sect is a term that derives from the Latin "sect" whose meaning is follower. The term is used to designate a large group of a particular religious, philosophical or political current that stands out from the main doctrine. Sectarian is a term that designates the individual who is part of a sect. A sect can also be considered a "division", "party" or "faction".
Informally, the term can be used to define any organized group of people who defend the same ideas or have common causes.
The word sect comes from the same Greek word as the word heresy. that word is hairesis, which in Greek means choice, taking sides, current of thought, school, etc. when the word hairesis changed into Latin, became sect.
In many cases, the word "sect" serves to describe a split that has taken place in Christianity. However, since a sect designates a set of followers, it may be that there are good doctrines and genuine Christians, because the concept of a sect is ambiguous. What today is considered a sect, tomorrow may be considered the main religious current, and vice versa.
For many people the term sect has a pejorative sense, thanks to the fanaticism of some people. For example, in March 1997, 39 followers of a sect called heaven's gate (Portão do Céu, in Portuguese), committed mass suicide because they believed that in this way they would free themselves from their human recipients and set off for a trip in a spaceship.
These types of examples give the negative meaning to the word sect. For this reason, some religious leaders claim that a sect is a religious distortion that presents false doctrines.
