sects
Religious breakaway factions
Sects are religious or political groups that have broken away from a larger established body, typically following distinctive doctrines or practices that set them apart.
The word often carries connotations of being smaller, newer, or more radical than mainstream organizations, though this isn't always the case.
The early Christian church was considered a Jewish sect.
In casual use, sect sometimes implies cultish devotion or extreme beliefs, but technically it simply means a faction with its own particular teachings.
Named religious group
- cultFervent fringe group
- factionGroup within group
- schismFormal organizational fracture
- heresyBelief opposing official doctrine
orthodoxy · heterodoxy · fundamentalism · splinter group · offshoot · breakaway · dissidents · separatists
Formal organizational fracture
- splitSeparation into parts
- riftCrack or estrangement
- breakawaySudden separation from group
- dissensionConflict within a group
separation · factionalism · splintering · excommunication · apostasy · reformation · dispute · controversy
Established body of teachings
- dogmaUnchallengeable official beliefs
- creedStatement of belief
- theologyStudy of the divine
- tenetHeld principle or doctrine
canon · teaching · revelation · prophecy · scripture · interpretation · tradition · ritual
Assembled group of worshippers
- fellowshipMutual goodwill among companions
- brotherhoodKinship among men
- sisterhoodBond among women
- communeShared-living community
assembly · flock · enclave · order · monastery · ashram · sangha · faithful
Islam's largest branch adherent
- ShiaIslam's second-largest branch
- SufiMuslim spiritual seeker
- WahhabiIslamic fundamentalist movement
- HasidicOf fervent Jewish pietism
Theravada · Mahayana · Zen · Jain · Sikh · Hindu · Hare Krishna · Falun Gong
Reformation-era Christian movement
- CatholicismPapal Christian denomination
- BaptistImmersion-practicing Protestant
- MethodistProtestant denomination member
- LutheranReformation-era Protestant denomination
Calvinist · Presbyterian · Anglican · Quaker · Mennonite · Amish · Pentecostal · Adventist
denomination
Named religious group
heresy · orthodoxy · heterodoxy · fundamentalism · splinter group · offshoot · breakaway · dissidents · separatists · reformers
schism
Formal organizational fracture
dissension · separation · factionalism · splintering · excommunication · apostasy · reformation · dispute · controversy · divergence
doctrine
Established body of teachings
tenet · canon · teaching · revelation · prophecy · scripture · interpretation · tradition · ritual · practice
congregation
Assembled group of worshippers
- fellowshipMutual goodwill among companions
- brotherhoodKinship among men
- sisterhoodBond among women
commune · assembly · flock · enclave · order · monastery · ashram · sangha · faithful · laity
Sunni
Islam's largest branch adherent
Hasidic · Theravada · Mahayana · Zen · Jain · Sikh · Hindu · Hare Krishna · Falun Gong · Druze
Protestantism
Reformation-era Christian movement
- CatholicismPapal Christian denomination
- BaptistImmersion-practicing Protestant
- MethodistProtestant denomination member
Lutheran · Calvinist · Presbyterian · Anglican · Quaker · Mennonite · Amish · Pentecostal · Adventist · Jehovah's Witnesses
- church historychurch history, apostles, Protestant Reformation, Christian history, baptism
- tribalismtribalism, in-group, out-group, outgroup, ingroup
- Fringe Groupsmilitias, extremists, radicals, separatists, dissidents
- groupsteam, teams, group, club, clubs
- religionChristianity, Islam, beliefs, Judaism, Hinduism
- beliefsbelief, beliefs, creed, creeds, faith
sectsestablished churches
Religions officially endorsed by governments
mother church · orthodoxy · state religion · state religions · Catholic Church
sectswhole
Full and undivided
universal church · religious unity · communion · catholicity · ecumenism
- 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, sect, bisect, sectional, sectors, sectioned