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Introduction

Then if anyone says to you, 'Behold, here is Christ,' or 'There,' do not believe it. For false Christs or false prophets will arise, and give great signs and wonders, to deceive, if possible, even the elect. ... Therefore, if they say to you, 'Behold He is in the wilderness,' do not go out, 'Behold, He is in the secret chambers,' do not believe it. The Gospel of Matthew 24:23. "Sect" is a Latin word and translated into Russian means "rule" or "method". In ancient times, even Roman writers used this word to designate a philosophical school that adhered to a different doctrine or political party from the prevailing one at that time. Thus, Cicero already calls the adherents of Antony sectarians, and Tacitus speaks of the sect of the Stoics. Somewhat later, the word "sect" began to be applied to religious societies, the teaching of which differed from the beliefs of the rest of the people. "For a whole year they gathered in the church and taught a considerable number of people, and the disciples in Antioch for the first time began to be called Christians" (Acts 11:26). Pliny the Younger already speaks of a "sect of Christians" that appeared in his time among the Jews. Religious sects are characterized by a claim to the exclusivity of their role, ideological principles and attitudes. The mood of chosenness and the tendency to active missionary work dominate. The desire for spiritual revival is sharply expressed, the sign of which is strict observance of a certain moral code and ritual prescriptions. As a rule, the institution of the priesthood is denied, replaced by the "principle of universal priesthood", and pastoral care within the community is considered charismatic (from the Greek "charisma" – direct guidance by the Holy Spirit), i.e. it is chosen according to a mystical-subjective internal attitude together by all members of the sect. It is believed that the elected leader received as a grace of God, a special ability and wisdom to lead the community. At the same time, there is a reference to Acts. 1:26 and Rev. 1:6; 5:10. Emphasizing the equality of all members, the voluntariness of such association, the emphasis is on the regeneration (or conversion) that precedes membership. These basic features are inherent in many religious associations, i.e. they are a kind of model of sectarianism. Centuries passed, and with the strengthening of the Christian Church, the word "sect" began to be applied only to those Christian societies which wanted to live only by themselves, completely apart from the orthodox Church, and, separating themselves from it in doctrine or order, administration and discipline, had in themselves the characteristic signs of heresy and schism. In the third and fourth centuries, the number of sects increased. Sects of Donatists, Montanists, and Ebionites appeared. Turning to the New Testament, already on its pages we will see mentions of existing and future deviations from the truth. In the book "The Revelation of John the Theologian" the holy Apostle mentions the Nicolaitanes, supporters of Jezebel. Also in 1 Corinthians, the Apostle Paul urges believers to depart from divisions and not to say, "I am Paul," but "I am Cephanes"... (1 Cor. 1:11-12). At the present time, we understand a sect as a religious society separated from the unity of the Orthodox Church, its teachings and sacraments, which has a special teaching, worship, and structure that is different from it, and lives a separate independent life, striving to realize religious ideals in its closed environment.

The Religious Aspect of the Origin of Sectarianism

In spite of all their religiosity, many of the Orthodox Russian people, especially from the common people, were distinguished by extreme ignorance in religious matters or simple superstition, being barely familiar with the Holy Scriptures and Holy Tradition, suddenly dared to preach, explaining this by "revelation from above." Such acceptance of "revelations" is very characteristic of the Russian character, for, as N. Berdyaev wrote, the Russian person is apocalyptic at the positive pole of faith and nihilistic (nihilism is the denial of something) to the point of self-destruction at the negative pole. For if pride replaces the fundamental concept of one's own sinfulness and personal humility, and the vector of ascent – the Cross – remains, then the fall will certainly take place. It's just a matter of time. It is no accident that the Lord said: "I am the way, the truth, the life." And if Christ is constantly and wholly inherent in His Church, then He is inherent in her as the way, the truth, and the life. The hierarchical succession that proceeds from Him and the Apostles is the way by which the grace of Christ spreads throughout His entire body (i.e., the Church); awareness of one's own weakness, sinfulness, imperfection, and faith in the Redeemer as perfect God and perfect man is a testimony to the truth of Christ; the holy sacraments, given canonically correctly by an ordained hierarch, are the foundation of Christ's life in us. That is, in the hierarchy Christ Himself is present as the way, in the confession of faith as truth, in the sacraments as life. It is the presence of everything in the aggregate that is determined by the concept of the Church. A society devoid of at least one of the three cannot be a Church, since such a trinity, in which any one is absent, prevents the real realization of the others. Having vague ideas about faith, some people tried to understand deep religious questions on their own, and meanwhile, the inadequacy or inattention of the priest to the spiritual thirst of the sufferer, or the seeker's own pragmatism, led him to the path of false dreams or into the jungle of false teachings. There he not only settled and strengthened, but over time he himself became an active missionary or even a heresiarch. And this was inherent not only in people of low class and average intelligence, but also people known throughout Russia fell into heresy. St. John of Kronstadt wrote that all "the Renans, the Büchners, the Schopenhauers, the Voltaires are nothing in comparison with our godless Russian, Tolstoy" (Fr. I. Kronstadtsky's words, My Thoughts on the Violence of Christians Against the Jews in Kishinev, Odessa, 1903, pp. 3-5). Father John was outraged by Tolstoy's very attempt on the established dogmas of the Church, on its doctrine. He did not at all deny the importance of Tolstoy as a great artist, but "... I think that he painfully dreamed of his intellectual greatness" (St. John of Kronstadt, On the Murderous Heresy of Count L. N. Tolstoy, St. Petersburg, 1907, p. 9). Summarizing the religious aspect of Russian sectarianism, polarizing and correlating it with Orthodoxy, let us accept the following causes that gave rise to it: Dissatisfaction with the orthodox Church. A thirst and an attempt to solve inner spiritual problems. Affirmation of deception through spiritual isolation from the Church.

The Moral Aspect of Sectarianism

In the life of the Orthodox Church, there have been and still are many different kinds of shortcomings, which everywhere and always caused legitimate discontent among parishioners. Naturally, the concept of the Church is associated with all that is best, sublime, and subconsciously desirable in the ideal always and for everyone. It is no accident that man was accepted with the Word of God both in the most vile den of robbers, and in the highest aristocratic society. For if the criterion of all our actions is love (what else?!), then the moral aspect of going into sectarianism will be absorbed. Completely and without reserve. "Love is the sum total of all perfections." And moreover: "God is love" (1 John 4:8). The poet expressed it as follows: And the gift of speech is beautiful, And the field of blood, And the feat of faith of power, Everything is garbage without love. Parishioners are tempted by the careless, purely formal celebration of divine services and various needs, the lack of teaching, the drunken life of the pastor, extortion for the fulfillment of needs, covetousness, and the lack of simplicity in the everyday life of the clergy. All this causes distrust of the pastor, and often enmity. Makes the flock more receptive to the preaching of false teachers. That is why the Lord also says: "... therefore be wise as serpents, and simple as doves" (Matt. 10:16). If, in preparation for pastorship, a person "does not take off his shoes from his feet," then it is better not to dare to teach, according to the words of the Apostle: "... Do not many become teachers, knowing that we will be subjected to greater condemnation..." (James 3:1).

The Psychological Aspect of Sectarianism