What is a cult or a religion?

[mathinspiration]

What is different between a cult and a religion? Are cults false religions? Is all in your interpretation of what a cult is and religion is? Buddhists would considered a religion that is false is based on worship of gods or God yet if you need to worship one, go ahead. Would the Flying Spaghetti monster religion be considered a sect or cult or what?

 

[TuxAme]

Cult has a negative connotation, but it has nothing to do with its actual definition. It really just means a religious group. It's a cultural thing.

 

[FireDragon76]

Cult has a negative connotation, but it has nothing to do with its actual definition. It really just means a religious group. It's a cultural thing.

It's usually associated with highly authoritarian, controlling, and manipulative leadership styles. However, that connotation could apply to some Christian groups as well.

 

[Jane_Doe]

What is different between a cult and a religion? Are cults false religions? Is all in your interpretation of what a cult is and religion is? Buddhists would considered a religion that is false is based on worship of gods or God yet if you need to worship one, go ahead. Would the Flying Spaghetti monster religion be considered a sect or cult or what?

Here is the definition of "cult", per the Merriam-Webster Dictionary Definition of CULT

Definition of cult
1: a religion regarded as unorthodox or spurious (see spurious 2); also : its body of adherents

• the voodoo cult

• a satanic cult

2a : great devotion to a person, idea, object, movement, or work (such as a film or book)

• criticizing how the media promotes the cult of celebrity

; especially : such devotion regarded as a literary or intellectual fad b : the object of such devotion
c : a usually small group of people characterized by such devotion

• the singer's cult of fans

• The film has a cult following.

3: a system of religious beliefs and ritual; also : its body of adherents

• the cult of Apollo

4: formal religious veneration : worship
5: a system for the cure of disease based on dogma set forth by its promulgator

• health cults

As you can see, there's nothing in there about being "false" or not. Rather, it's a group of adherents following beliefs (religious or otherwise).

Personally, I find using the word "cult" to be very counter-productive, because 1) people so often misdefine it, 2) it's can be very offense (do you like being referred to as in the "cult of Christ"?-- that's silly and unnecessarily offensive). Hence, I steer completely clear of that word. There's much clearer words to communicate.

 

[Shadow]

What is different between a cult and a religion? Are cults false religions? Is all in your interpretation of what a cult is and religion is? Buddhists would considered a religion that is false is based on worship of gods or God yet if you need to worship one, go ahead. Would the Flying Spaghetti monster religion be considered a sect or cult or what?

Cults are often the very earliest stages of development of a Religion. It takes an extra-ordinary level of faith and commitment for a new religion to actually spread because of the risks and uncertainty involved. Most New religions focus on a single individual leader (e.g. Jesus, Muhammad, Buddha) and so loyalty to the faith is loyalty to a single individual's understanding of it. After a certain point when a religion has become more established and is "safer" from established religions it may begin to drop the Cult-ish aspects because they are no longer necessary. What defines a Cult I think is really the extreme nature of the behaviour involved which has a huge potential for abuse by demanding that they are all-encompassing in a person's life.

 

[Ironhold]

However, that connotation could apply to some Christian groups as well.

It's been my experience that every time someone has tried to redefine the word "cult" into a pejorative term against their theological opponents, their definition is such that it could just as easily be turned back against their own religious tradition or something else that they are a part of.

 

[ShamashUruk]

You could use similiar descriptions for cult and religion, but we should break it down a bit before we do.

We should look at the etymology I would think firstly and see if there is any differing considerations to be made between cult and religion.

cult (n.) 1610s, "worship," also "a particular form of worship," from French culte (17c.), from Latin cultus "care, labor; cultivation, culture; worship, reverence," originally "tended, cultivated," past participle of colere "to till" (see colony). Rare after 17c.; revived mid-19c. with reference to ancient or primitive rituals. Meaning "a devotion to a person or thing" is from 1829.

religion (n.) c. 1200, "state of life bound by monastic vows," also "conduct indicating a belief in a divine power," from Anglo-French religiun (11c.), Old French religion "piety, devotion; religious community," and directly from Latin religionem (nominative religio) "respect for what is sacred, reverence for the gods; conscientiousness, sense of right, moral obligation; fear of the gods; divine service, religious observance; a religion, a faith, a mode of worship, cult; sanctity, holiness," in Late Latin "monastic life" (5c.). According to Cicero derived from relegere "go through again" (in reading or in thought), from re- "again" (see re-) + legere "read" (see lecture (n.)). However, popular etymology among the later ancients (Servius, Lactantius, Augustine) and the interpretation of many modern writers connects it with religare "to bind fast" (see rely), via notion of "place an obligation on," or "bond between humans and gods." In that case, the re- would be intensive. Another possible origin is religiens "careful," opposite of negligens. In English, meaning "particular system of faith" is recorded from c. 1300; sense of "recognition of and allegiance in manner of life (perceived as justly due) to a higher, unseen power or powers" is from 1530s.

It would seem the term cult is coined much later than the term religion, both reserve a sense of worship, while religion renders a sort of piety to it, but I imagine cults do as well.

I would consider the ancient Israelite's a cult as well the cults of Uruk and Babylon.

Of course there is a pejorative outlook when it comes to the Abrahamic religions outlook on Non Abrahamic religious view points. I would think that the term cult has a negative connotation, not on its own of course. It would be how society of a particular country, state, so on determine their outlook on a cult and or a religion.

I personally do not divide a difference between a religion and cult, both in modern times can be tax exempt if they choose to serve a communal purpose, could be either considered a religion or a cult.

 

[Eloy Craft]

The word 'cult' has gotten a bad rap. I don't know when the word started getting attached to cults that were bad, had bad reputations. Some characteristics are common to the kinds of groups that do not help you find the good of God. They want control and power over their members. They have methods that isolate you from family and friends. Their relationship within the larger community is little or none. They have an 'us' versus 'them' mentality to people who aren't member. these are all ways of taking control of your life. A good religion will have programs to help the poor. They welcome other members of your family and friends. You are free to do what you want to do or not. non members aren't considered 'not us'

 

[ShamashUruk]

The word 'cult' has gotten a bad rap. I don't know when the word started getting attached to cults that were bad, had bad reputations. Some characteristics are common to the kinds of groups that do not help you find the good of God. They want control and power over their members. They have methods that isolate you from family and friends. Their relationship within the larger community is little or none. They have an 'us' versus 'them' mentality to people who aren't member. these are all ways of taking control of your life. A good religion will have programs to help the poor. They welcome other members of your family and friends. You are free to do what you want to do or not. non members aren't considered 'not us'

Interesting response, I won't conclude such cults as the cult of YHWH in ancient Israel. But, I see your point. I myself am a polytheist so I do not readily familiarize myself with Christian occultic activity, but I see the significance in it.