sect
Breakaway religious faction
A sect is a group that has broken away from a larger religious body, following its own distinctive beliefs or practices.
The term often carries a negative connotation, suggesting a faction that deviates from orthodoxy: a fundamentalist sect, a dangerous sect.
Unlike cult, sect implies connection to an established tradition rather than entirely novel beliefs.
The word extends to any tight-knit group with shared ideology: a sect of political purists.
Named religious group
- congregationAssembled group of worshippers
- worshipReligious reverence and praise
- clergyOrdained religious officials collectively
- scriptureSacred religious writings
doctrine · creed · theology · ritual · sacrament · liturgy · sermon · disciples
Coercive psychological manipulation
- indoctrinationSystematic uncritical belief instillation
- charismatic leaderCompelling person with authority
- manipulationUnderhanded control of others
- deprogrammingReversing coercive belief implantation
isolation · coercion · zealotry · fanaticism · Jonestown · Waco · compound · commune
Mutual goodwill among companions
- brotherhoodKinship among men
- sisterhoodBond among women
- adherentLoyal supporter of something
- followerOne who supports another
member · initiate · elder · assembly · gathering · enclave · insular · tight-knit
denomination
Named religious group
- congregationAssembled group of worshippers
- worshipReligious reverence and praise
- clergyOrdained religious officials collectively
scripture · doctrine · creed · theology · ritual · sacrament · liturgy · sermon · disciples · faithful
brainwashing
Coercive psychological manipulation
- indoctrinationSystematic uncritical belief instillation
- charismatic leaderCompelling person with authority
- manipulationUnderhanded control of others
deprogramming · isolation · coercion · zealotry · fanaticism · Jonestown · Waco · compound · commune · unquestioning
fellowship
Mutual goodwill among companions
- brotherhoodKinship among men
- sisterhoodBond among women
- adherentLoyal supporter of something
follower · member · initiate · elder · assembly · gathering · enclave · insular · tight-knit · closed
splinter
Thin sharp fragment
- breakawaySudden separation from group
- schismFormal organizational fracture
- dissidentOpposer of established systems
separatist · fringe · offshoot · hardliner · reformist · fundamentalist · minority · radical · insurgent · partisan
- Japanese religionShinto, kami, Shintoism, Buddhism, torii
- fanaticismfanaticism, zealotry, zealot, fanatic, extremism
- Modern Religionevangelicalism, fundamentalism, Pentecostalism, New Age, Scientology
- occultistswitches, wizards, sorcerers, sorceresses, warlocks
- religious groupscongregation, congregations, parishes, fellowship, cult
- groupsteam, teams, group, club, clubs
Officially recognized national religion
world religion · orthodoxy · mother church · denomination · organized religion
sectagnosticism
Doubt about divine existence
atheism · secularism · irreligion · nonbelief · freethought
- cross sectionExposed interior plane
- comment sectionSpace for reader responses
- sectarian violenceConflict between religious factions
- private sectorEconomy outside government control
- sports sectionAthletic coverage pages
- cesarean sectionSurgical childbirth method
section, sector, sectarian, intersection, dissect, bisect, consecutive, intersect, sectional