development of sects

• • sects are very short-lived
  • they either turn into a denomination or die out
• reasons why they are short-lived

  1-changing situation of members = most members come from the margins of society e.g unemployed, homeless

  -usually lead strict + self-denying lives

  -social status is likely to rise + wealth increase

  -they joined a sect to overcome their status frustration but over-time when their situation improves they re-join the mainstream society

  -new situation no longer get rejected by the society

  -sects must change their beliefs in order for the people to be accepted by the wider society
• 2-difficult to maintain commitment among second generation members = sect find it hard to maintain high levels of commitment among the children of first sect members

  -unlike parents, children born into the sect and had no choice in being a member

  -as a result, they are unlikely to show enthusiasm + commitment like their parents

  -they are also less likely to be critical of wider society

  -sect = exclusive either die out or turn into denomination = inclusive e.g Jehovah's witness (don't have a charismatic leader) in order to maintain members
• 3-death of a sect leader = sects either collapse when the leader dies or turns into denomination e.g the people's temple when Jim Jones died
• Death or denomination are not the only possible outcomes for sects as sometimes they survive as a sect by isolating themselves from the outside world, like the People's Temple where members isolated themselves from the rest of America.
• The leaders of the sect keep outside influences, for example, banning their members from meeting non-members.
• The crucial factor of a sect remaining as a sect or becoming a denomination depends upon how they approach the question of salvation, for example, Jehovah's Witnesses remained as a sect because their primary aim was to prepare themselves for the Day of Judgement.