Christian sects
Definition 1
A religious sect is a religious group of people who have separated from the main religion, while it can both profess traditional dogmas, remaking them in its own way, and create completely new ones.
Along with the main religious movements of Christianity, there are also numerous groups of believers, which are called sects. A sect includes followers of a single religion that has certain characteristic features.
In Tsarist Russia, sects were persecuted, their representatives were anathematized, but today any religious organization can legally exist if it does not cause mental or physical harm to people. All Christian sects, despite the differences in the conditions of their emergence, have common features:
Finished works on a similar topic
Course work Christian sects 400 ₽ Essay Christian sects 240 ₽ Test work Christian sects 240 ₽
Receive completed work or specialist advice on your educational project Find out the cost
- own organizations that differ from church ones;
- the life of the community is seen as a righteous world, contrasted with the surrounding sinful world;
- much attention is paid not to external rituals, but to the inner faith and conviction of a person;
- church services have been replaced by prayer meetings;
- the saving role of the church is denied;
- monasticism, veneration of icons, priestly vestments, crosses, relics, sacraments, etc. are rejected;
- the basis of doctrine is the Bible;
- carrying out active missionary activities.
What is a sect and why is it dangerous?
As already noted, a sect is a group of people who have separated from some creed and are opposed to it.
The first danger of a sect is that if one of the family members has joined it, the leaders of the sect will make every effort to separate the person from his family and deprive him of his property. And in such situations, most people make a choice that is far from being in favor of their family.
Another danger of sects is the brainwashing of children, because many adults join sects together with their children. If a child encounters the beliefs of “spiritual mentors” throughout childhood, then their life goal will only be to please the mentors.
Another danger of sects is considered to be distance from public life. If a person somehow manages to leave the sect, then he simply will not be able to adapt to real life and there is a high probability of suicide.
Baptistism
Baptistism was formed as a branch of Calvinism and supports all provisions of its doctrine. Followers of this trend baptize only adults. The main postulate of Baptists is the following: no one is able to choose a faith for a person, including parents. A person needs to accept faith consciously.
Baptists celebrate the main Christian holidays with triumph:
- Easter;
- Trinity;
- Christmas;
- Transformation:
- Ascension.
They also celebrate Unity Day on October 27 and the Harvest Festival. The only source of their beliefs is the Bible.
Looking for ideas for study work on this subject? Ask a question to the teacher and get an answer in 15 minutes! Ask a Question
The first communities were formed in England in 1611-1612, their founder was J. Smith. Baptists wanted religious freedom, tolerance and separation of church and state, granting the right to preach to any member of the community. At the same time, two types of baptism developed:
- Private (particular) Baptist - its followers adhere to the Calvinist doctrine of predestination. They received this name due to the fact that they believed that only a part of people would be able to achieve salvation.
- General (general) Baptist - its followers believe that obtaining salvation depends on the people themselves, since Jesus, with his death, atoned for the sins of all people, and not just a select few. Their successors are Evangelical Christians.
Baptistism has become one of the largest denominations of Protestantism, whose centers are located in more than 122 countries. Baptistism has over 72 million followers. Baptists publish religious literature: the “Brotherly Messenger” magazine, church calendars, collections of religious songs.
Used materials
- Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron. Art. “Sectarianism” (partially used material).
- Alexander Leonidovich Dvorkin. “Sectology. Totalitarian sects. Experience of systematic research". 3rd edition, revised and expanded. Publishing house of the brotherhood in the name of St. Prince Alexander Nevsky. Nizhny Novgorod. 2002. Section one. Introduction to Sect Studies
[1] Modern Encyclopedic Dictionary. Ed. "Great Russian Encyclopedia", 1997
[2] Basic principles of the attitude of the Russian Orthodox Church to heterodoxy -
Adventists
Adventism formed as a branch of Baptistism in the 30s of the 19th century in the USA. Adventists believe in the imminent second coming of Jesus, in the Last Judgment and the establishment of a thousand-year kingdom for the righteous, that is, Adventists. They deny the immortality of the soul and monasticism, they do not venerate icons, Christian saints, they do not worship relics and relics. The only rituals performed are communion and baptism.
There are several schools of thought in Adventism. The most common are Seventh-day Adventists, whose teachings are based on the Bible and the revelations of the American fortuneteller Ellen White. Saturday is celebrated by them as a day of rest. They believe in the imminent coming of Christ and in the beginning of eternal heavenly bliss after his second coming. Then Adventists will be resurrected to heavenly life, and all sinners will simply perish.
Adventism is characterized by active missionary activity and the payment of tithes to the community treasury.
Worship includes Bible reading, sermons, prayers and religious chants.
A number of rituals are performed:
- adult baptism;
- ordination;
- marriage, communion,
- washing the feet, which symbolizes equality and humility.
They pay much attention to the so-called “sanitary reform”. Adventists are prohibited from consuming pork and fish without scales, tea, coffee, alcohol, tobacco and certain medications.
All Seventh-day Adventists are governed by the General Conference, headquartered in Washington, D.C., convened every 4 years.
In Russia, Adventism was formed at the end of the 19th century in the southern provinces. The SDA General Conference was legalized in 1905.
Following the discussions
Orthodoxy: Church or sect?
a brief summary of the discussion of the same name
As stated earlier (see the article “What is a sect?”
), a sect is a religious group whose theological teaching differs from the teaching of the Bible on three issues: - On the issue of an authoritative source, - On the issue of the personality of Jesus Christ, and - On the issue of the salvation of the soul.
Today we invite you to consider the theology (theological teaching) of the Orthodox Church within the framework of three critical questions, based on the answers to which one can make a conclusion about any religious group regarding whether it is a Christian church or a sect.
I. THE QUESTION OF AUTHORITY (Relation to the Bible)
True followers of the teachings of Christ accept the Holy Scripture (Bible) entirely and completely, as It is - the infallible and unchangeable Word of God. They add nothing to the Bible and take nothing away from it. The Bible is the only authoritative source for Christians.
Deviations of Orthodoxy from the truth on this issue:
1. The Apocrypha is considered inspired writing.
The Orthodox Church recognizes the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments as the inspired Word of God. However, at the same time, the Apocryphal books are regarded as a revelation inspired by God.
2. Own authorities (additional writings)
On the question of the highest authority, all three branches of Christianity (Catholicism, Orthodoxy and Protestantism) are unanimous in opinion, as well as regarding the inspiration of the Old and New Testaments. At the same time, Catholicism and Orthodoxy, in addition to the Bible, also turn to their own authoritative sources - the Apocrypha, the writings of saints, great martyrs, priests, etc. and so on.
3. Equating church traditions and “traditions” with God’s Word.
Orthodoxy teaches that church traditions are as authoritative as Scripture. According to supporters of Orthodoxy, you cannot be an Orthodox Christian if you consider the Bible to be the only authoritative source and do not treat any other scriptures and testimonies of saints with the same respect and awe.
II. QUESTION ABOUT THE ATTITUDE TO THE PERSONALITY OF JESUS CHRIST
The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ is God in the flesh ( 1 Timothy 3:16
). As far as we know, Orthodoxy does not deny the divinity of Jesus Christ. However, when considering this religious group, it would be appropriate to talk about its relationship to the Lord God and His Commandments.
Deviations of Orthodoxy from the truth on this issue:
1. Violation of the 1st commandment:
Worship of one God.
Exodus 20:3
and
Deuteronomy 5:7
“
…thou shalt have no other gods before Me
.” Orthodox Christians worship not only God the Creator, but also His creation (Virgin Mary, John the Baptist, the apostles and other saints, as well as their relics).
A. The Old Testament warns against this: Deuteronomy 6:4-5
“
Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord;
and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength .”
Deuteronomy 6:13-15
“
You shall fear the Lord your God, and serve Him alone, and swear by His name.
Do not follow other gods, the gods of those nations that will be around you; For the Lord your God, who is among you, is a jealous God; lest the wrath of the Lord your God be kindled against you, and He destroy you from the face of the earth .”
B. The New Testament forbids worshiping a creature instead of the Creator:
- Jesus quoted the 1st Commandment of God's Law: Matthew 4:10
"
Then Jesus saith unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him alone shalt thou serve
." - The Lord Jesus taught His disciples not to accept glory and worship from men: Luke 17:10
“
So you also, when you have done all that was commanded you, say, We are worthless servants, because we have done what we had to do
.” - The Apostle John warned: 1 John 5:21
“Children! keep yourself from idols." - Christ's disciples did not accept human worship: Acts 14:8-15
.
This is the story of how Paul and Barnabas healed the lame man in Lystra, and the people wanted to offer sacrifices to them as a sign of worship. This is what the apostles answered them: Acts 14:14-15
“
But the Apostles Barnabas and Paul, hearing about this, tore their clothes and rushed into the people, saying with a loud voice: Men!
what are you doing? And we are people like you, and we preach the gospel to you, so that you will turn from these false things to the living God, who created heaven and earth and the sea and everything that is in them .”
Acts 10:25-26
“
As Peter was entering, Cornelius met him and bowed down at his feet.
Peter raised him up, saying: Arise; I am also a human being ."
Orthodoxy encourages people to pray to saints
. And, as you know, prayer is an integral part of worship. The Lord Jesus left a teaching about how and to whom to address our prayers. God is the only person to whom we should turn with prayer requests. Jesus taught that...
A. We must pray to Heavenly Father: Matthew 6:6
“
But when you pray, go into your room and, having shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret;
and your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you openly .”
Matthew 6:9
“
Pray this way: Our Father...
”
Matthew 7:11
“
If you therefore, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him
.”
B. We must pray in the name of Jesus Christ: John 14:13-14
“
And if you ask the Father anything in My name, I will do it, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
If you ask anything in My name, I will do it .
John 16:23-24
“
Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give it to you.
Until now you have asked nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete .” There is not a single passage anywhere in the Bible that justifies praying to anyone other than the Lord God. Prayers to saints are a manifestation of pagan (in particular, Greco-Roman) polytheism.
The Word of God forbids the worship of anyone other than the Lord God. Therefore, praying to saints, asking them for help, protection or patronage is the same as idolatry.
As for the question of saints, let it be known to you that saints are people chosen by the Lord God for special service. For example,
- John the Baptist is a saint because the Lord chose him for a special ministry - to be the forerunner before the first coming of Christ to earth.
- The Virgin Mary is holy because she was chosen by the Lord for a special mission - to be the mother of Jesus Christ - God in the flesh.
- The apostles - disciples of Christ - are saints because they were chosen by the Lord for a special service - to spread the Good News about Jesus Christ in the world.
- However, we must not forget that the Word of God calls every Christian a saint, that is, separated from this world for life and service to God. Christians are holy people who are separated from the sinful and corrupt world by faith in Jesus Christ: 1 Peter 2:9-10
“
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness. into Your wonderful light;
once not a people, but now the people of God; once they had not received mercy, but now they have received mercy .”
In addition, the Lord Jesus taught that we should not call anyone spiritual father except God: Matthew 21:9-10
“
But you are not called teachers, for you have one Teacher, Christ, and yet you are brothers;
And do not call anyone on earth your father, for you have one Father, who is in heaven; and do not be called instructors, for you have only one Teacher—Christ .”
In addition to this, the New Testament teaches that Jesus Christ is the only mediator between God and man: 1 Timothy 2:5-6
“
For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself a ransom for all.
” . The Orthodox Church disregards this teaching, allowing its priests to be called "fathers", acting as intermediaries between God and man. In other words, the Orthodox Church not only approves, but also promotes teaching and practice that is condemned by God and the Holy Scriptures.
2. Violation of the 2nd commandment
: Worship of images.
Exodus 20:4-6
“
You shall not make for yourself any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth;
You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate Me, and showing mercy to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commandments .”
The same thing is recorded in Deuteronomy 5:8-10
. The veneration of icons and the worship of crosses and various “holy” or consecrated objects is a direct violation of the second commandment.
Where did this practice come from in Orthodoxy? The worship of saints, icons and images of gods is a mixture of pagan and Christian traditions. As you know, the Greeks were pagans before Christianization. Their religion was polytheism. Like the Romans, the Greeks worshiped numerous deities, their children, great philosophers, and also the winners of the Olympic Games. We learn about their idols from the numerous surviving images and statues that were created in their honor and as a sign of veneration and worship. This was in the blood of the Greeks and Romans, and was successfully “inherited” by Roman (Catholicism) and Greek (Orthodoxy) Christianity. The Russian Orthodox Church, without hesitation, adopted similar practices from the Greek Orthodox Church - the mother of Russian Orthodoxy.
3. Outfits and rituals
(funerals, candles, processions of the cross) ... This is a partial borrowing of the Old Testament practice of worshiping God and the orders given by God to the Levites (priests of the Old Testament and ministers at the temple).
Rituals occupy an important part of Orthodox worship. We will not delve into all the rituals; we will list only a few: the ritual of kissing the hand (exaltation of clergy); lighting candles; religious processions; sprinkling and consecration with holy water; kissing the Bible of the cross and censing... The rituals in which the Orthodox Church is mired in create the appearance of a heap of religious actions to which the Holy Scripture does not call Christians. How the Orthodox justify themselves
: “No divine service can be held without the use of ritual.
These rites create a special mood necessary for turning to God. That is, rituals are one of the means that help us tune ourselves to prayer and get closer to God. And one cannot say about the Orthodox Church that it is mired in rituals. She simply has a rich experience of spiritual life, passed on to us by many ascetics of piety, and she carefully preserves this experience, and we all have the opportunity to resort to this treasury and draw from it the wisdom and strength we need on the path of salvation" (Andrey Troitsky - Orthodox Christian ). Spiritual life and rituals are two different things that have nothing in common. The Lord, according to the Gospel of John, is looking for worshipers who would worship Him in spirit and truth, and not with the help of rites and rituals. And no matter how people justify themselves, the Lord God Himself determines what kind of worship He expects from each of us John 4:23-24
“
But the time will come and has already come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is such worshipers looking for Himself.
God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth ."
III. QUESTIONS CONCERNING THE SALVATION OF THE SOUL:
Salvation is God’s free gift to everyone who recognizes Jesus Christ as Lord God and Savior, who died for our sins on the cross. Salvation cannot be bought, earned, or earned. This gift can only be acquired by faith: Ephesians 2:8-9
«
For by grace you have been saved, through faith; and this not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not by works, so that no one can boast.
».
Deviations of Orthodoxy from the truth on this issue:
1. The doctrine of purgatory
. Orthodoxy adheres to the doctrine of the ordeal of the soul, or purgatory, a place where the soul has a second chance to make a choice: to accept or reject God. However, Holy Scripture testifies to the contrary:
- The Bible teaches that after death the soul awaits one of two places: Heaven (eternity with God) or Hell (eternity without God). There is no third option: John 5:28-29
“
Marvel not at this;
for the time is coming in which all who are in the tombs will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who have done good will come forth into the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil into the resurrection of condemnation .” - The Bible teaches that after death a person immediately comes to God's judgment: Hebrews 9:27
“
And as it is appointed unto a man once to die, but after this the judgment
.” - The Bible teaches that whoever does not believe in Jesus Christ and His atoning sacrifice is condemned during his lifetime: John 3:17-18
“
For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.
He who believes in Him is not condemned, but he who does not believe is already condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the Only Begotten Son of God .”
2. The teaching that after death you can change your destiny regarding eternal life or death
(relatives or friends can beg or buy off the soul of the deceased so that he does not go to Hell).
- The parable/story of the rich man and Lazarus ( Luke 16:19-31
) refutes this idea completely and completely, because...
testifies that after death nothing can be changed (neither by donations, nor by lighting candles, nor by funeral services, nor by prayer services): Luke 16:25-26
“
But Abraham said: child!
remember that you have already received your good in your life, and Lazarus received your evil; now he is comforted here, and you suffer; and above all this, a great gulf has been established between us and you, so that those who want to cross from here to you cannot, nor can they cross from there to us .” - Galatians 6:7-8
“
Do not be deceived: God is not mocked.
Whatever a man sows, that he will also reap: he who sows to his flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life .”
All of the above leads us to the conclusion that the Orthodox Church is a sect.
At the same time, we should not forget that we examined only the theological teaching of this religious group, and did not touch upon the socio-psychological factor (how leadership and control is carried out in this religious organization). Upon closer examination of this issue, it becomes clear that the Orthodox Church is nothing more than a sect that exists (like the Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses) due to state support and funding. Many of us were once or considered ourselves Orthodox. But we must remember that Orthodoxy is only the first step towards knowing the true living God and establishing relationships with our Great Creator. As children, we all fell while learning to walk. Likewise, no one can avoid falling when learning to walk the spiritual path. But the time is coming (and has already come) to learn to stand firmly on your spiritual feet and distinguish truth from lies. Today the time has come for you to get out of the short pants of Orthodoxy. May God help you!
Download the article in word
We recommend reading the following articles about sects:
- What is a sect?
- Mormons
- Jehovah witnesses
- Seventh-day Adventists
We recommend that you read the following articles:
- "The Saints".
- "Idols and idolatry."
- “Is it possible to venerate holy relics?”
- "The question of our religion"
Back
Pentecostals
Definition 2
Pentecostals are a Protestant movement that arose in the United States at the end of the 19th century and spread from there throughout the world. The basis of this direction is the New Testament tradition concerning the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles on the fiftieth day of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, as well as the receipt by the apostles of the gift of prophecy.
The founder of the sect is priest Charles Fox.
Pentecostals believe that every true Christian can receive the visible gifts of the Holy Spirit: the ability to prophecy, the gift of healing the sick, speaking in different languages, etc. To be saved, every believer must achieve the indwelling of the holy spirit into his own body.
In Pentecostalism there are several trends that can be divided into five groups:
- Two blessing Pentecostals, which recognize the acceptance of faith, that is, the baptism of the Holy Spirit;
- Three Blessings Pentecostals, which recognize education, sanctification, and the new birth, as well as the baptism of the Holy Spirit;
- Radical Pentecostals who, in addition to conversion, recognize sanctification and the baptism of the Holy Spirit, as well as Divine healing, prophecy and the ascension;
- Apostolic Pentecostals, led by living “apostles” and “prophets” who adhere to the doctrine concerning the existence of one God in three persons;
- Unitarian Pentecostals who believe that there is one person of God rather than three.
The attitude of the Church to sectarianism
The attitude of the Russian Orthodox Church towards sectarianism is expressed in the document “Basic principles of the attitude of the Russian Orthodox Church towards heterodoxy”, adopted at the Council of Bishops in 2000:
6.3.
The Orthodox Church makes a clear distinction between heterodox confessions that recognize faith in the Holy Trinity, the God-manhood of Jesus Christ, and sects that reject fundamental Christian dogmas. Recognizing the right of non-Orthodox Christians to witness and religious education among population groups that traditionally belong to them, the Orthodox Church opposes any destructive missionary activity of sects [2].
See also sectology, totalitarian sect, heterodoxy, heresy, schism.
