Churches represent the powerful and alienate powerless groups
LGBT
women
ethnic minorities
working class
The powerless groups search for a different religious organisation in which they feel powerful and equal to others, and a schism occurs.
The schism results in sects forming between these powerless groups and opposes the church.
The church validates schisms as a normal part of the life of the church
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Sects become denominations
Sects start with revolutionaries but soon become reformists
They change their beliefs in order to expand and become world-accommodating, rather than world-rejecting.
eg. Quakers
This creates a denomination of a sect.
The created denomination may also experience a schism of individuals who have a stronger/more traditional belief.
e.g Amish
This may cause:
sects to be come denominations
denominations to be come sects
the sect to disappear
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3. Second generation lack commitment
The sects recruit individuals who then marry and have children in the sect.
They raise their children in the sect and socialise them into their values.
The children do not have a choice to be a member of this sect and reject the values of the religion.
Similarly, the children grow up in prosperity, as their parents often take on sectarian values such as the "Protestant work ethic" which means they do not depend on the sect' beliefs.
These children leave the sect, reducing their numbers and often causing the sect to collapse.
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4. A charismatic leader dies
The leader of the sect who is charismatic draws individuals into the religion. People often join due to this leader's personality and beliefs.
When this leader dies, the sect loses direction as they do not have this person to guide them.
This usually leads to the sect collapsing, as seen through the Branch Davidians.
Sometimes, the sect leader's family (e.g wife or children) carry on the sect.
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