Why So Many New Sects?

TEN main religions, but 10,000 sects! That is the latest estimated number of religious groups into which humanity is divided. Of these, some 6,000 reportedly exist in Africa, 1,200 in the United States, 421 in Japan and 247 in France.

Some of these sects are long-established religious groups and consider themselves to be full-fledged churches. Certain old religions are divided up into sects that are subdivided into subsects. In Japan the Shinto religion is comprised of 153 sects and subsects, and Buddhism is divided into 171 sects and subsects. Interestingly, many Japanese belong to more than one sect.

In South Africa, the Department of Statistics has over 4,000 religious groups on record, some 500 among the whites and the rest among the blacks. Some of these segregated sects claim to be Christian.

Church or Sect?

The word “church” does not have the same connotation in all countries. In predominantly Catholic lands “the Church” means the Roman Catholic Church. In France, for instance, the word Eglise (Church) is not often accompanied by the adjective catholique and hardly ever by romaine. To a French person the word Eglise (with a capital E) can mean only one thing: the Roman Catholic Church. Similarly, in countries where one of the Eastern Orthodox Churches is predominant, the word “church” means the Orthodox Church.

In predominantly Protestant lands, however, it is generally necessary to stipulate the church to which one belongs. Even in these countries, generally a person cannot say he belongs to a church unless he is a member of one of the larger, long-established Protestant religions. Otherwise, he is viewed as belonging to some sect. True, in the United States even small offshoot religions are often honored with the name church. But in most other countries they would have to content themselves with being called a sect.

What Is a Sect?

A sect has been defined as “a comparatively small recently organized exclusive religious body; esp[ecially]: one that has parted company with a longer-established communion.” According to another definition, a sect is “a dissenting religious body; esp[ecially]: one that is heretical in the eyes of other members within the same communion.”

Some claim that the word “sect” is derived from the Latin verb secare (to cut) and define a sect as a group that has broken away from an established church. Others trace the word “sect” back to the Latin verb sequi (to follow) and thus apply it to a group that follows a particular human leader or teacher.

Church Scorn for Sects

Whether a sect is a splinter group that has broken away from a larger denomination or a group of disciples following some man or woman, one thing is certain: the long-established churches look down on the sects. Explaining this scorn, the French Grande Encyclopédie states that the word “sect” and its usage “are filled with strong feelings and even vehemence,” and adds: “Generally, the community from which the little group separated claims authenticity and considers that it alone possesses the fullness of doctrine and means of grace, speaking of the sectarians with a certain disdainful pity. This condescending attitude is often accompanied with a fair amount of aggressiveness, the more so because the sect is a cruel reminder of all that the church used to be, but no longer is​—a warm, lively, dynamic, conquering brotherhood.”

Why So Many New Sects?

The sects that are getting the widest media coverage these days​—often because of their financial activities and indoctrination methods—​have all sprung up within the past 20 or 30 years. This raises questions as to why our times have seen the proliferation of such religious groups. In its 1981 Supplément, the above-quoted French encyclopedia states: “Why are such sects so successful? Firstly, the climate of crisis now prevailing within Western civilization (the challenging of all institutions, such as the family, schools, the army, the churches, etc.) provides a suitable breeding ground. . . . In conclusion, sects are above all a sign of the times, symptomatic of the uneasiness of young people who are thirsting after something different from our flashy ‘consumer society.’”

In a similar vein R. Quebedeaux, a specialist on sects, writes: “The permissive society has created a strong hunger for strictness and discipline and authority. They [young people] are bored with materialistic society and out of this has come a search for new meaning in life.”

Both these explanations show, at least tacitly, that the long-established religions have failed to satisfy the millions of people, young and old, who have turned to such new sects. The blossoming of new sects during the past few decades is further evidence of the “anguish of nations” foretold by Jesus Christ as part of “the sign” indicating that this system of things is ending and “the kingdom of God is near.”​—Matthew 24:3; Luke 21:10, 11, 25-31.

However, these new sects that are recruiting so many members do not teach that God’s Kingdom is mankind’s only hope. Rather, what they teach resembles more a philosophy of life, often based on an Oriental religion or on the teachings of some guru (spiritual guide). Each such guru who has a sizable following creates a new sect. This is not surprising for Eastern religions, where the guru principle is currently accepted.

However, it is surprising that of the some 10,000 churches and sects said to exist throughout the world, many hundreds, if not thousands, claim to be Christian. Why is this so surprising? Because the members of many of these sects follow some human leader, whereas Jesus Christ stated: “Your Leader is one, the Christ.” (Matthew 23:10) Surprising, too, is the fact that so-called Christians should be divided up into so many churches, denominations and sects, whereas Christ prayed to his Father concerning his followers that “they may all be one.”​—John 17:20, 21.

Why, then, are there so many churches and sects claiming to be Christian? And how did this religious confusion come about?

Why So Many Religions All Claiming to Be Christian?

ABOUT one quarter of the world’s population claim to be Christian. They all profess to follow Jesus Christ, yet they are very divided. Some 580,000,000 are said to be Roman Catholic. But since Vatican II there has been a division into Catholic liberals and pro-Latin traditionalists. The estimated 74,000,000 members of the Eastern Orthodox religion are divided into various national churches, with differing liturgical rites. As for upwards of 343,000,000 Protestants, they are separated into numerous Episcopalian, Lutheran, Calvinist (Presbyterian, Reformed), Baptist, Methodist and other churches.

All these churches consider themselves to be “established,” “orthodox,” “respectable” religions. To these must be added the hundreds of so-called sects that are looked down upon disdainfully by the Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant mainstream.

“Orthodox” or “Heretical”?

Actually, when examined according to unbiased historical methods, not one of the traditional “Christian” churches can claim to be the original Christian religion. They all started as offshoots​—sects—​yes, even the one that claims to be the oldest of them all, the Roman Catholic Church!

Historically, several cities could claim precedence over Rome as early centers of Christianity. When Christianity was founded at Pentecost 33 C.E., there was not a single follower of Christ in Rome. The first headquarters of the Christian congregation was unquestionably Jerusalem. True, Jews and proselytes from Rome were present in Jerusalem during Pentecost, and some of them no doubt became Christians and returned to Rome, there to found a Christian congregation. But this was also true of many other places mentioned in the Bible. In fact, sojourners from Rome are mentioned well down the list, being third from last, just before Cretans and Arabians.​—Acts 2:5-11.

In those early days, Rome was not a centrally located headquarters for organizing Christian activities. It was not in Rome but in Syrian Antioch that Jesus’ disciples were first called Christians. (Acts 11:26) And it was from Antioch, not Rome, that the apostle Paul undertook his three missionary journeys. (Acts 13:1-4; 14:26; 15:35, 36; 18:22, 23) True, Paul was most likely executed in Rome. But he was not one of Jesus’ 12 apostles, Judas Iscariot having been replaced by Matthias. (Acts 1:23-26) In fact, there is absolutely no Biblical proof that any of the 12 apostles went to Rome or died there. The last of the apostles to die was John, probably in or near Ephesus. Their death left the door wide open for apostasy to develop.​—1 John 2:18, 19; 2 Thessalonians 2:3, 4.

As time went by, other cities came into prominence as centers of apostate Christianity. Among these were Alexandria and Carthage, in North Africa, and Byzantium (later to become Constantinople), at the frontier between Asia and Europe. In the West, a rich and powerful church developed in Rome, the capital of the Empire.

With the rise of the apostasy foretold by the apostles, a clergy class developed. Prominent men rose up above the flock and became so-called bishops. These vied for power and became the heads of rival tendencies or sects of apostate Christianity. In early times no single city or bishop clearly dominated the others. But a power struggle developed as to which sect or apostate offshoot of original Biblical Christianity would establish itself as “orthodox,” making the others “heretical.”

All Were Sects at the Start

One of the most recently published works on this subject states: “What was Christian heresy? And, for that matter, what was the Church? . . . [Apostate] Christianity began in confusion, controversy and schism and so it continued. A dominant orthodox Church, with a recognizable ecclesiastical structure, emerged only very gradually. . . . And, as with such struggles, it was not particularly edifying. . . . The central and eastern Mediterranean in the first and second centuries AD swarmed with an infinite multitude of religious ideas, struggling to propagate themselves. . . . From the start, then, there were numerous varieties of Christianity which had little in common. . . . Before the last half of the third century it is inaccurate to speak of a dominant strain of Christianity. So far as we can judge, by the end of the first century, and virtually throughout the second, the majority of Christians believed in varieties of Christian-gnosticism, or belonged to revivalist sects grouped round charismatics. . . . Orthodoxy was merely one of several forms of Christianity during the third century, and may not have become dominant until Eusebius’s time [early 4th century].”​—A History of Christianity, by Paul Johnson.

Such a turn of events had been foretold by the apostle Paul, who wrote: “The time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.”​—2 Timothy 4:3, 4, New International Version.

Some of these apostate teachers became what Christendom’s churches call church fathers. They are generally divided into ante-Nicene and post-Nicene fathers, the turning point being the so-called First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea, convened in that city of Asia Minor by pagan Roman Emperor Constantine in 325 C.E.

Efforts to Establish Rome’s Primacy

It is noteworthy that by far the greater number of second- and third-century “fathers” were not based in Rome, and they wrote in Greek, not Latin. Confirming this, the Encyclopædia Britannica states: “Until about 250 most Western Christian leaders were Greek, not Latin, speakers (e.g., Irenaeus and Hippolytus). The main Latin theology came not from Rome but from North Africa (e.g., Tertullian and Cyprian).”

In those early centuries of the apostasy, what cities were the great centers of so-called Christian theology? Not Rome, but Antioch, Alexandria, Carthage, Caesarea, Jerusalem and various cities in Asia Minor. The Catholic Encyclopedia admits: “Though Rome was powerful and venerated in the second century, . . . the break in her literature is complete. Latin literature is thus . . . practically two centuries and a half younger [than the Greek]. Tertullian stands alone, and he became a heretic. Until the middle of the fourth century there had appeared but one Latin Father [Cyprian, of Carthage, North Africa]. . . . From Cyprian (d[ied] 258) to Hilary [died about 367] . . . there was no theology at all.”

How, then, did the church in Rome succeed in establishing its primacy over the churches in other cities that had been far more prominent in producing “church fathers”? Undoubtedly, one factor was the prestige of being located in the capital of the Empire. It was a rich church that sent financial aid to poorer churches in other cities, and this gave a certain power to its bishop. He began to claim the right to hear appeals against decisions made by local bishops in matters of church discipline.

Additionally, even as pagan Roman Emperor Constantine realized that he could use apostate Christianity to consolidate the declining Empire, so the bishop of Rome saw that paganism could provide popular appeal to his variety of apostate Christianity. The Roman church had adopted the pagan Sunday as the day to celebrate Easter, whereas churches in Eastern cities had been celebrating it on whatever day of the week Nisan 14 of the Jewish calendar fell. Also, whereas several Eastern churches were inclined to follow Arius, who denied the Trinity doctrine, Rome quickly adopted this pagan idea of a triune god.

On both of these matters, Emperor Constantine came out in favor of Rome. This he did by making a Sunday observance law in 321 C.E. and by imposing the Trinity at the Council of Nicaea in 325 C.E. He fused apostate Christianity with the pagan Roman cult and made this “universal” or “catholic” form of worship the state religion.

Then, in 382 C.E., Emperor Gratian issued a constitution granting Damasus, bishop of Rome, the right to hear appeals by other bishops, even those in “more distant regions” of the Empire. Although this decision was contested by Eastern bishops, and even by some in the West, it undoubtedly gave ascendancy to the bishop of Rome. Bishop Damasus accepted the insignia of Pontifex Maximus, a pagan title and office that Emperor Gratian eventually had renounced, considering it unbefitting a Christian! Damasus had no such scruples. According to The Catholic Encyclopedia, Pontifex Maximus is still considered to be one of the “most noteworthy of the titles” borne by the pope. In French the pope is still called le souverain pontife, the supreme pontiff.

Schisms, Dissidence and Reformation

Naturally, this claimed supremacy of the bishop of Rome did not go uncontested. The leaders of apostate Christianity in such eastern cities as Alexandria, Jerusalem, Antioch and especially Constantinople, challenged this usurpation. However, although the religious leaders in these cities were united in their opposition to Rome’s domination, they did not see eye to eye on doctrinal matters. There were rival schools of thought in these and other cities, giving rise to different sects, all claiming to be Christian.

In efforts to heal the growing breach between the rival apostate Christian sects whose headquarters were in Rome and Constantinople and to brand as heretical apostate Christian teachers in other cities, various “Ecumenical (Universal) Church Councils” were organized over the centuries. The first one was held in Nicaea, in 325 C.E., in order to condemn the Arian anti-Trinitarian “heresy.” Others were held in Constantinople (four times), Ephesus, Chalcedon (just opposite Constantinople across the Bosporus), and again in Nicaea. These first seven councils are recognized by both the Roman Catholic and the Orthodox Churches. The body of doctrine forged at these councils included the Trinity, belief in Mary as the “mother of God” and other dogmas that have nothing to do with Biblical Christianity. These church councils also condemned various “heresies,” thus contributing to the creation of still further subdivisions (sects) of apostate Christianity.

Interestingly, not one of these “universal” church councils was held in Rome, the city that claimed to be the universal headquarters of Christianity. It was not until 1123 C.E. that the first so-called Ecumenical Council was held in Rome. But by then the “great schism” had taken place between Rome and the Eastern churches, the first split having occurred in 867 C.E., and the final schism in 1054. So, from a strictly historical standpoint, no truly ecumenical or universal council was ever held in Rome.

The Eastern variety of apostate Christianity that broke away from Rome did not unite around some other bishop who claimed to be the vicar of Christ on earth. The Church of Constantinople (also called New Rome) would have liked to become the “Rome” of the Eastern Orthodox religion. But it did not succeed. In time, Eastern Orthodoxy became divided into 15 self-governing national churches that grant merely honorary primacy to the patriarch in Constantinople, modern Istanbul. Moreover, there are several independent eastern churches that recognize neither Rome nor Constantinople. Decidedly, Eastern “Christianity” is a divided house.

After the schism with the East, the Roman Church, while still hoping to bring the Eastern churches back into line, at least reckoned on being the undisputed mistress in her own house​—the West. But her troubles were not over. Dissenters soon began to appear. This was intolerable, and drastic measures were taken against these “heretics.” The Inquisition was instituted, but the dissent continued. In the 16th century a general revolt broke out, first on religious grounds and later on political grounds.

This revolt, called the Reformation, produced a third group of religions also claiming to be Christian. But rather than restoring the original unity and doctrinal truths of Biblical Christianity, Protestantism has produced a crop of divided churches and sects.

Why So Many?

If you belong to a church or sect that claims to be Christian, doubtless you have wondered why there are so many religions all claiming to follow Christ and the Bible. Perhaps you have become disgusted with such divisions, especially when they lead to religious persecution and wars of religion, as they have throughout the centuries and still do. For these and other reasons you may have stopped going to church, contenting yourself with your own concept of Christianity. Yet in your heart you know that there must be more to Christianity than that. You know from the Bible that the very first Christians made up a happy, united spiritual family.​—John 13:34, 35; Ephesians 4:1-6.

Today, Jehovah’s Witnesses make up such a happy family of Christians. They are not a sect, inasmuch as they are neither the disciples of some human teacher or leader nor an offshoot of any one church or sect. The Witnesses come from all walks of life. They follow no man but rather God and His Son Jesus Christ. In answer to your question “Why so many religions all claiming to be Christian?” they reply: “Because such religious groups have followed men, not the Bible.” Jehovah’s Witnesses would be happy to help you find true Biblical Christianity. So please speak to the person who provided you with this magazine or write to its publishers.

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Principal centers of apostate Christianity

Carthage

Rome

Byzantium (Constantinople)

Nicaea

Ephesus

Antioch

Jerusalem

Alexandria

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Christendom’s churches​—hopelessly divided!

‘Quietly Bringing in Destructive Sects’

“There will also be false teachers among you. These very ones will quietly bring in destructive sects.”​—2 PETER 2:1.

1, 2. (a) What were all of Christendom’s churches originally? (b) So what questions merit our consideration?

ALL the churches of Christendom originally were sects. Some of these​—notably the Church of Rome and the national Churches of Orthodoxy and Protestantism—​claim primacy over the other so-called Christian denominations, which they contemptuously call sects. These historical facts have been presented in the two preceding articles.

² However, some may ask: ‘Was a falling away from true Christianity actually foretold by Jesus Christ and his faithful apostles? Did they warn against following men who would create sects? Some 19 centuries ago, was it really necessary for Jesus’ true followers to be on guard against such divisive tendencies? And is the same vigilance needed today?’

Early Tendency to Form Sects

3, 4. (a) What warning did Jesus give, and what does this mean with regard to true Christianity? (b) What similar warning did Peter give?

³ In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus stated: “Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is easy, that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life, and those who find it are few. Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits.” (Matthew 7:13-16, Revised Standard Version) No, Jesus Christ did not say that true Christianity would become a broad, easy, universal, or “catholic,” religion, suited to the “many.” It would be a hard, cramped road, found by only the “few.” These “few” were warned that seemingly harmless “false prophets” would try to sidetrack them onto the “easy” way “that leads to destruction.”

⁴ Over 30 years later the apostle Peter wrote: “There also came to be false prophets among the people [of Israel], as there will also be false teachers among you [Christians]. These very ones will quietly bring in destructive sects and will disown even the owner that bought them, bringing speedy destruction upon themselves. Furthermore, many will follow their acts of loose conduct, and on account of these the way of the truth will be spoken of abusively. Also, with covetousness they will exploit you with counterfeit words.”​—2 Peter 2:1-3.

5. When did apostate “wolves” begin to appear, and how did they ‘quietly bring in destructive sects’?

⁵ “The way of the truth,” the way “that leads to life,” is the way of true Christianity. The “false prophets,” or “false teachers,” are the apostate ‘wolves in sheep’s clothing’ who began to make their presence felt among the early Christians even before the death of Jesus’ apostles. (1 John 2:18, 19; 4:1-3) The apostle Paul also gave warning about such “oppressive wolves.” He identified them as men who would “rise and speak twisted things to draw away the disciples after themselves.” (Acts 20:29, 30) From the second half of the first century onward, these false teachers ‘quietly brought in destructive sects,’ exploiting the early Christians “with counterfeit words.” Because of these apostates, “the way of the truth,” true Christianity, was “spoken of abusively.”

Some Early Sects

6. How does the book of Revelation show that apostate sects had already appeared by the end of the first century, and why were they hated by Christ?

⁶ In the Revelation received by the apostle John about 96 C.E., he records a series of divinely inspired messages reflecting the spiritual conditions then prevailing within the Christian congregations and that could reoccur down through history. Two of these messages reveal the existence of apostate sects that were hated by Christ, the head of the true Christian congregation. Apparently, at least one of these sects tolerated idolatry and fornication.​—Revelation 2:6, 14, 15.

7. How do Paul’s letters show that the fight against sectarianism was already going on in his day?

⁷ Several of the apostle Paul’s letters, written much earlier, indicate that he already had to put up a hard fight against the tendency to form sects. In his first letter to the Christians in Corinth, Paul deplored their inclination to follow men, because it resulted in “dissensions” and “divisions.” (1 Corinthians 1:10-13; 3:1-4) He expressed similar concern in his letters to the Galatians (1:6-9; 5:19-21), to Titus (3:9, 10) and to Timothy.​—1 Timothy 1:3-7; 4:1-3; 6:20, 21; 2 Timothy 4:3, 4.

8. What did the Gnostics believe, and why did they cause “the way of the truth” to be “spoken of abusively”?

⁸ Some Bible scholars are of the opinion that in Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians and, more particularly, in his letter to the Ephesians and to the Colossians, he purposely used certain Greek words (such as gnoʹsis, knowledge, and pleʹro.ma, fullness) in order to refute gnosticism. However that may be, Paul was certainly combating apostate ideas that were later developed by the Gnostic sects. The Gnostics, who flourished during the second century C.E., were dualists, believing that all matter is evil and that spirit is good. They held that salvation comes through mystical “knowledge” (gnoʹsis). Their belief that the fleshly body is evil led them to either of two extremes: asceticism or fleshly indulgence. So-called Christian gnosticism did much to cause “the way of the truth” to be “spoken of abusively.”

9. Name and describe other early sects of apostate Christianity.

⁹ Among other early sects were the Marcionites, the followers of Marcion, the son of an apostate Christian “bishop” in Asia Minor. Marcion believed in two gods, an imperfect “Old Testament” God and a God of love revealed in the “New Testament,” or, rather, in those parts of it that he accepted (some of the writings of Paul and Luke). Another second-century sect was Montanism. Montanus was a “prophet” from Asia Minor who preached the imminent second coming of Christ and the setting up of the New Jerusalem in Pepuza, near the modern city of Ankara, Turkey. He also criticized the increasing power and moral laxity of the clergy class of apostate Christianity. Tertullian became a Montanist. Two other protest movements against moral laxity among so-called Christians and against leniency toward apostates were the third-century Novatians and the fourth-century Donatists. However, both of these schismatic groups accepted the chief doctrinal errors of the older established churches.

“The Man of Lawlessness” Gets Organized

10. Who should be included among the “false teachers” who ‘quietly brought in destructive sects’?

¹⁰ All these sects, and others that have not been mentioned, were varieties of apostate Christianity. But the men who created them were not the only “false teachers” who ‘quietly brought in destructive sects.’ (2 Peter 2:1-3) Peter also foretold that ‘many would follow their acts of loose conduct.’ We have just seen that some of these early sects were created to protest against the loose conduct of the dominant clergy class. So these clergymen should also be numbered among the “false teachers” and their churches considered “destructive sects.”

11. What new class was beginning to lift itself up, and how had Paul foretold this?

¹¹ As already noted, all these apostate sects were contending for supremacy. Each sought to be considered the one and only “orthodox,” “apostolic” and “catholic (universal)” church and, in turn, treated the others as mere heretical sects. At the same time, within the larger, more powerful churches, a clergy class was endeavoring to lift itself up above the rest of the flock. Speaking of this apostasy and the emergence of a dominating clergy class, the apostle Paul wrote: “Let no one seduce you in any manner, because [the day of Jehovah] will not come unless the apostasy comes first and the man of lawlessness gets revealed, the son of destruction. He is set in opposition and lifts himself up over everyone who is called ‘god’ or an object of reverence, so that he sits down in the temple of The God, publicly showing himself to be a god.”​—2 Thessalonians 2:2-4.a

12. (a) What is “the man of lawlessness,” and when was this “man” fully revealed? (b) What steps led to the full development of the clergy class? (c) Describe the hierarchy system.

¹² This apostasy was “already at work” in Paul’s day. However, it became fully revealed only after the death of Jesus’ true apostles, when the “restraint” of their presence was removed. (2 Thessalonians 2:6, 7) Little by little, a clergy class began to appear. In the early second century C.E., Ignatius, “bishop” of Antioch, wrote about a three-grade hierarchy of bishops, presbyters (priests) and deacons. “The man of lawlessness” was beginning to take shape. But the “church father” who really got the clergy class organized into a hierarchy system was Cyprian, “bishop” of Carthage, North Africa, who died in 258 C.E. The authoritative Dictionnaire de Théologie Catholique states that Cyprian outlined a monarchical seven-grade hierarchy, the supreme position being occupied by the bishop. Under him were priests, deacons, subdeacons, acolytes (servers), lectors (readers) and exorcists. An eighth grade​—porter, or doorkeeper—​was later added in the Western, Latin, or Roman, Church, whereas the Eastern, or Greek, Church settled for a five-grade hierarchy. Thus, by the third century C.E. the composite “man of lawlessness,” the apostate Christian clergy class, was fully “revealed.” It has continued on down through the centuries in all the churches and sects of Christendom that have a special ministry or clerical class.

“Destructive Sects” at the Time of the End

13. In what two ways do the sects of Christendom prove to be “destructive”?

¹³ In the original Greek, Peter’s expression “destructive sects” literally means “sects of destruction.” This expression is doubly significant. The sects and churches of Christendom have proved to be destructive of pure Christianity, “the way of the truth.” They are also “sects of destruction” in that their false teachers are “bringing speedy destruction upon themselves” and upon those who “follow their acts of loose conduct.” Peter adds: “But as for them [the false teachers], the judgment from of old is not moving slowly, and the destruction of them is not slumbering.” (2 Peter 2:1-3) Such “speedy destruction” will come upon them at the fast-approaching “great tribulation.”​—Matthew 24:21.

14. When will “the man of lawlessness” be destroyed, and what will such destruction prove?

¹⁴ Showing that the composite “man of lawlessness” would not be destroyed until the time of Christ’s “presence,” the apostle Paul wrote: “The lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will do away with by the spirit of his mouth and bring to nothing by the manifestation of his presence [pa.rou.sías].” (2 Thessalonians 2:8) Yes, the destruction of the clerical “man of lawlessness” class, along with the rest of Satan’s Babylonian religious empire, will come as a remarkable “manifestation” of Christ’s “presence,” or Parousia, proving to friend and enemy alike that the Lord Jesus is invisibly present and that the foretold “great tribulation” has begun.

A Warning to True Christians

15. What warning for Christians is contained in Jesus’ illustration of the wheat and the weeds?

¹⁵ Jesus’ illustration of the wheat and the weeds showed that the churches and sects of the “weeds,” or apostate Christians, would be allowed to grow throughout the centuries. Only at “the conclusion of the system of things” would a clear distinction be made between these sham Christians and the true “sons of the kingdom,” the “wheat.” (Matthew 13:24-30, 37-40) However, Jesus’ parable also contains a warning to true Christians, whether they be anointed “sons of the kingdom” or their companions. Jesus stated: “The Son of man will send forth his angels, and they will collect out from his kingdom all things that cause stumbling and persons who are doing lawlessness, and they will pitch them into the fiery furnace. There is where their weeping and the gnashing of their teeth will be.”​—Matthew 13:41, 42.

16. (a) What separating work has continued since 1919? (b) What further warning did the apostles give, and what comment did Jude add?

¹⁶ The “wheat” has been separated from the “weeds” in the religious field since 1919. However, this does not mean that since then the angels of the Son of man have not continued to “collect out from his kingdom all things that cause stumbling and persons who are doing lawlessness.” Jude reminds us that “the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ” gave the following warning: “In the last time there will be ridiculers, proceeding according to their own desires for ungodly things.” And Jude added: “These are the ones that make separations [cause divisions, Today’s English Version].”​—Jude 17-19.

17. What did Jesus say concerning the “evil slave”?

¹⁷ What Jesus said would occur to the lawless ones who “cause stumbling” reminds us of what he later stated about those who would refuse to recognize “the faithful and discreet slave,” the “wheat” class of anointed Christians whom Christ would ‘appoint over all his belongings.’ Jesus warned: “But if ever that evil slave should say in his heart, ‘My master is delaying,’ and should start to beat his fellow slaves and should eat and drink with the confirmed drunkards, the master of that slave will come on a day that he does not expect and in an hour that he does not know, and will punish him with the greatest severity and will assign him his part with the hypocrites. There is where his weeping and the gnashing of his teeth will be.”​—Matthew 24:45-51.

18. (a) How do some today manifest the traits of the “evil slave”? (b) How will they end up if they continue to “cause divisions”?

¹⁸ Today some disloyal ones manifest the traits of “that evil slave” by saying in their heart, “My master is delaying.” They identify themselves with the “ridiculers” who say: “Where is this promised presence of his?” (2 Peter 3:1-7) As Jude warned, they try to “cause divisions.” (Jude 19, TEV) By criticizing “the faithful and discreet slave” class from whom they first gained their knowledge of “the way of the truth,” they ‘start to beat their fellow slaves.’ But if they persist in their divisive attitude, in due time they are ‘collected out’ by the angels and ‘assigned their part with the hypocrites’ of Christendom. ‘There is where they weep and gnash their teeth,’ sometimes by airing supposed grievances through the public media.

19. (a) What did Paul say about “sects” among God’s people? (b) How can we establish ourselves as being “persons approved”?

¹⁹ This reminds us of what Paul wrote to the Corinthians: “For there must also be sects among you, that the persons approved may also become manifest among you.” (1 Corinthians 11:19) Yes, if any today try quietly to “bring in destructive sects” among Jehovah’s Witnesses, this provides a fine opportunity for loyal Christians to prove themselves to be “persons approved” by God and Christ. They can and must show that they appreciate true Christian unity.

“One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism”

“One Lord [there is], one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all persons, who is over all.”​—EPHESIANS 4:4-6.

1, 2. (a) Regarding Himself, what did Jehovah make very plain through Moses? (b) So was there room for different religious opinions in Israel?

“JEHOVAH our God is one Jehovah. You must not walk after other gods, any gods of the peoples who are all around you, (for Jehovah your God in your midst is a God exacting exclusive devotion).” Moses left no doubt in the minds of the Israelites gathered on the plains of Moab, shortly before they were due to enter the Promised Land. He plainly stated that their God, Jehovah, is one God, and that Jehovah expects exclusive worship. In a previous discourse, Moses had said: “Jehovah is the true God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath. There is no other. And you must keep his regulations and his commandments that I am commanding you today, that it may go well with you.”​—Deuteronomy 6:4, 14, 15; 4:39, 40.

² No room in those words for different religious opinions! Israel had one God. And Jehovah outlined plainly the one acceptable way in which he might be worshiped.

Jewish Sects Emerge

3. Because the majority of the Jews did not remain faithful to Jehovah, what eventually happened?

³ However, instead of practicing the pure worship of the one true God, Jehovah, most of the Israelites became apostates, worshipers of idol gods. (Jeremiah 17:13; 19:5) Because of this, it did not ‘go well with them.’ In 607 B.C.E. Jerusalem was destroyed by the Babylonians, and many Jews were deported to Babylonia. A faithful remnant returned to Jerusalem 70 years later and began building a second temple for Jehovah’s worship. But as time passed, the majority of the Jews apostatized and eventually split up into various sects.

4, 5. (a) Describe some of the Jewish sects that developed after the Babylonian captivity. (b) Did such divisive sects do the Jews any good? Explain.

⁴ In the fourth or the third century B.C.E. the sect of the Hasideans (“pious ones”) developed. They were overzealous in observing Judaic Law and because of this, they have been linked with two other sects that originated in the second century B.C.E.​—the Essenes and the Pharisees. Both the Essenes and the Pharisees adopted the Grecian doctrine of the immortality of the soul. Differing from them in not believing in an afterlife were the Sadducees. The Bible speaks of the dissensions that existed between the Sadducees and the Pharisees at the time of the apostles. (Acts 23:7-10) The Concise Jewish Encyclopedia states: “Tension between the two even led to massacres and civil war.”

⁵ The Zealots were another Jewish sect that existed in the first century C.E. They were militant nationalists who did much to foment the successful Jewish revolt against the Romans in 66 C.E. After this they sought to dominate other armed sects in Jerusalem, causing civil war and much suffering. Such armed strife between rival Jewish sects continued right up to and even during the final Roman siege and destruction of Jerusalem in 70 C.E. It is obvious that sectarian divisions and unfaithfulness to united, pure worship of the one God, Jehovah, did the Jews no good.

Early Christians Not a Sect

6. Why did the early Christians keep clear of Jewish sects?

⁶ Needless to say, the early Christians kept clear of Jewish sectarian strife. They knew that the Pharisees and the Sadducees were among Jesus’ bitterest enemies. Christ’s followers could share neither the Essenes’ belief in the immortality of the soul nor their taste for a monastic, ascetic life. And as neutrals they certainly had nothing in common with the nationalistic Zealots. (John 17:16; 18:36) Rather, the Christians practiced the united, pure worship of the one true God, in keeping with Jesus’ words to a non-Jewish woman: “The hour is coming, and it is now, when the true worshipers will worship the Father with spirit and truth.”​—John 4:23.

7. What did Jesus and Paul say, and what do their words imply regarding true Christian worship?

⁷ Speaking for true Christians, the apostle Paul stated: “There is actually to us one God the Father, out of whom all things are, and we for him; and there is one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things are, and we through him.” (1 Corinthians 8:6) True Christianity means united worship of the one God, the Father, Jehovah, through the one Lord, Jesus Christ. Jesus told his disciples: “Your Leader is one, the Christ.”​—Matthew 23:10.

8. Why could the early Christians not be properly called a sect?

⁸ True, members of the long-established Jewish sects disdainfully called the early Christians a sect (Greek: haiʹresis, denoting “a body of men separating themselves from others and following their own tenets”). (Acts 24:5; 28:22) But in his defense before Governor Felix, the apostle Paul rejected this misnomer, stating: “According to the way that they [his religious enemies] call a ‘sect,’ in this manner I am rendering sacred service to the God of my forefathers.” (Acts 24:14) In no way could Christians be called a sect, for they were following Jesus Christ, not any man. Further, they were certainly not an offshoot of one of the sects of Judaism that existed in the first century C.E.

No Sectarian Divisions

9, 10. (a) Why was Christianity not meant to break up into separate churches and sects? (b) What theories about the origins of Christianity are completely false?

⁹ Early Christianity was not a sect. Nor was it meant to break up into separate sects. In praying to his Father, Christ asked that his disciples might “all be one.” (John 17:21) His disciples were to ‘have love among themselves.’ (John 13:35) This excluded any divisive forming of sects.

¹⁰ That fact gives the lie to theories expounded by many historians and theologians concerning different types of Christianity. They speak of “Jewish Christianity” (supposedly defended by James, Peter and John) as opposed to “Gentile Christianity” (said to be defended by Paul). They refer to “Johannine [John’s] theology” and “Pauline [Paul’s] theology,” claiming that Christianity would never have spread worldwide if Paul had not completely transformed it. Such theories are set forth by men who either have no faith in Christianity or accept as normal Christendom’s being divided into hundreds of churches and sects.

11. (a) What scriptures prove that Paul did not invent the idea of Christianity’s spreading to the non-Jews? (b) Did Paul approve of divisive sects? (c) What incident illustrates the unity of Paul and his fellow workers?

¹¹ The facts are quite different. Before Paul ever became a Christian, Jesus Christ commissioned His disciples to be His witnesses in all the nations. (Matthew 28:19, 20; Acts 1:8) Paul himself fought against any tendency to follow men, and stated: “There should not be divisions among you.” (1 Corinthians 1:10-15; 3:3-5) So it is quite futile to claim that Paul had a different conception of Christianity than did James, Peter and John. They were all united in the work of spreading the good news. On one occasion, probably at the time of the council on circumcision held in Jerusalem in 49 C.E., the four of them cooperated fully with regard to the dividing up of the preaching field.​—Galatians 2:7-9.

Warnings Against Disunity

12. Was there any abiding hostility between Paul and Peter?

¹² Naturally, being imperfect humans, the early Christians​—even some shouldering weighty congregational responsibility—​had their differences. In Syrian Antioch, Paul put Peter straight on a certain point. (Galatians 2:11-14) But did Peter go off and form a separate sect, as if he were not in agreement with so-called Pauline Christianity? Not at all, for years later, in about 64 C.E., he spoke of Paul in loving terms.​—2 Peter 3:15, 16.

13, 14. (a) How did Paul classify “divisions” and “sects”? (b) According to Paul, what should be done with sect promoters?

¹³ Under divine inspiration Paul listed “divisions” and “sects” among “the works of the flesh.” He wrote: “Now the works of the flesh are manifest, and they are fornication, uncleanness, loose conduct, idolatry, practice of spiritism, enmities, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, contentions, divisions, sects . . . Those who practice such things will not inherit God’s kingdom.”​—Galatians 5:19-21.

¹⁴ Since those who cause “divisions” and “sects” “will not inherit God’s kingdom,” they cannot be tolerated within the true Christian congregation. Therefore, Paul wrote to Titus: “Shun foolish questionings and genealogies and strife and fights over the Law, for they are unprofitable and futile. As for a man that promotes a sect, reject him after a first and a second admonition; knowing that such a man has been turned out of the way and is sinning, he being self-condemned.”​—Titus 3:9-11.

Unity of Belief

15, 16. (a) Why is there no room for different schools of thought within the Christian congregation, and what does Paul say on this? (b) Does this mean that a Christian should not use his thinking abilities? (c) What do Peter, Jude and Paul say about the danger of doubt and being misled from the truth?

¹⁵ From all the foregoing it is evident that true Christianity cannot be divided into denominations and sects. There cannot even be coexistent tendencies or schools of thought within the Christian congregation. Paul wrote to the Corinthians: “Now I exhort you, brothers, through the name of our Lord Jesus Christ that you should all speak in agreement, and that there should not be divisions among you, but that you may be fitly united in the same mind and in the same line of thought.”​—1 Corinthians 1:10.

¹⁶ This does not mean that the true Christian witness of Jehovah cannot use his thinking abilities. The apostle Peter urged the use of “clear thinking faculties” in refuting “ridiculers” who would show up “in the last days” and deny the “presence” of Christ. (2 Peter 3:1-4) In his letter, Jude speaks of “some that have doubts.” (Jude 22) But neither Peter nor Jude says that a Christian can remain a ridiculer or a doubter. Peter tells us to ‘be on our guard’ against “unsteady” ones who ‘twist the Scriptures.’ (2 Peter 3:16, 17) And Jude states that the doubters are in danger and need to be ‘snatched out of the fire.’ (Jude 23) Those who have been misled from the truth need to be helped “with mildness,” in the hope that “they may come back to their proper senses out from the snare of the Devil.”​—2 Timothy 2:23-26.

17. In what way will the true Christian use his thinking faculties, and what will he earnestly endeavor to do?

¹⁷ The true Christian uses his “clear thinking faculties” in a humble way. Paul writes: “I . . . entreat you to walk worthily of the calling with which you were called, with complete lowliness of mind and mildness, with long-suffering, putting up with one another in love, earnestly endeavoring to observe the oneness of the spirit in the uniting bond of peace. One body there is, and one spirit, even as you were called in the one hope to which you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all persons, who is over all and through all and in all.”​—Ephesians 4:1-6.

How Unity Is Attained and Maintained

18. What is meant by the expressions (a) “one God”? (b) “one Lord”? (c) “one spirit”? (d) What is Christianity’s one written guide?

¹⁸ Paul spoke of “one God . . . who is over all.” Or, as Moses put it: “Jehovah our God is one Jehovah.” (Deuteronomy 6:4) That fundamental truth has never changed. It is the key factor of Christian unity. There is one God and one acceptable way of worshiping him, “with spirit and truth.” (John 4:23, 24) The “one Lord” is Jesus Christ, “the head of the body, the congregation.” (Colossians 1:18) “One spirit” denotes the unifying active force of Jehovah. Jesus told his disciples: “The helper, the holy spirit, which the Father will send in my name, that one will teach you all things and bring back to your minds all the things I told you. I leave you peace, I give you my peace.” (John 14:26, 27) The ‘things brought back to their minds’ were written down in the Christian Greek Scriptures. These, together with the Hebrew Scriptures, make up the Bible, true Christianity’s one written guide.

19. What is the “one body,” and who has been appointed to provide the same spiritual food for all its members?

¹⁹ “One body” is the Christian congregation, of which Jesus is the “head.” (Ephesians 1:22, 23) The individual anointed members of this united congregation would all receive the same spiritual food. To that end, their “master” appointed a collective “faithful steward” class, the body of anointed Christians on the earth since Pentecost 33 C.E. Since the “master” found the remaining ones of this body faithfully and discreetly giving out “food supplies” when he arrived for inspection in 1919, he appointed them “over all his belongings.” (Luke 12:42-44) The facts show that since 1919 this “steward” has faithfully cared for these “belongings.”

20. (a) At Isaiah 65:11, 13, what contrast is made between God’s people and religious apostates? (b) What has contributed greatly to the unity of Jehovah’s people?

²⁰ The clergy of the numerous churches and sects of Christendom were not found to be distributing proper spiritual “food supplies” to Christ’s “body of attendants.” Therefore, these clerics and their flocks are spiritually “hungry.” (Isaiah 65:11, 13) On the other hand, the “faithful steward” has kept up an abundance of “food supplies at the proper time” for individual anointed Christians, and, since 1935, for a growing “great crowd” of “other sheep.” (Revelation 7:9, 10; John 10:16) Regardless of language or geographical location, all these witnesses of Jehovah follow the same worldwide study program based on God’s Word. This has done much to promote unity among them and to maintain it.