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The denomination does not oppose the secular world, but rather adopts an accommodating attitude. Although the ultimate objective is to win the entire world over to its point of view, the denomination endorses the general state of social affairs. By doing this, it assures its adherents or members that the society in which they live is moral and just.

A denomination usually counts a number of prominent, influential and wealthy individuals among its members. While working–class people may also belong to it, the greatest support for the denomination is to be found in the middle class. In line with this middle–class image, religious gatherings of a denomination tend to have an intellectual approach. Such meetings are formal and communal participation takes place along well–established lines.Great emphasis is placed on formal theological training for the leadership while educational programmes are organised for lay people.

The Methodist Church can be regarded as an example of a denomination. Outside of Christianity, we may regard the Ramakrishna Mission as an example of a denomination within Hinduism.

Sect

A sect is a small group which has broken away from a larger group because it believes that the latter no longer proclaims the "true religion". The sect is therefore hostile towards well–established religious groups such as the ecclesia and the denomination, but also towards other sects. The sect justifies its attitude by insisting that all religious interpretations other than its own are wrong. Only the sect possesses the truth.

Membership of the sect can be obtained by a voluntary change–over. In the denomination, on the other hand, one normally becomes a member through birth. The sect sees itself as the community of the right–minded and therefore, in terms of their own self–image, sect members are the religious elite.

A sect often comes into being through the initiatives of people whose religious needs are not being fulfilled by other religious groups, whether denominations or ecclesiae, in their society. These disenchanted people break away to form new convictions of faith in order to give a new form of expression to their religious insights. Consequently sects tend to arise among socially marginalised people. Christians in general will look at the Jehovah’s Witnesses as a sect while Muslims will say the same of the Ahmadiyya Movement.

A sect is less highly organised than a denomination and the prophetic role of one or more leaders is particularly prominent. The sect rejects the established order of both the secular and sacral worlds and is in conflict with both the denomination and the secular world in which the latter flourishes. The fact that the denomination so often appears to be quite at home in its secular environment often contributes to the formation of the sect.

There are normally two options open for the sect. Its members can either withdraw from the "evil world" or they can remain within the larger society and attempt to initiate social change

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Source:  OpenStax, Learning about religion. OpenStax CNX. Apr 18, 2015 Download for free at https://legacy.cnx.org/content/col11780/1.1
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