Bug popular religious community (6)

I believe the answer is:

insect

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'bug' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'popular religious community' is the wordplay.
'popular' becomes 'in'.
'religious community' becomes 'sect' (I can't justify this - if you can you should believe this answer much more).
'in'+'sect'='INSECT'

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for insect that I've seen before include "Small air-breathing arthropod" , "Cricket perhaps" , "Perhaps nit" , "cricket, maybe" , "Bee or beetle, for example" .)

I've seen this clue in the Irish Times.

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