Redeem, respect, redemption, repentance, sect, sectarian, sacerdotal

Definitions and Meanings

ver.: 24 March 2008 xml

redeem and redemption, repentance, respect,
sacerdotal, sect and sectarian.

What Is Redemption, and to Redeem?

redeem and redemption [< Latin redimere (to redeem) < emere (to buy)] To recover ownership by way of payment; to buy back. Related words are to reclaim, restore, win back, retrieve, and pay off.

In religion, it means to make good on the price of the consequences of crime, sin, or error, and thus to make the person free from the captivity or cost that is the penalty for the crime. In Christianity, it is a primary way to describe what Jesus has done -- his death was the price of our sin, releasing us from sin's captivity. There are other ways to describe it, but the legal image described here catches an essential facet of what Christ did.

You can also check the dictionary.

What is Repentance?

repentance [ < Latin re- (again) + paenitêre (to repent)] A change of mind, a reorientation of one's thought and action away from what it was before.

For a Christian, repentance involves both being truly sorry for the wrongs we've done and trusting Jesus that he completely forgives you for those wrongs. Because we keep doing wrong throughout our life, the task of repentance is lifelong. If you stand there too proud to admit to wrongs (or worse, proud of doing them), then there is no way to relate to God. You have not turned against your wrongdoings, and you do not really believe in Christ. It is more than just a positive change of attitude and behavior. In repentance, you realize that your wrongdoing was wrong; you not only turn away from it, you turn against it, and you change your behavior in a way that reflects this turn away. (This is why it is so important that you call it "sin".)

For a believer, repentance is a return to their baptism, a return to what was started at that time.

Also, see repentance as part of reconciliation.

You can also check the dictionary for 'repentance'.

What Is Respect ?

respect. [< Latin re- (back, again) + specere (to look)] to look back at or refer back to > to be worth looking back at or returning to > to be worthy of special attention > to be esteemed.

Thus, as a noun, respect is the quality of being held to be of high value or esteem. The term is usually used for finding high value in the lasting elements of someone's good character or excellence in a task. You act differently with people you respect; you heed, pay attention, or listen to them, and try to be more like them. If that respect is very high, you honor, regard, and even pay homage to them (in the modern sense of homage, rather than the rather pricy ancient sense).

You can also check for 'respect' in the dictionary.

What Is Sacerdotal ?

sacerdotal [< Latin sacerdotalis (priestly)] Priestly. It also describes ideas which stress how important a priest is.

"Sacerdotalism" is the belief, in any religion, that a priest has been given the special authority to act as a mediator between God and humans. In Protestant Christianity, there are no go-betweens, because each believer has the Holy Spirit in them. The Holy Spirit brings Christ to them, so the connection is already there. Thus, in some sense, all believers can be go-betweens for themselves and each other. A 'minister' is a servant and teacher of the faith; while they're not mediators more than anyone else, they do have special *responsibility* to tend to the spirits of the whole body of believers, and God gives the gifts needed for carrying out that responsibility. The Roman Catholic tradition has 'priests'; they are not supposed to be seen as better or more Godly than others, but their role in the sacraments of the church give them a go-between's role, as representatives of the Church (Christ's body on earth) and thus of Christ. This is especially noticeable in confession, Eucharist, and last rites.

You can also check the dictionary.

What Is A Sect ?

Sect : it sounds like dissect and section, and it should, because it comes from the same Latin root word, meaning 'to cut into parts'.

A sect, in its more general sense, is a a group that broke off of (or was thrown out of) another larger group for some specific reason. Such groups are usually small, but that's not always the case. Anglicans were a Roman Catholic sect, Methodists were an Anglican sect, Nazarenes were a Methodist sect. Christianity was a Jewish sect. The term should not be used after the group has established its own clear identity and place as a part of society over time. When that has happened, their place is not based on the matters of a split or separation. Thus the above examples were sects, but no longer are. The act of splitting off almost always involves turmoil, and sometimes blood can be shed even among the most peaceable and well-meaning groups. Thus, there is no such thing as 'safe sects'.

In the social sciences, the term 'sect' has a more specific meaning. It's applied to a group that rejects the established social order to form its own community built upon specific principles or persons. This, too, can be dangerous for all. But a sect of either kind may have benefits for the society, if it can remain relatively peaceable. Ernst Troeltsch wrote that sects could lead the overall religious community (which in this way of speaking is called 'church') into change and renewal; the sect can be a *witness* for a faithfully different way to live.

You can also check the dictionary.

'Sectarian' means that the matter is of concern mostly to those who are either part of the sect or of the group it split from. To others, a 'sectarian' matter can be unimportant, weird, puzzling, or scary.