ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on aspects of the sociological study of sectarianism and of cult movements which have been discussed by Stark and Bainbridge and other rational choice theorists. It discusses the general processes by which sectarian schisms occur and cult movements arise, the process of conversion to sects and cults and the patterns of their internal evolution and development. A pioneer in the sociological study of sectarianism, Ernst Troeltsch followed his friend Max Weber to a considerable extent in his characterisation of the nature of the sect in relation to the Church. Weber characterised the Church as an institution which administers religious sacraments and as a result has a form of power which enables it to maintain order. The religious forms of the poor eventually become middle-class organisations due to the social mobility of their members. Bryan Wilson attempts to show how different conditions tend to generate different types of sect and how the various types have differing developmental tendencies.
