Catholicism (cult or religion)? Why?

Answer 1

I'll take your question as more than just an anti-Catholic troll. Catholicism is neither a religion nor a cult. It is the modern descendent of an old sect within the broader religion of Christianity.

Cults share much in common with religions, including spirituality, belief in the supernatural, cliquishness, tithing, rituals, evangelism, prescriptions for how to live, amassing wealth and power, etc. Sometimes it's helpful to compare cults and religions to see what is wrong with religion (or what is harmless about a cult). But cults typically add a few layers of mind control, corruption, deception, and isolation of members from families and from the wider society that are not part of the official dogma of religions.

Some of it is in the eye of the beholder. Some, a matter of degree. A cult is typically a fringe group with beliefs out of the mainstream. Any group that is mainstream, by definition, is not fringe. If there were only 10,000 Catholics in the world and the rest of the planet were Zen Buddhists, or if they were still conducting the Inquisition in Spain, maybe you could call it a cult. But not as is.

I'm fine if you want to call Catholicism a cult, if that's your agenda. You may not want to do that in front of a sincere, devout practitioner -- that's rude. And if everyone starts doing it we have to invent a new word for real cults so people will know what we're referring to.

Answer 2

s_an_dubois 2 above is right.

A CULT is the form and practice of a religion and a religion is those things which bind people in a collective to a specific God. A SECT is a non-normative variation of a CULT that is within the framework of the CULT.

So Catholicism is a CULT. Though in common English we tend to use "religion" to mean cult and cult to mean a non-normative religion.

As a side note CULTURE is the is the forms and practices of a society and society is those things which bind a group of people together as a collective.

Answer 3

The term "Catholic" simply means the Universal Body of Christ. All believers are technically "catholic." But in regards to Rome, Roman Catholicism has seen many changes over the millenia. Rome changed from a humble church started by SS. Peter and Paul, to a worldwide phenomena. Rome is not a cult per se, it is founded upon the "catholic" foundations of Christianity and are successors to Peter, but doctrine has erred from orthodox faith and they have had dark times when the light of Christ wasnt shown through them; but theyre faith is one that will bring them into a closer walk with Christ, but you must sort out the newer inventions of Maryology which tend to focus too much on Mary and her role in the church.

Answer 4

It is a Christian religion, the one from which all other Christian denominations eventually split. Catholics believe in God as Trinity, in Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, baptism, the Bible as Divine Revelation, and all other general Christian beliefs ("general" because specific denominations do hold different beliefs about other things, just not these aspects). Certain groups (ex. Nestorians, Arians) broke off in the early days, later on Anglicans, then Lutherans, and others after that, as well as much splitting within each of the new denominations.

Answer 5

All religions are cults in a way.

Why: Just think about it. It's creaty by society. Most control your life and not always for the better. I can have my own beliefs without going to church or being any particular religion.

Answer 6

Catholicism is a religion. More specifically it is the oldest & largest denomination of the Christian religion.

Answer 7

Cult. It does not recognize the Deity of Christ as the High Priest, therefore eliminating the need for a Priest - they bow and worship to icons which is an idolatry, they believe Mary is the purveyor of prayers to Christ - she's just a woman chosen of God to do a wonderful act of obedience; they were established as a political alliance to keep peace between the Jews and the Romans, not as a Christian fellowship - (Christ-centered believing fellowship that He established as the Church) - and it is a religion - as Christianity is not - it is a faith and personal relationship with Jesus Christ the only begotten son of God. Many people who claim Christianity are actually claiming the religion of it and not the Truth of it. It makes it very hard for those who do claim to be Christ-following in faith, as they are a whole different person than those of organized, program-oriented religions. They believe in alternative means to heaven but there is only one way and that is Jesus Christ and Him alone. They believe they are to pick up the physical sword to convert "heathens"; but Christ made it clear that His followers would not need to declare wars and rumors of wars. They deny that God is a God of justice and is only a God of love and peace and joy. This is heresy as Christ himself says that God is a vengeful God for those who do not believe in his Son. There are many other reasons, but this ought to be more than enough to fill my mailbox with hate mail! and to give you some clear answers.

Answer 8

If you really want to get into it all religion in, any form, Catholicism, Christianity, Hindu, Buddhists, Islam, paganism, ext. are cults by definition . In The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition, the 1st definition for cult is a religious sect considered to be extremist.
cult n.
1.
a.A religion or religious sect generally considered to be extremist or false, with its followers often living in an unconventional manner under the guidance of an authoritarian, charismatic leader.
b.The followers of such a religion or sect.
2.A system or community of religious worship and ritual.
3.The formal means of expressing religious reverence; religious ceremony and ritual.
4.A usually nonscientific method or regimen claimed by its originator to have exclusive or exceptional power in curing a particular disease.
5.
a.Obsessive, especially faddish, devotion to or veneration for a person, principle, or thing.
b.The object of such devotion.
6.An exclusive group of persons sharing an esoteric, usually artistic or intellectual interest.
The work cult comes from the Latin word cultus which means worship.

(Latin cultus, worship, from past participle of colere, to cultivate. See kwel-1 in Indo-European Roots)

In the Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc. the 1st & last definitions for cult has to do with religion:
n 1: adherents of an exclusive system of religious beliefs and practices 2: an interest followed with exaggerated zeal; "he always follows the latest fads"; "it was all the rage that season" [syn: fad, craze, furor, furore, rage] 3: a system of religious beliefs and rituals; "devoted to the cultus of the Blessed Virgin" [syn: cultus, religious cult]

I think what keeps religious people from being in the ever popular “space ships will come and save us cult” is what their commonsense tells them. It, normally, gives people guidance in regards to what part need to be taken with a grain of salt.

Answer 9

Any religion that takes young children and frightens them with scary lies about a judgmental god that would allow them to go to a Place called hell where they would burn forever is a cult. They are lucky God is not the judgmental freak they make him out to be.

Answer 10

It is a religion handed on to Saint Peter and the apostles after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It has been continually handed down to the successor of Saint Peter (the Pope's) to this very day.