What makes a cult different from a religion?
552352
A cult is a religion that is said to be unorthodox or that emphasizes devotion according to prescribed ritual. Many cults follow a living human leader, and often their adherents live in groups apart from the rest of society.
1069436
Yes, except they don't blow up people.  They just manipulate through their lovely cult to bring about their own wayward way of thinking.
1094799
do you mean if many believe something does that make it a religion? \n\ni'll answer that question because i'm not sure what it is you're looking for. \n\nsimply, no. i and many others believe that evolution occurred. that doesn't make it a religion. also, just because a religion has a lot of followers doesn't make it moral or true.
650613
It's not a religion.  It refers to the type of governance the church uses.  Congregational means the the local church chooses its leadership.  Ecclesiastical is like the Catholics who have a central leadership.
935693
by brainwashing at least 100 people that can spread your word and brainwash another 100 each for you original group and so-on, till you have enough people that your to large to be called a cult\n\n\na friend of mine once said,   if one person were to worship a potatoe as god he'd be considered crazy.   if you have a 1000 people worship the potatoe you have a cult.   if you have a million people now you got a religion
368354
historically, christianity has more blood on its hands than any other cult group.\n\ngo figure!
526311
"Religion is commonly defined as a group of beliefs concerning the supernatural, sacred, or divine, and the moral codes, practices, values, institutions, and rituals associated with such belief." \n\nScience can be your religion if you want it to be. Not all religions believe in a God, it is more about a life style. Religion is something you hold great truth to. It is the most important thing in your life. It is what you live for. That is the way I understand it anyway.
1042021
A cult does not have to be negative. All a cult is, is a small out-of-the-mainstream religious practice. \n\nScientology could be referred to as a Cult, as it is not a maon stream religion, and does not follow any of the ones that are. Also, for the people that follow religions, Scientologies number is small. \n\nYes its controversial. It offers many points that most people find hard to believe, or accept, and it questions most of the larger religions, so its going to be hard to sustain it  into popularity.
426277
Myths, legend, folklore, superstitions, rituals and ceremony are all precursors to religion. It's been around since the very dawning of mankind. Doctrine, dogma and cannon are all attempts by man to manipulate others through brainwashing. they invented a 'higher authority' to justify their craving for power, wealth and empire building.
853259
I would argue that even athism is a 'religion' -- a set of beliefs that guides their actions, and are no less miltant than most other sects of 'believers'.   I think that our 'religiosity' is ingrained, we seek to make sense of our world (even if it's: the world makes no sense), it gives us a kind of security.
882049
well first you have to know the difference and the difference is\n\nThere are many definitions of religion, and most have struggled to avoid an overly sharp definition on the one hand, and meaningless generalities on the other. Some have tried to use formalistic, doctrinal definitions and others have tried to use experiential, emotive, intuitive, valuational and ethical factors.\n\nSociologists and anthropologists see religion as an abstract set of ideas, values, or experiences developed as part of a cultural matrix. Primitive religion was indistinguishable from the sociocultural acts where custom and ritual defined an emotional reality.\n\nOther religious scholars have put forward a definition of religion that avoids the reductionism of the various sociological and psychological disciplines that relegate religion to its component factors. Religion may be defined as the presence of a belief in the sacred or the holy. For example Rudolf Otto's "The Idea of the Holy," formulated in 1917, defines the essence of religious awareness as awe, a unique blend of fear and fascination before the divine. Friedrich Schleiermacher in the late 18th century defined religion as a "feeling of absolute dependence."\n\nThe Encyclopedia of Religion describes religion in the following way:\n\n    "In summary, it may be said that almost every known culture involves the religious in the above sense of a depth dimension in cultural experiences at all levels — a push, whether ill-defined or conscious, toward some sort of ultimacy and transcendence that will provide norms and power for the rest of life. When more or less distinct patterns of behaviour are built around this depth dimension in a culture, this structure constitutes religion in its historically recognizable form. Religion is the organization of life around the depth dimensions of experience — varied in form, completeness, and clarity in accordance with the environing culture."\n\n        (Winston King, Encyclopedia of Religion, p 7693)\n\n\nand the definition of a cult would be\n\n, a cult is a cohesive group of people (often a relatively small and recently founded religious movement) devoted to beliefs or practices that the surrounding culture or society considers to be far outside the mainstream. Its separate status may come about either due to its novel belief system, because of its idiosyncratic practices or because it opposes the interests of the mainstream culture. Other non-religious groups may also display cult-like characteristics.\n\nIn common usage, "cult" has a negative connotation, and is generally applied to a group by its opponents, for a variety of reasons. Understandably, most, if not all, groups that are called "cults" deny this label. Some anthropologists and sociologists studying cults have argued that no one yet has been able to define “cult” in a way that enables the term to identify only groups that have been claimed as problematic[citation needed].\n\nThe literal and traditional meanings of the word cult is derived from the Latin cultus, meaning "care" or "adoration", as "a system of religious belief or ritual; or: the body of adherents to same"32. In English, it remains neutral and a technical term within this context to refer to the "cult of Artemis at Ephesus" and the "cult figures" that accompanied it, or to "the importance of the Ave Maria in the cult of the Virgin." This usage is more fully explored in the entry Cult (religious practice).\n\nIn non-English European terms, the cognates of the English word "cult" are neutral, and refer mainly to divisions within a single faith, a case where English speakers might use the word "sect", as in "Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy and Protestantism are sects (or denominations) within Christianity". In French or Spanish, culte or culto simply means "worship"
413741
I was in a cult, awhile back. It was considered a church, and from all appearances, it seemed to be. They followed the Bible, they were very social, and at first, it was fun and I learned alot about the Bible. After several years, things got tougher, as the church "discovered new truth" and the atmosphere changed from seeking the truth in God's word to complete "CONTROL! We were watched, members reported to the ministry about what other members were doing, ( tattletaleing) There was alot going on, and it was not a feeling of God's love, and family, anymore. They disfellowshipped people because they asked questions, or were considered troublemakers. Then other members were not allowed to talk to them, and if they did, someone reported them to the ministers and they were disfellowshipped. \nThey then instituted a "biblical" no makeup for women rule, which made some of us want "proof" from the Bible, and it just wasn't there. At that point, this and having more and more control put on me, and questioning it, I was disfellowshipped..It was a Blessing in disguise! \nI kept in touch with many other former members of this church, and we helped each other in de-programming ourselves from this cult. We met for many years, privately, where we proved all things according to the Bible, and got out from a controlling situation. \nWhen I first got into this church, it was wonderful, but then when things changed, lots of members left, and lots got kicked out, but it was very traumatic for all of us, because we had been brainwashed into believing that we were losing our Salvation, and that made us fearful to leave. Of course, when a person is brainwashed, they don't know they are brainwashed! We all believed, at the time, that we were in the one and only "God's true church!"\nThe membership of this church, which still exists, has droppped over 75%. \nThis was a long time ago, and I won't ever forget it or the fear I had. I've grown Spiritually since that time, and I've not joined another church, as the lessons I've learned have been very valuable...and one of them is that I can worship Christ as a personal relationship, and that the "true Church of God" is made up of many people from all over the world, those who follow God. We don't have to go to a building, as the church is not a building.\nI too, have come back to life, and have never felt freer!
1152487
Christianity is a cult. All "we are right and they are wrong" religions are cults.
720681
A religion - that one firmly sticks to.\n\nA religieus community that helps one stick to the religion and one can depend on in times of trouble.\n\nA job (legally so not against the law) that one can make money with to buy food and clothing\n\nA house and some other possesions one has honestly paid for.
321592
A sect is just a group. There are, for example, many sects in Christianity: Baptists, Roman Catholics, Lutherans, etc. If you mean cult, then I would say that you should stay away from groups that: discourage active questioning and debate; are authoritarian and threaten you with hell or other terrible consequences for "disobedience"; strongly pressure you to isolate yourself from family, friends, and other groups; promote feelings of shame, guilt, and embarassment; encourage black and white, good versus evil thinking; are abusive in any way; just feel oppressive.
451656
I beg to differ with the first answerer. The masons are not associated with any cults they are simply a group of usually Christian religious men interested in community service.
328915
A cult is any group with a charismatic leader (living, dead, or even mythical) that emphasizes obedience or faith rather than honest unbiased inquiry.  This includes most religions and political organizations, as well as some professional sports.