Why would Branch Davidians be a cult but not Scientology?
2006-08-11 09:08:04 · 7 answers · asked by butnozzle 2 in Politics & Government ➔ Government
They legally cannot make those kind of distinctions.
Under the Free Exercise clause of the Constitution, the government is not allowed to determine the validity of any religious or spiritual belief. So, they can't say one religion is valid but another is just a cult.
However, that doesn't stop prosecutions for neutral laws like kidnapping, assault, child abuse, and many other things that are done in the name of some so-called religions.
2006-08-11 09:24:30 · answer #1 · answered by coragryph 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
From the perspective of the government:
every religion is legitimate (first amendment) literally hundreds of supreme court cases allow the belief of just about anything. One group that worship's "monday night football" is legally devoid of tax repurcussions under the first amendment. The only non-protected group is athiests and that is being worked on in the court system as we speak.
There is no gov't definition of a cult.
Many individuals define a cult as a religion that is not the one that is accepted as the truth. This is perspective only.
Since all religions require faith/supernatural belief and faith is defined as accepting an idea without evidence, all religions are basically cults, since they ignore by definition the truth.
Cult = Religion = Faith = belief without evidence = non-truth.
Truth = Evidence supported by testable repeatable data.
2006-08-11 19:22:06 · answer #2 · answered by jjttkbford 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You can be assurred the government ARE watching all cults and their purported membership even more now (post 9/11) than before. As for Scientology, it may come down to their doling out the big $$$$ to the right people to stay off that list.
2006-08-11 16:11:50 · answer #3 · answered by Mr. Wizard 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Scientology is sly they use popular culture to promote their cult much like religions of earlier times
2006-08-11 16:32:10 · answer #4 · answered by HEY boo boo 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Cult:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cult
Religion:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion
2006-08-11 16:39:09 · answer #5 · answered by AdamKadmon 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
what about any religion? i see any organized religion as a cult... christians, jews, muslims... all cult members of an organization that bleeds money from you and tells you lie after lie. thats a cult.
2006-08-11 16:30:03 · answer #6 · answered by Bodhi 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
yes they know one when they see one
2006-08-11 16:11:09 · answer #7 · answered by idontkno 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋