religious sect

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

religious sect - a subdivision of a larger religious groupreligious order, sectsisterhood - a religious society of women who live together as sisters (especially an order of nuns)organized religion, religion, faith - an institution to express belief in a divine power; "he was raised in the Baptist religion"; "a member of his own faith contradicted him"Albigenses, Cathari, Cathars - a Christian religious sect in southern France in the 12th and 13th centuries; believers in AlbigensianismHigh Anglican Church, High Church - a group in the Anglican Church that emphasizes the Catholic tradition (especially in sacraments and rituals and obedience to church authority)Abecedarian - a 16th century sect of Anabaptists centered in Germany who had an absolute disdain for human knowledgeAmish sect - an orthodox Anabaptist sect separated from the Mennonites in late 17th century; settled chiefly in southeastern PennsylvaniaKaraites - a Jewish sect that recognizes only the Hebrew Scriptures as the source of divinely inspired legislation and denies the authority of the postbiblical tradition of the Talmud; the sect arose in Iraq in the eighth centuryShia, Shiah, Shiah Islam - one of the two main branches of orthodox Islam; mainly in IranSunni Islam, Sunni - one of the two main branches of orthodox IslamShivaism, Sivaism - a Hindu sect worshiping ShivaSaktism, Shaktism - a Hindu sect worshiping ShaktiVaishnavism, Vaisnavism - Hindu sect worshiping of VishnuHaredi - any of several sects of Orthodox Judaism that reject modern secular culture and many of whom do not recognize the spiritual authority of the modern state of IsraelInternational Society for Krishna Consciousness, ISKCON, Hare Krishna - a religious sect founded in the United States in 1966; based on Vedic scriptures; groups engage in joyful chanting of `Hare Krishna' and other mantras based on the name of the Hindu god Krishna; devotees usually wear saffron robes and practice vegetarianism and celibacyJainism - sect founded in the 6th century BC as a revolt against HinduismTaoism - a Chinese sect claiming to follow the teaching of Lao-tzu but incorporating pantheism and sorcery in addition to TaoismKokka, Kokka Shinto - the branch of Shinto recognized as the official state religion of JapanShua, Shuha Shinto - any branch of Shinto other than Kokkabrethren - (plural) the lay members of a male religious ordermonastic order, order - a group of person living under a religious rule; "the order of Saint Benedict"Quakers, Religious Society of Friends, Society of Friends - a Christian sect founded by George Fox about 1660; commonly called QuakersShakers, United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing - a celibate and communistic Christian sect in the United StatesVaudois, Waldenses - a Christian sect of dissenters that originated in southern France in the late 12th century adopted Calvinist doctrines in the 16th centuryZurvanism - a Zoroastrian sect that claims Zurvan was the ultimate source of the universeconvent - a community of people in a religious order (especially nuns) living together