Kyzmich - How does a sect differ from a religion?

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                     Комментарии к вопросу;"What is the difference between a sect and a religion?"
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(c) Kuzmich (http://shiza.wallst.ru)


     When supporters of the teachings of Jehovah's Witnesses are called
sectarians, they are very offended by this and say that we, they say,
It’s not even a sect, but a religion. Why is this happening? Then
there is a difference between a “respectable” religion and a very
dubious sect?

     Let’s take any religion that has been tested by life and time. K
example Orthodoxy.  No matter how they talk about the separation of the church from
state, it is an integral part of society. And
Accordingly, the church does not separate the parishioner from society. He
only performs certain rituals approved by society and observes
commandments that are also approved by society.
     If a person feels a craving for a deeper
immersion in faith, then emy is given the opportunity to go into
a monastery where he can concentrate entirely on religion, or
do this professionally by studying and becoming a priest.
     Here I am not touching on extremely shaky ground.
correspondence between Orthodoxy and the Bible and the like
theological issues.  This is secondary according to moemy. I'm just trying
describe the interaction between a believer and a religion. How
They say you will know them by their fruits...
   Next.
     A man comes tosect. Let me make it clear right away that I have no
something negative in mind.  The term "sect" is given by me,
only as a definition of one of the types of religious organizations.
     Of course, there are differences between sects and sects.  Some of them are primitive
organizations aimed at simply extracting money from
people fooled by a sect or into unquestioning submission
the head of the sect, with even more vile goals, but among this muforo
swamps there are monsters too serious for this
crime, outwardly having a beneficial effect on their members and
spreading their influence throughout the world. As examples
the latter can be called Baptists and Jehovah's Witnesses.
     So, a neophyte comes to the sect.   To the second sect,
non-criminal plan.  Accepts the teachings of the sect and becomes ee
member
     What is the difference from religion?  The fact that religion is not
captures a person entirely, leaving room in his “soul” for
what is called "worldly life". Moreover, if the “worldly
life" does not go beyond morality, it is not condemned as
such.
     In a sect, for example Jehovah's Witnesses, service to God Jehovah
is put first. Everything else is just derivatives of
this.  Of course, the average Jehovah's Witness lives like everyone else
a normal member of society, works and takes care of his family. But
His first priority is serving Jehovah. Worldlydesires -
desire to get rich, career, education, craving for
the opposite sex: they are fraught with temptations of the Devil. The whole world
outside the meeting of Witnesses, is declared to be the world of Satan, with all,
consequences arising from this.
     "Worldly" people, on the one hand, are material
to replenish the sect, and the other is a component of the hostile
world, seeking to turn them away from serving Jehovah.
Consequently, the attitude towards people who do not belong to a sect, c
on the one hand, benevolent, in order to “acquire without words”
supporters of the sect, on the other hand, somewhat alienated, because
"worldly people" can carry within them the influence of the Devil.
     In general, Jehovah's Witnesses, closed in a sect. Of course he has
there is a family and he works or studies somewhere. This is given
some meaning.  But the main thing for a witness is worship
Jehovah.  Life in society is accepted only as an inevitable evil.
The main goal of a witness is to “improve” as a Jehovah’s Witness,
to study the Bible more deeply and serve Jehovah more faithfully.
     As an illustration, we can cite a kind of boycott -
disfellowshipping of Jehovah's Witness leading discrediting them
organization, lifestyle. Such punishment only works
in the event that the interests of a member of this organization are almost
completely enclosed in it. Tell me if something like this will work?
againstOrthodox parishioner? Hardly. Because it's significant
For him, the circle of communication is not limited within the church.  A y
For Jehovah's Witnesses, this measure works...
     This is the main feature of the sect - the person who entered it, in
radically changes his views on reality, begins
perceive it through the prism of ycboehhoro in the sect of teaching. His
decisions and actions depend mainly on the interpretation of them
the teachings of the sect, and the opinions of others that are significant to them,
becomes the opinion of respected members of the sect.
     Of course, this is not always a bad thing. An ordinary person, no special
views on life, having come to the sect, acquires a significant source
external motivation, an effective surrogate for internal motivation.
An educated person who does not find use for his
intellectual abilities in everyday life, finds them
use in a sect, a people prone to drug use
(including alcohol) are found in the activities of the sect
effective replacement.  And most sect members lead more
"righteous" lifestyle than the one they led before coming to
sect. It would seem that all this is good.
   But...
     There is real life.   Typically abundant
difficulties and troubles.  Sometimes hitting a person with troubles and
revealing her very vile face. But this is reality.
     No one has ever clearly understoodthan the meaning of life.
There are many versions of the meaning of life, versions of different but
agreeing on one thing: the need to live.  Live in abundance
the dirty tricks of reality.
     If religion, without denying the primacy of real life, only
gives relief, a respite from the struggle with reality, then
the sect, closing a person within itself, turns him away from reality,
imposes illusions, wraps him in the veil of his teaching.
     In religion, a person prone to escapism from reality
becomes a monk. There are few such people among all believers. B
sect, all its members are moving away from reality. Therefore it is possible
to say that the sect is the beginning of a future religion. Example - sect
Jesus of Nazareth, which later gave birth to many religions.

     So, based on the above, I conclude: a person
who went into religion, only chose one of the ways of interaction with
reality.  A person who joins a sect becomes better
educated, leading a moral lifestyle, fearing God
zombie.
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(c) Kuzmich (p) HeresY #10