![]() ![]() The term cult is sometimes used interchangeably with the term new religious movement (NRM). However, almost all religions began as cults and gradually progressed to levels of greater size and organization. In the United States today this term often carries pejorative connotations. For example, Christianity began as a cult, transformed into a sect, and today exists as an ecclesia.Ĭults, like sects, are new religious groups. ![]() Most religions transition through different organizational phases. Scholars are also aware that these definitions are not static. Sociologists use different terms, like ecclesia, denomination, and sect, to define these types of organizations. For instance, when the Roman Catholic Church emerged, it borrowed many of its organizational principles from the ancient Roman military and turned senators into cardinals, for example. Religions organize themselves-their institutions, practitioners, and structures-in a variety of fashions. ![]()
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