sect-n; 3 Senses

Sense Number 1: a denomination within a larger religion

Commentary: SECT[+group][+social][+religious][+denomination]
NOTE: does not imply a pejorative or radical connotation

Examples:
As a Protestant, Mary was raised in the Presbyterian sect.
They grew up in an Amish sect in southeastern Pennsylvania.

Mappings:
WordNet 3.0 Sense Numbers: 1

Sense Number 2: a dissenting splinter group of a religion

Commentary: SECT[+group][+social][+religious][+splinter][+dissenting]
NOTE: viewed as radical or heretical by the original related religion

Examples:
They had their son deprogrammed after he joined a communal religious sect in Oregon.
Members of the Branch Davidian sect in Waco, Texas barricaded themselves in a compound.
His sect has been condemned by a number of senior Islamic mullahs.

Mappings:
WordNet 3.0 Sense Numbers: 2

Sense Number 3: an ideological group with non-mainstream, radical views

Commentary: SECT[+group][+social][+ideological][+faction][+radical][+political/+philosophical]
NOTE: related to sense 2, but does not imply splintering from a specific larger group

Examples:
Greenpeace is regarded as a radical environmental sect by many.
A nihilist sect in Tokyo deployed toxins in the subway system.

Mappings:
WordNet 3.0 Sense Numbers: 2