Why do cults and sects meet with greater hostility than church and ecclesia?
What will be an ideal response?
Cults conjure up bizarre images of shaven heads, weird music, pagan rituals, and brainwashing. In addition, they are usually led by a charismatic leader who has failed to earn the respect and acceptance of the public at large. Although sects are larger and have earned some respectability, there is still tension that exists between the views, prevailing beliefs, and values of sects and the broader society. On the other hand, churches are highly bureaucratized, have a track record that extends several generations or even centuries, and are less intense than cults and sects. Because church members assume a low profile in public and their worship is more sedate and formal, churches are less threatening and more acceptable to the public. The sheer differences in the number of followers of the church versus the followers of sects and cults also makes a difference in the acceptance of churches, and suspicion directed at cults and sects. Whereas an ecclesia is a religion closely aligned and supported by the state, for anyone to oppose an ecclesia would be considered unpatriotic. In some societies where religion qualifies as an ecclesia, church membership is a necessity to hold office and to exercise basic rights.
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What will be an ideal response?
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