Religion vs sect
A religion is something you are entitled to embrace or refuse, and are free to leave if you decide that it is not fulfilling your spiritual needs.
A religion does not lock you in, does not pester you to come to service, does not stop you at the door if you do not contribute, does not incite you to abandon friends and family, nor does it stalk/harass you once you have decided to leave.
A religion is a spiritual matter and, as thus, can simply not "force" people into following it. Any priest/pastor/mullah worth his salt knows that.
Given this definition, if your "religion" demands that you hand over a significant part of your monthly salary, and especially if you are threatened with banishment if you do not comply, then you are in a sect.
If your "priest" continuously demonstrates to you that what you think you know about the real world is wrong, you are in a sect.
If your "community" repeatedly denigrates your relations/family and tells you to get rid of them, you are in a sect.
If your only goal in life is to live for the community, then it's too late, you've been brainwashed.
In short, a religion lets you live your life and enhances it with spiritual guidance, a sect destroys your life and, instead of guiding you, imposes its rules on you for the worse.