Identify and explain three reasons why memberships of sects may be short lived

1. It is hard to maintain commitment and fervour.

Finding those with enough commitment is hard to maintain especially after the 1st generation. This means a sect will either fade away or modify its beliefs to accommodate society.

2. The loss of charismatic leaders can lead to short lived sects.

Sects which are founded by single charismatic leaders lose members when they die. This is because they affect members so lose support and disappear once the leader dies. 

3. Religious diversity in postmodern societies.

Postmodern societies are fragmented which means peoples beliefs are purely personal. People can "pick and mix" different sects switch between them as they chose. These sects can be short lived as consumer tastes change. This is called spiritual shopping.

Answered by Rebecca P. Sociology tutor

16769 Views

See similar Sociology A Level tutors

Related Sociology A Level answers

All answers ▸

Explain the difficulties in measuring the extent of religiosity in society


Can you explain the Paul Willis' take on the education in 'Learning to Labour'?


Outline and explain 2 advantages of using unstructured interviews in sociological research


Examine the reasons for the rise in divorce rates (20 marks)


We're here to help

contact us iconContact usWhatsapp logoMessage us on Whatsapptelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo
Cookie Preferences