong>How did the Concept of Sect originate?<\/strong><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\"><strong>Max Weber argues that sects are most likely to arise within groups which are marginal in society.<\/strong> Members of groups outside the main stream of social life often feel they are not receiving either the prestige and\/or the economic rewards they deserve.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\">One solution to this problem is a sect based on what Weber calls a <strong>\u2018theodicy of dispreviliged\u2019 <\/strong>(a theodicy is a religious explanation and justification). Such sects contain an explanation for the disprevilige of their members and promise them a \u2018sense of honour\u2019 either in the afterlife or a in a future \u2018new world\u2019 on earth.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\"><strong>According to other Sociologists, an explanation of the sects must account for the variety of social background represented in their membership<\/strong>. <strong>Sects are not confined to the lower strata of society.<\/strong> <strong>For example,<\/strong> the Christian Science sect has a largely middle-class membership. The concept of relative deprivation can be applied to members of all social classes.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\"><strong>In objective terms<\/strong> the poor are deprived than the middle class. However, in subjective terms certain members of the middle class may feel more deprivation than the poor. Sects can therefore be seen as one possible response to relative deprivation.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\"><strong>Sects tend to arise during a period of rapid social change. <\/strong>In this situation traditional norms are disrupted, social relationships tend to lack consistent and coherent meaning and the traditional \u2018universe of meaning\u2019 is undermined.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h3><span class=\"amp-wp-303d451\" data-amp-original-style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;\">To Read more topics like What is SECT<\/span>\u00a0<span class=\"amp-wp-303d451\" data-amp-original-style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;\">in Public Posts, visit:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/?amp=1\">www.triumphias.com\/blogs<\/a><\/span><\/h3>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Read_more_BLogs\"><\/span>Read more BLogs<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"ZtFcMGb3NH\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/the-crisis-of-youth-unemployment\/\">The Crisis of Youth Unemployment | Sociology Optional Coaching | Vikash Ranjan Classes | Triumph IAS | UPSC Sociology Optional<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"&#8220;The Crisis of Youth Unemployment | Sociology Optional Coaching | Vikash Ranjan Classes | Triumph IAS | UPSC Sociology Optional&#8221; &#8212; TriumphIAS\" src=\"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/the-crisis-of-youth-unemployment\/embed\/#?secret=8A7ahUcbQW#?secret=ZtFcMGb3NH\" data-secret=\"ZtFcMGb3NH\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"7vKv2V8Xr5\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/gender-inequality-in-healthcare\/\">Gender Inequality in Healthcare | Sociology Optional Coaching | Vikash Ranjan Classes | Triumph IAS | UPSC Sociology Optional<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"&#8220;Gender Inequality in Healthcare | Sociology Optional Coaching | Vikash Ranjan Classes | Triumph IAS | UPSC Sociology Optional&#8221; &#8212; TriumphIAS\" src=\"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/gender-inequality-in-healthcare\/embed\/#?secret=wI63RAqJlz#?secret=7vKv2V8Xr5\" data-secret=\"7vKv2V8Xr5\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What is a SECT ? (Relevant For Sociology Optional UPSC) \u00a0What is a Sect? A\u00a0sect\u00a0is a subgroup of a religious,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6658,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11068],"tags":[11205,11202,11207,11204,11206,11203],"class_list":["post-6657","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sociology-daily-dose","tag-religious-sects","tag-sect-definition","tag-sect-examples","tag-sect-meaning","tag-types-of-sects","tag-what-is-a-sect"],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6657","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6657"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6657\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25881,"href":"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6657\/revisions\/25881"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6658"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6657"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6657"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6657"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}