A sect is a teaching that is parasitic on another religion
Be careful, scammers do not care about your feelings
. A sect is not exactly what they think about it. Many believe that the sect is Buddhists, Catholics, Hare Krishnas, Satanists... The list can be continued with any random mystical and religious directions. And that would be a mistake.
Theologians have long separated the concepts of “sect” and “religion.” A sect is a religious group parasitic on another teaching. It is rejected by mainstream tradition.
Sergei Bulgakov in his “Handbook of Heresies, Sects and Schisms” reports:
“There is no sharp boundary between the concepts of “sect” and “religion.”
The history of the struggle of various religious movements knows many examples,
when sects sought recognition of their right to be called Churches,
or religions.
Even in official documents belonging to the same historical era,
one and the same community could be called a sect,
and the Church, depending on the government’s attitude towards it.”
Sergei Bulgakov
writer
Any sect can potentially become a religion if it is recognized at the state level. Because of this, the list of sects differs in different countries.
Sects can be Muslim, Christian, or any other.
It is correct to say that a sect is not something that is not Orthodox, but something that has a conflict with a major religious tradition, something like a cancerous tumor within it:
“A sect is considered to be an organized society of people
whose views are consistent with each other
and oppose the dominant Church.
This word is usually used
in relation to a group of persons,
following a certain teaching."
Sergei Bulgakov
writer
Therefore, we do not have the right to indiscriminately register everyone as sectarians. Buddhism is a faith, and therefore not a sect.
The Hare Krishnas chanting “Hare Krishna” on the streets are also representatives of the old Indian tradition - Gaudiya Vaishnavism. Even the Church of Satan, despite its shocking name, is a cultural phenomenon, but not a sect.
A sect is a breeding ground for heretical ideas, without its own historical and cultural foundation. She cannot create something of her own, but is a parasite among someone else's flock.
An example of a sect is Jehovah's Witnesses. They appeared in the bosom of Christian doctrine, distorted several dogmas and proclaimed themselves preachers of absolute truth.
A sect is not someone else’s creed, but its own, but distorted one.
A fair question is whether Orthodoxy, Catholicism and Protestantism are distortions of original Christianity.
No. Here we are not talking about the detachment of a religious group, but the split of the entire tradition.
It is also important to remember that most faiths arise on the basis of old religions, which means they go through the stage of a sect. Early Christianity is also a sect in relation to Judaism.
But this sect transformed into a full-fledged creed with its own dogmas, traditions, and canons. And sectarians like Jehovah's Witnesses continue to exploit other people's teachings.
Why do people fall into sects?
Author Alexander Chausov
05.05.2011 13:25
Religion » Other » New
Relatives and friends of those who join “non-traditional religious organizations” often begin to sound the alarm: “Help, my son (husband, daughter, wife, brother...) has ended up in a sect!” However, it has been observed that anxiety grips the family members of the “fanatic” on average two to four years after he ends up there. What does this fact say about family relationships?
There is a standard question from a journalist to a sectologist: “Why do people join sects?” The answer to this question is also always standard: “Missionaries of traditional faiths are somehow not very active in missionary work, the general level of knowledge about the religion of the population leaves much to be desired, the historical context and Soviet legacy make themselves felt. Plus, a life full of stress and tension leads to the desire for immediate salvation through a clear system of rules and methods, like army regulations.”
But the more I study the problems of sects in modern Russia, the more I understand that this standard list does not exhaust everything. Judge for yourself, although we have a lot of Soviet heritage, so many years have passed. Today's youth have no longer seen the USSR and know about it from school textbooks. As for religious education through the media, the Orthodox priest is seen and heard quite often on central channels. There are cable religious TV channels. I’m generally silent about the Internet.
A life full of stress is also not conducive to a full-fledged argument. Elementary because the standard of living of the average citizen of our country cannot be compared with life in the 90s. That is, if there are some stresses, they are not associated with economic and material reasons. Well, if we are not talking about the material aspect, but about the metaphysical one, then it is not at all clear why one should join a sect. There are metaphysicians there - like a fool's nose. There is more of this metaphysics in the shamanism of the Chukchi tribes than in neo-charismatics of all stripes combined, sorry. But people don’t go to the Chukotka shamans, but go towards Jehovah’s Witnesses or some Scientologists. And I think the problem here is not only and not so much in religious education or difficult living conditions in our country, but in more private, intimate things.
Every spring and autumn people call me and say the following: “Hello, my son (husband, father, brother, or my wife and children) has joined a sect.” When I ask how long ago a person left the sect, these people say the statute of limitations is from two to four years. You know, before I somehow didn’t think about these numbers - two to four years. Although the question that should arise first of all, it lies on the surface - do you, good people living under the same roof, often communicate with each other? That is, how can you miss the fact that your wife went to a sect, and even dragged your child there? Either your daughter or your son went there.
Well, tell me, if, say, your son starts banging his head against the wall with all his might, will you wait for him to crack his skull, or will you take some action earlier? What then is different about the strange change in a person’s behavior when he became an adherent of a sect? No, it is clear that not everyone reads Dvorkin, and it is also lazy to search for information on the Internet, but this is not even about that. We are talking about a banal change in the behavior, character, and motivation system of a person who has joined the ranks of a totalitarian cult. How can you ignore these changes for two, three, four years?
And this is where we talk about our culture of nepotism. There is not much of this culture. As one priest I knew used to say: “A Mormon young man came here with his mother... I looked at this mother and thought that if I had such a thing, I wouldn’t even be a Mormon, I don’t know where I would go.” .
I'll try to briefly explain how it works. For a certain type of mother, there is hyperprotection towards their children in the absence of any human respect. That is, on the one hand, “you are my little son,” when the “son” is already thirty, and on the other hand, “live only with your mother in an apartment, well, where should you work, what kind of stupid personal interests do you have??? " Familiar set, right? You and I have seen this many times and heard about it even more. Well, and then this “child” stumbles upon, say, not a stall with port wine, not a drug dealer, but a sectarian recruiter. And for a “son” in such a family environment, getting into a sectarian community is like a breath of fresh air. Why? Because the notorious “love bombing,” among other things, is needed to demonstrate how exactly this person, his inclinations, character traits, his personality are important for the community.
Well, and then, after some time, the newcomer is already given some kind of obedience. Distribute magazines, distribute leaflets, etc. Here again there is joy for the person - at last he was given some work, they made him feel responsible, involved in a Cause of Great Importance. Do you think this young man thinks that he will go to the Kingdom of Heaven if he distributes all the magazines and leaflets? No, he already feels like he is in heaven. Because for the first time in his life he is engaged in an important matter, from which he was shielded by his parents all his life. And it is not surprising that such sectarians are ready to sign over their apartment to the community or to the guru personally. Why do they need an apartment when there is a Case of Great Importance, emotional closeness with “brothers” and “sisters”, involvement with the team through the Idea and the practical implementation of this idea? In other words, distributing leaflets 12 hours a day is not hard work, but a great gift, for which you don’t mind paying.
Now the second important point. Parents first of all begin to see emotional disruption in their child. And they are very happy about it. They’re just not at all interested in why this child is so joyful. Or they are even interested, but the “child” is unlikely to tell. What if they take that away too? How did you take away all responsibility throughout your childhood? Parents, in general, don’t worry too much either: “Well, a child has fallen in love or some other little thing. It’s just a child, what could be serious about it?”
As a result, the understanding that the “little northern animal” has finally come to the house comes when the child uses a hacksaw to saw off the steam heating radiator in his room in order to sell and donate the proceeds to the community. He had already donated everything else from his room over the previous three years.
Naturally, when the situation appeared before the parents in all its glory, “panic in the village” began. What to do? My little child has been practicing auditing for three years now, dragging his money to God knows where, and he’s going crazy. Then the following ritual begins: the child takes the cracker and drags himself “to the priest.” Well, that’s right, the priest - he’s over there, bearded, in a cassock and phelonion, just like Gandalf the Gray at the parade of wizards. Now, as soon as he waves a cross, like a magic wand, as soon as he casts a vigorous spell in Church Slavonic, then the spell will dissipate.
The priests I know are silently horrified by such families. Because it is useless to explain something, but the result is needed here and now. As a rule, it ends with the priest promising to pray for the child.
It is clear that the result is somehow not particularly visible. What to do next? Next, finally, I buy a sect studies directory. Moreover, in an abbreviated version. The main thing is that there should be contacts of cult experts there. Why bother yourself with unnecessary information about sects?
Well, and then I get my fall and spring calls on duty. I, as you understand, am not a wizard either. I don’t even have a cassock with a felonion. Therefore, I advise the whole family to contact a family psychologist or give the numbers of some rehabilitation center. But... to be honest, I don’t know whether these specialists will help in such advanced cases.
Unfortunately, such a phenomenon, when people flee from their family to join a sect, is not some kind of exception, but a rather typical process that speaks about our family culture and the state of our society.
What can I recommend here? For the parents of “30-year-old sons” - nothing more. Here, in my opinion, even drugs will not help. But the “children” themselves still need to find money and turn to a psychotherapist (just don’t forget to check his license first, right?) to solve the problem of codependency. At the same time, do not follow, like a heifer on a leash, the next recruiter who talks about love for everyone with everyone, Nirvana and Jehovah. Well, then break through the infantilism nurtured by your parents and grow up.
Read the most interesting things in the “Religion” section
September, 2010
Curator: Olga Gumanova
Topics port wine psychotherapist
People end up in sects out of stupidity, as well as because of emotional and life problems.
One of the main reasons why people end up in sects is because they play on their weaknesses. Let's talk about them in more detail.
Weakness 1. Poor erudition and lack of critical thinking
It is quite difficult to drag a person savvy in religion, philosophy, or even esotericism into a sect.
3 weaknesses
at least that much, leads people to sects
A well-read erudite in spiritual matters will have no problem smashing any arguments of sectarians to smithereens.
On the Internet you can find many funny stories about how sectarians literally ran away from the apartments of erudite people, where they decided to go preach.
But it’s a completely different matter - uneducated people brought up in empty unbelief. They are never interested in anything beyond the ordinary.
Therefore, any amazing fact, worn out to holes in spiritual literature, sounds fresh to them.
“Have you heard of reincarnation?”, “Did you know that archaeologists discovered the skeleton of a five-meter man?” These random facts, when skillfully juggled, illustrate any idea.
Book by Michael Baigent “Forbidden Archaeology” Buy on OZON.ru
An excellent example of how good research can become a weapon in the hands of cultists is Michael Baigent's book Forbidden Archaeology.
It was written in protest of the inertia of historical science and talks about archaeological finds that destroy the generally accepted historical picture.
However, Jehovah's Witnesses use the film based on this book in sermons to impress the audience.
Other facts are also used, gleaned from various sources: proper nutrition, psychology, working with bioenergy, etc. There is no depth to this.
But there is only a superficial collage of other people’s ideas, with the expectation that the public will not dig deeper. Often, the “information” of sects turns out to be outdated or simply false.
Weakness 2. Loneliness and emotional depression
Not every potential sectarian is looking for a religious tradition. His sectarian path begins with deep disappointment in life, people, and himself.
Any good psychologist will list a lot of factors that people have a hard time experiencing. The rhythm of life, the difficulties of socialization, competition in all areas.
Alienation of an individual from society is a great pain for such a social creature as a person.
Who hasn't had misunderstandings in the family, problems at work, etc.? Friends and classmates disappear after school, neighbors disappear after they move. Almost any person has reason to call himself lonely and misunderstood.
Whether he realizes it or not, the urgent need for an island of stability cannot be avoided.
Meeting of Jehovah's Witnesses. This is not a religious event for all sectarians; many are here for the sake of “friends” and “spiritual family”
And sects provide such an island. Responsive people, interest in a person, a desire to envelop him with attention. Members of the sect act as a “big family.”
Many people go there to escape the hardships of the world. Who makes up the flock of these same Jehovah's Witnesses?
Lonely grandmothers, insecure young people and children whose psyches were broken by fanatical parents.
Do elderly pensioners think about the nuances of Holy Scripture and eternal truths at meetings? Of course not. They come to the “family”, to “friends”, to chat.
This could even be called useful, if not for one “but”: friends and family need to be made in real life, and not replaced with a sectarian surrogate.
Psychological problems should be resolved with a psychotherapist, rather than putting yourself at the mercy of false teachers.
Weakness 3. Life crisis
The nature of such a crisis may vary. For example, if a person suffers from alcoholism and drug addiction, there is a chance that a sect will help him.
Many leaders are strong personalities who can inspire. So they exchange one psychological dependence for another - sectarian.
This is not difficult, because a drug addict and alcoholic is a broken person who is ready for anything. Neglecting religion is nonsense for him, and if he was an atheist, then he will generally do it playfully.
Of course, there is zero faith in such “sectarianism,” but the leadership of such organizations most often does not care.
Grigory Grabovoi, leader of the Doctrine of Universal Salvation sect, was sentenced to 8 years in prison for fraud
It happens that sects simply find a person broken by a difficult event and play on his weaknesses. Let's say a mother's daughter committed suicide.
What does an inconsolable parent want to hear? That everything is fine with the child, he is in a better world, etc.
Can an Orthodox priest assure you of this? No, the Christian tradition is tough and categorical regarding suicide.
But sects are more free in their statements and are able to go beyond Christian dogma. If they want, they may even promise to resurrect the child. For example, the leader of the “Doctrine of Universal Salvation and Harmonious Development” Grigory Grabovoi attributed such abilities to himself.
Hope is a strong magnet; it will hold a teacher, guru, mentor, etc. around for years.
At certain stages of life a person becomes vulnerable to the influence of sects
Why does a person join a sect? What attracts him there?
Before we look at the main psychological reasons for people getting involved in sects (although, of course, not all), I would like to dispel one myth. Its essence lies in the fact that only people with psychological problems, weak people, and unable to get settled in this life, supposedly end up in sects.
This is not true, since the composition of the followers of sectarian movements is extremely varied and diverse: here there are “new Russians” and low-income people; people who have advanced degrees and have not even completed high school; business leaders and those who are not even able to organize themselves. The world of sects is diverse, some promise material prosperity and solutions to all psychological problems, for example, Scientology; others are salvation, for example, the Jehovah's Witnesses sect, various occult and eastern groups promise the discovery of supernatural abilities, and much more.
The “spirituality” market has something for every taste. People who are overly self-confident are a tasty morsel for sects. Conceit is a form of spiritual blindness, a person goes into the clutches of a tiger, considering himself a hunter, although in fact he is just a victim. Therefore, there are no groups of the population that are guaranteed to be protected from the danger of being recruited into a sect. Anyone can experience uncertainty, everyone has moments of weakness, everyone has desires that they want to bring to life, which means there is a gap in the psychological defense that can be hacked.
The “spirituality” market has something for every taste
Indeed, people experiencing loneliness, a feeling of rejection, self-doubt or fear are more likely to end up in a cult. But everyone else is by no means immune from this. As for psychological problems that can cause involvement in a sect, among them are the following:
1. Search for thrills, tendency to mystical experiences.
2. Difficulty in self-expression, “searching for oneself.”
3. The desire to become “initiated”, to separate from the “ignorant”, i.e. from the crowd.
4. Mental imbalance or reduced psychological stability after divorce, loss of loved ones, illness, etc.
5. Newly converted sectarians are greatly impressed by the appearance of meaning in their lives.
6. A strong incentive for recruitment into a sect is the promise of immediate fulfillment of all a person’s desires.
7. The subject’s perception of his life situation as difficult.
8. Feeling of loneliness, defenselessness.
9. Some features of mental development or mental illness.
10. Serious problems in family life or professional activities.
11. The desire to escape from parental care (typical of excessive parental care of a teenager). Children raised by authoritarian parents are more susceptible to the influence of sects.
The reason for involvement in a cult is the search for thrills
Taking into account age characteristics, there is a certain risk group, i.e. a certain category of people who are the easiest prey for sectarians. As a rule, these are: teenagers, people experiencing a midlife crisis and the elderly.
Let's take a closer look at each category separately.
Adolescence
It is less likely that a teenager from a prosperous family will join a sect. A prosperous family is understood as one in which there is a healthy psychological atmosphere. Teenagers often become members of cults due to feelings of loneliness and inability to express themselves.
Mature age
The midlife crisis is usually determined by the awareness of the discrepancy between the dreams, goals of youth and the results achieved in reality. Since the dreams of youth are often not very realistic, the assessment of what has been achieved also often turns out to be negative and colored by negative emotions. A person begins to assess his future pessimistically. Failure in life, dissatisfaction with one's position, and the desire to make a personal contribution to the success of society become the main motives for involvement in a sect.
Senile age
Crossing the threshold of old age, a person turns his thoughts to the past, thinking about how his life turned out and evaluating the motives of his actions. However, it is impossible to look only back; a person of any age needs perspective, an aiming point in the future. It is no coincidence that many people at this age become believers, because belief in the immortality of the soul fills the rest of life’s journey with meaning, transferring the purpose of life from the temporary to the eternal, which allows a person to live the second half of life with the same purposefulness as the first.
People experiencing loneliness are more likely to join a cult
So, we see that at certain stages of life a person becomes vulnerable to the influence of psychotechnologies of totalitarian sects. And sectarians successfully use this to their advantage. At the first stage, a person is flattered. They tell him: “You are smart, capable, you have been chosen for a great mission.” At the same time, the sense of self-worth and importance is inflated, pride and selfishness increase. All this happens in an atmosphere that imitates warmth and cordiality in the person, so there is no suspicion and it seems to him that he has come to the right place. The desire of a person, especially a young person, for new unknown areas of knowledge is exploited.
Thus, a person initially comes with good intentions, and then a gradual reorientation of his consciousness occurs.
Spiritual Resistance
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People fall into sects gradually, under the influence of psychological techniques
How do you get into a sect? Easier than it seems. Ordinary sin is a clear act against conscience; it does not occur unnoticed by a person. Sin is a conscious spiritual crime, a transaction with conscience.
But sectarianism is an act of a different nature. It is often dictated by good intentions: to cope with some kind of misfortune, to develop spiritually, etc.
Many people end up in sects following their relatives. They just come to meetings to see how they can join the sect. Often - to make it easier to convince him. And they themselves remain.
The reason is quite simple - sects have a lot of leverage over individuals. We live unprepared for such a confrontation, and therefore we do not know how not to end up in a sect if you are being manipulated. And the sect’s leadership has been polishing its techniques for years.
Techniques of sectarians:
- favoritism - various incentive measures and everything that can play on a person’s selfishness;
- group consciousness - a person follows the majority, and the majority is sometimes not so critical of any information;
- facilitation - the leader acts as one of the group members, he is close to them, which means he receives more trust;
- Seeds are goals that are easy for people to achieve at first. They don't get the taste.
There are many other techniques, depending on the ingenuity of the sect’s leadership. The Internet has revealed an almost limitless arsenal of psychological techniques for influencing groups.
And the main thing is gradualism. No one will dump all the ins and outs of the sect on a new member. They will start with free brochures, or even books, about goodness, love, God and humanity.
They will continue with a small request. And a year later, another - a person works for free for the guru, pays tithes, preaches among those around him who no longer tolerate his company.
Reasons and motives for joining sects and cults
Cult experts identify certain groups of reasons that encourage people to join cults and sects. Most authors point to 4 main groups: intellectual, emotional, social and spiritual 8, but there are a number of researchers who believe that there are much more such reasons9.
Let's consider the main motives for people joining sects:
1. Spiritual motives - the search for God, the meaning of life, the desire to find answers to global questions that give impetus to changes in personal and social life.
2. Moral motives - the hope of finding a permanent ideological system, a new place in the world, a new identity; the desire for integrity: the search for contact with oneself, others, the immediate environment and one’s culture. A person is trying to acquire a religious worldview that will contribute to the establishment of general harmony in the world, to connect the sacred and secular (worldly), mystical and scientific, spiritual and physical, such a fertile atmosphere in which creative potential will be realized, where abilities will be given their due. A person strives to achieve the significance of his own individual existence, for example, by participating in social programs: helping the elderly, the poor, the sick, the disabled, etc. This satisfies the need for a stable system of norms and values.
3. Social motives - the desire to get rid of loneliness, find new friends, an atmosphere of warm friendly support and solidarity. The desire to be a part of a common cause, to feel one’s importance, to create a certain image of oneself, to realize one’s own exclusivity and uniqueness is realized. Through our social behavior we enter into various relationships with other people and fulfill our desire to become part of a group or an active member of society. When some social group is destroyed and a person finds himself “overboard,” then cults are right there to “pick up” these people and take possession of them.
4. Psychophysiological motives - problems of physical and mental health, the need for spiritual support due to severe mental trauma; various crisis situations: incurable disease, accident; problems of social adaptation (in patients with drug addiction, alcoholism).
5. Intellectual (cognitive) motives - modern man
strives to approach from a scientific point of view the interpretation of truths that connect ontological, theological, cosmological foundations, the achievements of scientific discoveries and elements of secular culture. A person wants to receive ready-made answers to urgent questions that are generated by modern dynamic, unstable life.
6. Practical motives - adherents can receive real material and humanitarian assistance, skills in mastering new technology, learn foreign languages, get a prestigious job, improve the health of children within the country, abroad, etc.
Advice: to get a person out of a sect, you need to communicate with feelings, not reason
Are there any tips on how to get a person out of a sect? Yes, the main recommendation is to pay more attention to him.
People come to the sect for a reason, but due to some problems or life circumstances.
It would be wrong to enter into theological disputes with a sectarian.
In a sect, a person is held not by ideas, but by feelings.
The teachings of sects are rarely the main factor that holds a person back. Arguments like: “Scientists have said otherwise” or “Scripture says that...” will not reach the addressee. Whether he believes the scientists and the Bible or not, he joined the sect for a different reason.
So what to do if a person falls into a sect? Find out what he was missing. Was he unable to overcome some kind of crisis, find his place in life, cope with alcohol or drug addiction?
If you help solve this problem, the need for a sect itself will disappear.
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