[Sca-cooks] Re: Sca-cooks digest/sect-OT

[Elizabeth A Heckert]

On Tue, 12 Nov 2002 21:49:28 -0600 sca-cooks-request at ansteorra.org
writes:
> Message: 13
> Date: Tue, 12 Nov 2002 21:57:43 -0600
> From: Stefan li Rous <StefanliRous at austin.rr.com>
> To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org
> Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Re: Vegetarian politics aside.....
> Reply-To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org
>
> Why is the use of "sect" a problem? What would you suggest as a
> better
> term to use for this? "flavors"? "persuasions"?

     As far as vegetarianism goes, I couldn't comment as to a 'positive'
label for the various subsets.  Sect, however, refers to a group that
other, more doctrinally cohesive groups view as heretical.  I suppose an
heretical vegetarian sect would be one that condones meat eating during
blue moons ...
>
> We have various sects of christianity, Catholic, Lutheran, Mormon,
> Orthodox etc. Or of Judaism.

     Yes, but these denominations (groups that conform to the major
doctrines of each religion named) view sects as heretical.  An example
would be the followers of David Koresh in Waco, Texas, a number of years
ago.  If that group of folks themselves did not claim to be Christian,
they certainly co-opted major figures in Christianity, but I doubt a
Lutheran, Methodist, Catholic or Presbyterian would consider Koresh's
sect a Christian denomination.

     A sect can exhibit heresy by deviating from merely one or two
doctrines, or it can have a belief system totally unrelated to the group
calling it a 'sect'.   Some 'white supremacist' groups have a basis in
Christian beliefs, however they fail at 'loving thy neighbor as thyself'
fully one half of Christian doctrine.   Conversely, a devout Taoist would
be capable (by the tenets of their faith) of perceiving a Muslim (of
whatever denomination) as a follower of a sect because their belief
systems have nothing in common.  This is *Not* to say that a Taoist would
or would not so label a Muslim, merely that they are capable of this
action by the definition of the word sect.  I do not know a great deal
about eastern religions,  but I wanted to try to pick two religions
sufficiently different from one another that the differences would be
obvious.

    I checked a couple of dictionaries, and both suggest that the word
*can* mean merely a splintered group or a subset, but in both
definitions, the words used to describe the groups indicate a breaking a
way from a larger group, and (I assume) that especially with the use of
the word sect as a technical definition with regards to religion, the
word has gained a pejorative meaning.

   Elizabeth

________________________________________________________________
Sign Up for Juno Platinum Internet Access Today
Only $9.95 per month!
Visit www.juno.com