Cultish or Sectarian?
In French there is no simple way to translate the word ‘cult’. The word used is ‘secte’ – the same as that for sect. This is because in reality it is difficult to distinguish between them. After all, all sects are cultish and all cults are sectarian. What then is the difference?
Cults are always based around a personality. It is this emphasis on a personality, who claims to have some ‘new revelation’, which ends up being sectarian, its members cutting themselves off from the mainstream, refusing to mix with others because they think they are superior to others. Thus, we see that the cult is always essentially about pride. This is particularly the case in countries of the Diaspora, where there are relatively few Orthodox and one strong personality can, if he wishes, dominate many. This has been particularly the case in the UK, an island archipelago, cut off from mainland Europe, where there have been many who are simply not aware of the wider Church.
Sects, however, are based around a ‘new teaching’ or ‘new dogma’. It is this emphasis on a new teaching, which ends up being dogmatic and cultish, its members cutting themselves off from the mainstream, refusing to mix with others because they think they are superior to others. Thus, we see that the sect is always essentially about pride. This is particularly the case in countries of the Diaspora, where there are relatively few Orthodox and one isolated teaching can, if he who promotes it wishes, dominate many. This has been particularly the case in the UK, an island archipelago, cut off from mainland Europe, where there have been many who are simply not aware of the wider Church.
So how can we distinguish between a cult and a sect?
Simply, the cult always starts off using esoteric language and esoteric spellings linked with ‘mysticosity’ (a false and fraudulent mysticism), making changes and doing what others would never do, because its followers do not follow the Tradition of all, which is composed of the collective revelations of the Holy Spirit down the ages.
The sect, however, always starts off emphasising a single, strange and novel teaching, in isolation from the catholicity of the Church’s teachings. This is again because its followers do not follow the Tradition of all, which is composed of the collective revelations of the Holy Spirit down the ages.
Thus, we see that the cult and the sect overlap, but that the cult is always based on a personality, who uses esoteric, pseudo-mystical language and claims to be a ‘spiritual father’ or even ‘elder’. However, a sect is always based on a novel teaching which is opposed to Church Tradition, but claims dogmatic importance and excommunicates all those who are in fact faithful to Church Tradition.
Sadly, over the last forty years, we have seen both cults and cultishness, sects and sectarianness, both in these islands and in mainland Europe.
