Is there any PROOF that all religions are not cults?

Question

Cults seem to be the theme tonight.

Answer 1

the definition of a cult is one that threatens punishment for non-belief and demands total commitment - you decide.

Answer 2

Religions are just largely recognized cults. There's not really any difference, but people have a negative opinion about cults for some reason. Maybe the think of the Jim Jones cult or something. Cults just get bad press, but they're just smaller religions really.

Definition of a cult from dictionary.com:

cult  /kʌlt/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[kuhlt] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–noun
1. a particular system of religious worship, esp. with reference to its rites and ceremonies.
2. an instance of great veneration of a person, ideal, or thing, esp. as manifested by a body of admirers: the physical fitness cult.
3. the object of such devotion.
4. a group or sect bound together by veneration of the same thing, person, ideal, etc.
5. Sociology. a group having a sacred ideology and a set of rites centering around their sacred symbols.
6. a religion or sect considered to be false, unorthodox, or extremist, with members often living outside of conventional society under the direction of a charismatic leader.
7. the members of such a religion or sect.
8. any system for treating human sickness that originated by a person usually claiming to have sole insight into the nature of disease, and that employs methods regarded as unorthodox or unscientific.

Answer 3

Personally, i define cults as a set of beliefs which has yet to be accepted by the mainstream. That is to say all religions started out as a cult. But they grew and become accepted by the society and became religions. This meaning, given enough time and believers, cults bwill eventually become religions

Answer 4

Dictionary
Cult
1 : formal religious veneration : WORSHIP
2 : a system of religious beliefs and ritual; also : its body of adherents
3 : a religion regarded as unorthodox or spurious; also : its body of adherents
4 : a system for the cure of disease based on dogma set forth by its promulgator
5 a : great devotion to a person, idea, object, movement, or work (as a film or book); 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

Most religions are not cults only the small ones are.
for the sake of argument lets say Any church with a present population under 10,000,000 (World Population: 6,000,000,000) and is not Internationally Organized with a Central Headquarters. so only the LDS Church (Pop:12,560,869) and the Catholic church (Pop:1,086,000,000) are actual religions according to these numbers.

Cults:Population
Jehovah's Witnesses: 6,600,000 (centralized: Brooklyn)
Baptists: 43 million (not centralized)

Answer 5

like I said to the last person Cult is just a vulgar word for a religious group.

every religion can be called a cult depending on who is doing the labeling.

Answer 6

EVERY one of the world's major religions started off as Cults, until society accepts it.

Christianity for example was considered a blaspheme of Judaism, Jesus was being hunted all the time.

Answer 7

Well, considering I have complete freedom within my religion to come and go as I please and when I please and considering they allow me to make my own decisions, however right or wrong they might be, and considering they don't try to control me in any way I would certainly not consider them a cult. My church leaders instruct me according to the Bible. It's up to me from there to choose to live it or not. If I choose to live in sin they don't turn me away because they know that the church is where I need to be to receive instruction on how to live a good and successful and Godly life. If I choose to live a holy life they accept me as well and use my faith and talents to help lead others to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. The amount of my participation is up to me.

Answer 8

Cult::: " A system of religious worship.
Obsessive and faddish devotion to a principle or person.
A group of persons sharing such devotions.

I AM

Answer 9

,,, They all really do seem to be a cult.. ( maybe not all of them are bad ) but yes it sure does seem that way..

Answer 10

Yes religion called HUMANITY