Religions are based on dogmas (beliefs), and when a dogma is overturned, often a new religious movement starts, whose followers separate themselves from the original religious grouping, forming a sect. Most religious movements therefore start as sects. That is, a sect is a religious (or other) organisation with a determined purpose and set of principles, defined in such a way that it can be distinguied from other groupings. 

This would be true for almost any organisation, so we need to broaden the definition. A self-distinctive group becomes a sect when diversity becomes so pronounced that it results in separation. Separation means that the members of the sect refuse, despise, perhaps seek to convert, recruit, condemn or reject behavior patterns that are not acceptable to them, and consider themselves the sole knowers of knowledge or the way to God. From this definition follow the most important criteria: 

- separation: the sect stands between man and man, often between parent and child, or between a married couple, etc. In this sense, it breaks down family and human bonds. This can never be an element of true faith, since all belief systems emphasize love as the most important saving feeling. And love unites and does not separate, love accepts and does not reject, love understands and does not condemn. The true experience of faith and religion always leads one towards love, acceptance and understanding of the other person. So, if this is not what one experiences when joining an organisation, one has to think about how to go on.

- judgements: judgements are made by the community and/or leaders if someone does not follow a pattern of behaviour that the group considers to be guiding. Thus, community members accept the majority opinion out of fear of judgement and possible exclusion, but follow it out of compulsion rather than heart. Thus, the fear of ostracism and expression of opinion is present in the community.

- an autocratic leadership style: the all-time leader must be venerated as a god and his/her words cannot be questioned. If one does, the reward is exclusion and humiliation before the community. These communities are characterised by a lack of real teaching. The only way to pass on information is to learn or interpret the scriptures (or the leader's writings) verbatim, rather than teaching. There is no opportunity for constructive discussion to find out who and what does not understand or who understands something differently.

- exclusivity: the leader proclaims the knowledge which he/she says comes from God and through him/her. In reality, this is rarely the case, but it is possible, and one should be suspicious if someone strives for exclusivity in this role. That is, God has manifested and imparted this knowledge to him/her alone; not only at present, but in the past, there was no one who possessed knowledge, or if there was, it is obsolete, and now his/her role is to replace the teaching. In such cases, there is no way to synthesize the knowledge either, i.e. the old and the new teachings cannot be integrated, the leader's teaching cannot be combined with other teachings, as it is unique. The leader is questioning (note, not reinterpreting!) the correctness of the previous teachings, not just on one point, but as a whole.

- proselytism: forcible (possibly aggressive) proselytism of outsiders is a task or a good point for members. This is often accompanied by threats of doom, damnation, dark forces, etc. However, these statements are not explained or interpreted, but the point is to keep people in fear, that God is to be feared because He will punish. This in itself is suspicious, since God never intended to keep created beings in fear. Behind it there are always worldly power interests so that people pay, can be controlled through their fears, and support the leaders in return for some otherworldly reward.

- hypocrisy, lying: the declared and the hidden purpose are not the same. This may not be immediately obvious. The leader(s) need to be carefully watched to see if they are living as they teach. Sooner or later, there will be slips of the tongue that will be suspicious. No one can be fake continuously and flawlessly for a lifetime, because it is a very energy consuming activity. In such cases, the leader does not give himself/herself, but puts on a mask, tries to play the perfect being, and if he/she fails, he/she becomes aggressive. If somebody gets suspicious, then comes the "sweeping of problems under the carpet". If there are substantive questions about the workings or principles etc, they will never be answered openly, but the questions or answers will be smeared. There are several ways in which a leader can do this. 

Not all of the most important characteristics are necessarily present, as becoming a sect is a process. Most organisations don't start out wanting to be a sect, it's usually just a slipping (failure) of the leader that causes sectarianism. 

Many sect attract attention by proclaiming the end of the world. If you join them, you are promised salvation; if you don't, you are threatened with damnation. We are all eternal souls, so our destruction, like the 'end of the world' (and indeed the world itself) is an illusion. The 'end of the world', also known as the Last Judgement, is a Tarot initiation path that all humans must undergo from time to time. At such times we are tested in disaster situations. It's exactly like as an exam, but in real life. What is tested? Our humanity, love, helpfulness, discipline, faith, knowledge, ability to forgive, in short, all the divine qualities are put to the test that we should have been developed in ourselves. Then we will see if we can apply them and stand the test. If not, we can try again later, in subsequent lives. If this time comes for someone right now, it is worth considering my thoughts.

Margaret Rhasoda-Varga
UCCM head-master
(The art of living life II. excerpt)