Religions (1)

Religions, Cults and Sects

The terms religions, cults and sects tend to mean different things to different people. However, to start off it may be aswell to look at the way these words are used in the Scriptures. The Greek word for religion appears four times in the New Testament. It appears twice in James along with a similar word translated religious (James 1:26 & 27). It also appears in Acts 26:5 where it is again translated religion and lastly it appears in Colossians 2:18 where it is translated worship. In the last passage, if it were translated religion we would have "religion of angels". The word seems to point to a system of observance connected with God.

In James the point is made that thinking one is religious when there is no practical evidence of it is an empty thing, that is, it is something devoid of reality. James as usual insists there must be suitable practice as he does when later speaking of faith : "Faith without works is dead" (James 2:26). We must always remember that it is not what we think we are that matters, but what we really are, which put another way, is what God considers us to be. He knows. This is why James speaks of: "Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father" (verse 27).

Paul in Acts 26:5 refers to the strictest sect of our religion. He is here clearly pointing to the Jewish system of worship: what is now called Judaism.

In Colossians 2:18 the use of the word worship in the translations rather than religion is, one suspects, to avoid the suggestion that the religion is that of the angels, rather than that of man. It is man observing a religion connected with angels rather than with God - a serious error. What the above tells us is that there is such a thing as pure and undefiled religion. Because the idea of religion carries in the minds of many evangelicals the thought of someone seeking to make himself fit for God by religious observances the positive side of religion spoken of by James is often overlooked. Further, the reference of Paul to our religion implies that there are other religions. Then there are cults. Often the word cult is used interchangeably with the word religion. A book on the history of Israel refers to their religion as a cult. Often the word is used of what may be called minor religions and probably because the religion of Israel was one of many in the ancient world the writer of the aforesaid book used the word cult. The word does not appear in the Bible. In practice it is often used for such belief systems as Mormonism and Christian Science, that is, systems somewhere between a distinct religion and a sect.

The term sect is used for a part of a religion. Paul speaks of "the strictest sect of our religion" (Acts 26:5). It is a section, in Paul's case the Pharisees. There were also Sadducees within Judaism. Originally Christians were considered a sect of Judaism "the sect of the Nazaraeans" (Acts 24:5 & 14). However, in time Christianity became completely separated from Judaism and we may say became a distinct religion. Paul warns though that within the Christian assembly sects would arise (1 Corinthians 11:19). In another passage the Greek word for sects is translated by J N Darby as 'schools of opinion' and elsewhere as 'heresies' (Galatians 5:20 and 2 Peter 2:1).

It may be noted that the three words we have considered are all used at times in a derogatory sense: religion being connected with the self-righteous Pharisees, cults being regarded as false offshoots of the true Christian religion and sects as bodies that break up the unity of the assembly. Cults usually have there own leader whose works overshadow the Scriptures where they in some degree recognise the latter. This is true of Mormons, Christian Scientists and Swedenborgians. Sects often are one-sided, that is, they tend to specialise in things such as baptism (the Baptists) and purity (the Puritans).