How to recognize a sect? 10 signs that should alert you

Increasingly, information appears in the media about the emergence in Russia and Ukraine of all sorts of sects and pseudo-religious organizations, aimed primarily at young people. Moreover, this phenomenon is spreading mainly in the regions. Why have sects become active again? How dangerous is sectarianism? Are there legislative ways to combat this phenomenon in Russia? And how are sects connected with the Maidan technologies of the color revolutions?

Let's try to understand this phenomenon, as well as the impact they have on society.

Let’s start with the concept itself, let’s try to understand what a sect is.

The diversity of religious new formations is so great that there was a need for a common name for them. Neither in Russia nor abroad there is a consensus regarding their terminological designation. They are called differently: sects, non-traditional religions, new religious associations, alternative beliefs, emerging religions or simply cults, New Age - New Time Religions, etc. The lack of a terminological apparatus led to the fact that everyone began to interpret these concepts at their own discretion, based on their ideological position.

Concept of sect

in Russian it is used in two meanings, historically related, but significantly different. However, these meanings are not always clearly distinguished, and the negative connotation inherent in one of the meanings (“totalitarian sect”) is transferred to sects as a whole. It should be remembered that this word, as a rule, does not denote the teaching itself, but the organization representing it.

In most cases, religious organizations do not welcome the use of the term sect in relation to them, preferring to be called a religion, church, confession or denomination. The very word “sect”

- not neutral, it contains a deep historically determined subtext and in Russian often has a derogatory connotation. Indirect confirmation of this are the words “sectarian”, “sectarianism” and “sectarian” derived from this term, which cause negative associations and are usually used polemically or pejoratively.

Already in Latin the word secta

had the following meanings:

1. way, rule, way of action, thought or life;
2. teaching, direction, school;
3. heresy, false teaching;
4. gang;

Etymologically, the word sect comes from Lat. secta from sequī

- “to follow someone, obey”;
Moreover, quite early this word became associated with the word Lat. sector
and other derivatives of
seco
- “cut, divide, cut off.”

The word "sect" was originally a neutral term to describe individual political, philosophical and religious groups, and was used in a polemical context even in the pre-Christian era.

Already in the early Christian era, it began to designate a false teaching that broke away from the main community, being used to translate ancient Greek. αἱρέϭις

(which also at first simply meant “teaching, school, direction”, and then narrowed to the concept of “false teaching, heresy”). These two words were used as synonyms in the Latin West until modern times.

After the Reformation, a distinction was made between the meanings of the terms: the word “ sect”

" began to denote an organization or group of people, and "
heresy
" is an unorthodox teaching contained by a sect or denomination, and this rule of usage was also addressed to the past of Christianity (thus, one can say, for example, that the Severian sect professed the Monophysite heresy).
This distinction between these concepts was adopted by Russian theological science during the synodal period in the history of the Russian Orthodox Church. In Greek theology, until today, only the word αἱρέϭις is used in both meanings.
According to the Explanatory Dictionary of the Russian Language edited by S.I. Ozhegov and N.Yu. Shvedov, a sect is:

1. A religious movement (community) that has separated from some creed and is opposed to it.
2. trans. A group of people isolated in their own petty, narrow interests (book disapproved).

The term is not sufficiently defined, since it does not highlight characteristic internal features, only external ones, if we talk about the first meaning, and the second meaning includes any group united by some interests, be it a family, a party, a corporation or a state.

The term sect is used in Recommendation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe of 1994 No. 1178 “Sects and new religious movements”, where it is not defined. The same term appears in the official diplomatic document of the German Embassy - note verbale of the Russian Foreign Ministry dated November 22, 1995 No. 2604. France adopted the Law of May 30, 2001 “On the prevention and prevention of sectarian movements that infringe on fundamental human rights and freedoms.” Considering its demands, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe also uses the term “sect” in Resolution No. 1309 “Religious freedom and religious minorities in France”, adopted on November 18, 2002.

The term "totalitarian sects"

contained in the signed V.V. Putin’s “Russian Information Security Doctrine”, which, in particular, talks about:

the need to counter the negative influence of foreign religious organizations and missionaries

And as posing the greatest danger to the spiritual life of citizens, the following are indicated:

causing harm to the health and life of citizens as a result of the activities of religious associations preaching religious fundamentalism, as well as totalitarian religious sects (Putin V.V. Doctrine of Information Security of Russia https://www.scrf.gov.ru/documents/6/5.html) .

A certain stage in the dispute over the use of the non-legal term “sect” was the decision of November 23, 1999 of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation, which confirmed the possibility of its use and thus introduced it into legal practice. In connection with complaints from the Religious Society of Jehovah's Witnesses in the city of Yaroslavl and the religious association "Christian Church of Glorification", the Constitutional Court stated that the information reported by the media about Jehovah's Witnesses was true. Having studied extracts from dictionaries and encyclopedias, the Court also came to the conclusion that the concept of “sect” used in the newspaper and television program is well known and is used in relation to religious organizations professing the views of a narrow group of people compared to the overwhelming majority. Consequently, it cannot offend anyone’s feelings (Resolution of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation of September 26, 1997 No. 16-P In the case of checking the constitutionality of paragraphs of the third and fourth paragraph 3 of Article 27 of the Federal Law 125-FZ “On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Associations” » https://www.medialaw.ru/article10/7/5-4.htm).

Thus, judicial practice in the Russian Federation proceeds from the admissibility of the term sect and considers it as completely legitimate.

The above documents show that the absence of the concept of “sect” in Russian regulatory documents does not at all limit the possibility of its use in legal practice. Based on the ruling of the Constitutional Court, it is necessary to develop a systematic set of legal provisions regulating the activities of such a dangerous phenomenon of modern social life as sects. And, first of all, in modern Russian legislation it is necessary to formulate meaningfully and evaluate the concept of sect.

However, the absence of a meaningful legal definition of a sect in general and a “totalitarian” sect in particular makes it possible to label anyone as a sect and sectarians. This is very convenient for implementing the principle “the law is what the drawbar is: where you turn, that’s where it goes.” However, if you think that a professor of religious studies should be quite capable, the definition of a sect can be given without resorting to the practice of legalized arbitrariness with its subsequent analysis. Therefore, scientists have given a definition of the concept of “sect” containing the characteristic features of the phenomenon, reflecting its inner essence, and not external signs, such as “a teaching separated from some creed,” “a group closed in their own petty, narrow interests.”

At least five characteristic features are common to all sects without exception, regardless of their age and number of participants:

1. The presence of esoteric and exoteric teaching , which in Russian means: in a sect there is always a teaching for the crowd and a teaching for the elite - dedicated hierarchs.
2. The presence of certain dogmas of the doctrine , which are not subject to discussion and must be accepted by adherents of the doctrine as true without any doubts or reasoning.
3. The presence of a ritual that accompanies every meeting of representatives of the sect and is actually a means of zombifying their psyche.
4. The existence of an arbitrarily branched hierarchy , entering into a dispute with which according to the basic tenets of the teachings of the sect is strictly prohibited.
5. is no and cannot be room in it (there is no method of mastering it) and a meaningful attitude towards Life according to conscience.

But this definition is unlikely to please a religious studies professor, since historically established confessions appear on the basis of this definition as the most numerous sects (in the sense that they cut off the believer of the sect from God, replacing living religion - as a dialogue between man and God in life - with ritual belief and dogmatism), which have long occupied a dominant position in societies and therefore have become common attributes of traditional culture.

Those associations of people that traditional confessions call “sects” are, for the most part, the same sects as they are, but have not managed to gain legitimacy in the culture of society.

Let us describe these five main signs in more detail and add some indirect signs, accompanying everything with specific examples:

"Order of the Temple of the Sun".

0
Some media, for example, the newspaper “Top Secret”, indicate its activities in Russia. Founded in 1984 by neo-Nazi, Belgian Luc Jouret. The teachings of the "Order of the Temple of the Sun", originating from the mystical order of the Templars and some groups of Rosicrucians, are a mixture of astrology, alchemy, mysticism, yoga and cabalism. According to the teachings of the sect, the Earth is inevitably approaching the apocalypse, while death does not exist, being nothing more than an illusion. Adherents believe that rebirth awaits them in the afterlife. On December 22, 1995, in the French Alps, not far from Grenoble, in a forest clearing, there was a mass ritual self-immolation of 16 adherents of the Order of the Temple of the Sun, including one girl and two boys from 2 to 6 years old. One of the children was the child of a local policeman. Some of the victims were shot in the head and then set on fire.

Reasons for the growth of sectarianism in recent years

Religious sects in Russia have received a powerful impetus for their development over the past two decades. An important role here was played by the deterioration of the economic situation of a number of segments of the population and the political instability of recent years. Apologists of various sectarian movements, using these internal difficulties, try to exploit them, attracting new members to their ranks. Converted members of such sects who believe the propaganda promises come under severe psychological pressure. Often the result of their gullibility is severe mental illness, loss of property, and separation from family.

Ho-no-Hana ("teaching of the flower").

0
Japanese neo-Buddhist sect. Founded in 1987. "Teacher" Hogen Fukunaga is supposedly endowed with magical powers and can read people's past and future from their feet. The top of the sect was engaged in extortion: predicting cancer or other fatal diseases, it forced people to participate in special cleansing events that cost $900 per session. After being accused of fraud, Fukunaga was brought to trial and paid a fine of about $1 million. The sect continues to recruit adherents under a different name: Yorokobi Kazoku no Wa.

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Adamites: naked and slutty

The Christian sect of the Adamites originated in Antiquity, but its heyday came in the Middle Ages. It was especially popular in the Czech Republic and Bulgaria. The Adamites fought the spread of Catholicism and preached a return to heavenly innocence in the image of Adam and Eve before the Fall, who “were naked and not ashamed of it.” Adamites still consider clothing an obstacle to communication with God and therefore conduct services in the nude. In addition, the Adamites preach other attributes of the heavenly, in their opinion, human condition: community of property, naturalness and shamelessness of sensual relationships. Medieval Adamites did not recognize family, private property, or the official church with its rituals. And this, of course, cast a shadow on the followers. They were often accused of witchcraft, Satan worship, and debauchery.

Adamites. (Pinterest)

But, despite this, the religious movement was able to survive to this day. There are Adamites in Russia too. Modernity has left a certain imprint on its followers. Now they do not oppose official marriages and private property.

Heaven's Gate sect.

0
In 1997, Applewhite managed to persuade 39 followers of his sect to commit suicide due to the imminent collision of the Earth with comet Hale-Bopp. He promised his followers that they would leave their earthly bodies and travel on a spaceship. Members of the sect dressed in hoods and gloves, so as not to even accidentally come into contact with each other and not be inflamed with sinful desires, obeyed thousands of rules, and intensively studied the Bible. There were also periods when they could only communicate with each other in writing. The family had to be forgotten once and for all. Each had a “watching partner” and, in turn, also watched someone else. After the Internet became widely available, a corresponding website for a sect called “Gates of Heaven” appeared on it. In preparation for suicide, they drank lemon juice, thereby ritually cleansing their bodies. They also believed that their mass suicide would contribute to the popularity of the Internet (many members of the sect worked as web designers). The bodies of 39 people were found on March 26, 1997 at their villa in Rancho Santa Fe (near San Diego, California). 18 men and 21 women sedated themselves with phenobarbital mixed into pudding or fruit jelly. All this was washed down with vodka; Then they pulled plastic bags over their heads in such a way that they would suffocate in their sleep. The faces and upper bodies of the "monks" (as they called themselves) were carefully covered with a square purple blanket. All 39 people were dressed identically - black shirts, black trousers and black sneakers.

False spiritual guidelines

Their main doctrine, which is certainly attractive to the broad masses, is the thesis that a true Christian should be healthy, happy and rich. To become like this, you just need to bring money to the sect. The more you bring, the sooner you will get rich and become a true believer. It’s difficult to talk about methods of influence, but they work flawlessly. Thousands of masses in a single impulse fall into a state close to ecstasy. Even those in dire need suddenly begin to feel like they are rich, and the sick feel an illusory surge of health.

Types of sects

A negative attitude towards sects can be explained by the fact that most people consider them to be totalitarian. And the word “sectarian” is used as a synonym for the concept of “religious fanatic.” This is not entirely correct. Yes, among the new teachings there are openly dangerous and extremist ones. This is the Japanese movement “AUM Shinrikyo”, the American organization “Peoples Temple”. Some of them are prohibited by law. But there are many that are no more dangerous than any organization. An example would be Baptistism.

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There is no generally accepted global classification of religious communities yet. There are criteria by which communities are considered sectarian in a particular country. In Russia, active sects are distinguished:

By type of religious leadership:

• Charismatic . The activity is associated with the personality of a newly minted seer or a suddenly revealed gift (Pentecostals).
• Authoritarian . It is characterized by harsh methods of managing sectarians, total control over their behavior, and centralization of power in the hands of leaders (White Brotherhood).
• Hierarchical . Sectarians receive their posts after designated tests on the basis of the charter (Mennonites, evangelists).
• Theocratic. Strives to create an organization or an entire theocratic state, where important matters are decided according to divine instructions (Jehovah's Witnesses).

By time of occurrence:

• Classic . Confessions that traditionally existed in certain ethnic groups (Tatars, Jews, Germans, Poles).
• Newest . The age of the teaching does not exceed two hundred years.

By type of activity:

• Religious . A union of believers who have broken away from traditional religious teachings (Christianity, Islam).
• Economic . These are pseudo-teachings that dishonest people, that is, ordinary scammers, use as a cover. This also includes some forms of network marketing that create a commercial cult - the same sectarian teaching, only without religious overtones.
• Psychological . Multi-stage psychological trainings that promise to liberate and make you a leader, but in the end they deprive you of money and break your psyche.
• Healing . This is training in energy healing, bioenergy, biocorrection or the provision of services related to healing.
• Environmental . Concern for the environment, animals or human health turns into a cult that breaks a person’s psychological defenses (hard veganism, for example).

No religious figure can define clear boundaries of the Church. Therefore, it is better to recognize an unsafe sect at the recruitment stage.

"Jehovah witnesses"

Many residents of our cities are well aware of the Jehovah's Witnesses sect. Why are they dangerous? Often adherents annoyingly ring doorbells and stop people on the streets, offering to listen to their pseudo-religious dogmas, learn the “true” understanding of the Holy Scriptures, and gain eternal life. As soon as you show any interest in them, they become intrusive, thrusting their brochures and inviting you to attend their meetings. The technology for recruiting new members is so well thought out that a person practically does not notice how he becomes an active member of the sect.

This organization has headquarters in America and branches in many countries around the world. Despite the fact that they call themselves Christians, their teaching has nothing in common with Christianity. In all their activities, true, purely mercantile motives are clearly visible. In our country, the sect was illegal for a long time, but with the advent of perestroika, all prohibitions were lifted, and members of the organization began vigorous activity. Residents of St. Petersburg remember how in 1992 their congress was held at the Kirov Stadium, which seats 100,000 spectators, to which Jehovah's Witnesses arrived not only from all over Russia, but also from abroad.

Those "escaping" had to be rescued

At the beginning of September, a family disappeared in the village of Zadvorye, Stolbtsovsky district.
Pavel Mishuk, Svetlana Shutko and their teenage sons Ruslan and Yaroslav disappeared, leaving a note at home: “We left to travel around a big country.” For two months, police officers, Emergency Situations Ministry employees, and volunteers searched for them. They even launched drones over forests. But the “travelers” clearly covered their tracks. And a couple of weeks ago it turned out that they had gone not far away - to the Novogrudok region.

They set up a tent in a forest area near one of the villages, where they led a reclusive lifestyle. They tried not to be seen by the locals, but when food supplies began to run out, they came out into the open. Or rather, to a store in the village of Bor. The sellers immediately noticed the strangers’ resemblance to the faces in the landmark and informed law enforcement. A couple of hours later, the fugitives’ camp was discovered.

We settled down thoroughly. A large military tent with potbelly stoves and wooden bunks inside, a log toilet, a fireplace and even a mini-garden.

At first, the mother refused to tell me the reason for going into the forest. And then she said: she found out that with coronavirus vaccines, people will be implanted with chips through which they can influence consciousness. They say she got scared and persuaded her husband and sons to “run away.”

However, neighbors in the village say that the family began preparing for the hermitage long before the pandemic due to “religious beliefs.” No one really knows what exactly. Children told their classmates strange stories about the coming end of the world. And two years ago, her mother’s colleagues began to notice changes in her behavior: she began to learn to bake bread, asked to borrow cast iron.

Who knows how this story could have ended if the family had not been found. Now the “hermits” have returned home, doctors and psychologists are working with them.

How to recognize a dangerous sect?

The concept of “sect” is not defined in jurisprudence, and according to the law on freedom of religion, all religious beliefs are formally equal. But in practice, this law has a downside: some sectarian groups become dangerous to people. The danger manifests itself at four levels: individual, family, society and state.

Manipulation schemes.

There have never been so many teachings dangerous to the psyche as there are today. It is important to distinguish the schemes by which they lure more and more new followers:

• Aggressive religious marketing. This is a literal imposition of a new creed, which does not allow a person to comprehend everything rationally. Sometimes a newcomer is bombarded with proposals, literature, and demands for an immediate solution. The sect's advertising is disguised as charity, they send out free literature, and involve famous people. For example, actor Tom Cruise actively supports the school of Scientology.
• Step-by-step technique. The newcomer is asked for a minor favor or request. Having fulfilled the request, he feels a little like superman and wants to increase his usefulness. This is followed by a specific sentence: “Take the magazine from me.” And again the person hears endless gratitude and appreciation. As a result, it is no longer possible to refuse the offer “come to our meeting.”
• Tricks. Recruiters show miracles of insight or mind reading. Usually through banal statements or streamlined phrases like “you have one sin...” or “you want happiness for your children.”
• Free personal growth trainings. A charismatic coach promises changes in a very short time. And the advertising of the event is accompanied by enthusiastic and positive reviews from the participants. There may be other innocent excuses for finding interested people: learning to cleanse the body, opening the “third eye” or magical sexuality.
• Love bombing. In order to actively rebuild the consciousness of a newcomer, he is surrounded with comprehensive love, immersed in an atmosphere of admiration and care. This could be sincere interest, help, countless hugs or kisses. All the group's actions are aimed at emphasizing the contrast between the cold, cruel world and the friendly sect, where the newcomer is valued and loved.

The remaining options may differ between sects or depend on the character of the newcomer. For one, it is enough to simply listen, for another, it is necessary to constantly load with new information, for the third, it is necessary to create the illusion of an elite club “only for the elite”. With the right approach, the newcomer himself begins to seek contact, and outside the sect he feels like a drug addict without a dose.

Take a character test

Signs of destructive teaching.

Any sect is a “state within a state” with its own internal laws, system of reward and punishment. But there are signs by which dangerous sectarian communities can be distinguished:

• Relatively young age. Totalitarian sects are a product of the 20th century. Therefore, an organization with an age of 20-30-50 years cannot be called a “church”.
• Reluctance to answer questions. Apart from explanations about their young history, sectarians generally do not like critical questions. They avoid a direct answer and switch to preaching or persuasion.
• Anti-family sentiment . According to the sectarians, blood ties can only be explained by chance. They convince that one’s own family can only bind an individual, that a newly minted sectarian can be turned away from the intended path and made unhappy. Therefore, the “old” family needs to be replaced with a “new” one, capable of providing complete “spiritual development”.
• Double teaching. At the start, newcomers are not given all the details about the teaching, the leader, and the rituals. But they provide beautiful, enticing advertising. Documents “for internal use” are introduced later.
• The presence of a cult. These can be mystical practices, rites or worship services, which are accompanied by strict rituals. For example, a newcomer is accepted into the circle of “initiates”, united by excessive attachment to a leader or idea, only after difficult trials.
• Rigid hierarchy. Sectarians are people who live according to a strict hierarchy, where newcomers are assigned the lowest level. To rise higher, you need to fulfill certain conditions: donate a large sum, undergo paid training, perform the required act.
• Leader infallibility. Every word a leader says must be taken as truth. Moreover, as a truth “more true” than that of other (especially traditional) religious teachings. The leader's name is often replaced with a pseudonym, emphasizing his chosenness.
• Chosenness of followers. The followers of the cult are instilled with the idea of ​​their “elitism”, which only the worthy receive through complex self-improvement. The rest of the people are recognized as unworthy “second-class” people.
• Neutralization of criticism. The newly minted sectarian is immediately immersed in a continuous flow of information. These could be lectures, trips to public places, an exhausting diet, the inability to sleep or relax. Monotonous sounds of a certain frequency, multiple repetitions of words in a monotonous voice, continuous actions further increase inhibition and introduce a state of high suggestibility.
• Total control. Even if a family is created within a sect, it can hardly be called a family. Sometimes the bride and groom are brought together or family life is limited by many prohibitions. But the ultimate goal of sectarian activity is control over all spheres of life of sectarians.

"Neo-Pentecostals"

The list of sects in Russia should be continued with a story about an organization that is currently considered the largest in the country. This is the sect of “Neo-Pentecostals”, or, as they are also called, “Charismatics”. According to some reports, it has about 300,000 adherents in our country, which is almost half of all sectarians in Russia. This organization originated in America in the seventies of the 20th century. They rent concert halls and stadiums for their meetings. Everything is carried out in the form of a well-staged show in a purely American manner.

Afterword

Faith is important for every person. But the most useful version of faith from the point of view of psychology is faith in yourself, in your own strengths. A rational explanation of surrounding phenomena, the ability to establish cause-and-effect relationships, knowledge and acceptance of oneself, working on oneself are more beneficial for psychological health and self-realization than faith in a higher power or hope in other people. Man is the author and manager of everything that happens to him.

For information on how to help a victim of sectarianism, read the article “Why people join a sect. How to avoid becoming a victim and ending up in a sect. Help for someone who has fallen into a sect."