What is the difference between spirituality, religion, faith, and a cult?

Question

Spirituallity, religion, faith, and cult. I hear these four words used interchangeably, and wonder how you all would define the four, and how they are different from the other three.

Answer 1

Spirituality -- anything that has to do with the soul and understanding yourself and the universe.

Religion -- A set of doctrines based on a particular faith in a deity, set of deities, or a common principle.

Faith -- The belief in something that there is little or no evidence in.

Cult -- A religion that has few members to be considered a mainstream religion and/or is considered a religious oddity.

Answer 2

With respect to Christianity, spirituality could/would be defined as centering your faith around a personal relationship with Christ, whereas religion, while ostensibly having the same goal, does so by way of following often rigid rules of man-made dogma. For example, if you are a Methodist, then you worship God according to the Methodist system of belief and swear to uphold and defend the rules and regulations of the Methodist Church. Same for any other denomination. Spiritual Christians avoid the church dogma and simply seek Christ. Though they may attend a church, as I myself do, like myself, they do not actually join a church.

Faith is simply having belief in something, of whatever nature, spiritual or otherwise.

A cult is usually/always based on a spiritual belief with very rigid rules, thus religious, and usually involves a leader who is 'all knowing' and certainly 'all powerful' in the eyes of the cult members. They usually involve psychological coercement (brainwashing), employing techniques that break down one's ability to think rationally and lead their followers to believe that anyone outside of the cult is not to be trusted. It's really all about the power of the individual leader or leaders over the followers. And it can be VERY difficult to bring someone out of a cult, so strong and complete is the brainwashing.

It can be argued, and successfully so, that even some denominations or branches of the Christian church are in fact cults or at least cult-like. Most prominent among them would be the Mormon Church and Jehovah's Witnessess. Though they would argue, rather vehemently, otherwise. Please reference the previous paragraph.

Answer 3

Spirituality - Generally, an acceptance that there are experiences and considerations that transcend the "here and now" or the immediate.
Religion - The supernatural systems most people say they believe in.
Faith - Acceptance of the tenets of a religion, regardless of how absurd they would seem to a sane person from another religion.
Cult - Somebody else's religion.

Answer 4

Yes they are used interchangeably but I thank of a cult as groups like the KKK, Aryn Nation, Skin Heads, Nazi, White Supremacist and all the other hate group scum who should be scraped off the face of the Earth like bugs off a windshield. They are the scum of the Earth. Thank God the FBI and other law enforcement keep them under constant surveillance so they can do little more than run their filthy mouth. Did you hear about David Duke denying the holocaust to Iran? He needs to be stuck in one of those ovens. xx

Answer 5

2 fullyyt different questions. A cult is a team that denies that Jesus is who He reported He grew to become into. a faith is an prepared team that appropriates homes and spends a superb variety of time patting themselves on the decrease back for being people who comprehend what's robust. a non secular guy or woman is somebody who prays, and does works that they suspect to be ideal interior the eyes of a preferrred being mutually as attempting to be a stable chum with God, or interior the precis like interior the eastern peoples attempt to ideal improve in those factors they suspect to be stable for their spirit.

Answer 6

I would define it this way.

Cult: Any belief system that produces a high proportion of the absolutist mentality, like Islam for example.

Ive seen different definitions. But in my view, a cult is anything that can brainwash a person and make them blow themselves up, something people otherwise would never do.

Answer 7

spirituality is a relationship with spirit
religion is dogma to help you find enlightenment
faith is a belief that everything happens for a purpose and that it is good
cult is a sect of people that are controlled by the senior members often sexually and financially

these are the more pure definitions
often they are intermingled to confuse people
like in christianity they might say that faith is the belief that they are the only right religion....... this is a major flaw....

Answer 8

Spirituality is a close personal relationship with God. Usually with out the nonsense religion promotes.

As for the other part of your question.


Yours is always a religion or a faith.

The other guys is always a cult.

Love and blessings Don

Answer 9

Spiritual is to do and not see or have proof only going by faith. Nothing else matters. This world will end up as a spirit world as God intended. This is why his book is here.

Answer 10

Spirituality is the opposite of materialism. It is believing and seeking non material values.
Religion is a human organization. A club of people sharing some common beliefs.
Faith is believing in some facts without needing or seeking any scientific proof.
Cult is a bunch of rules and behaviors intended to please a divinity in order to obtain favors and avoid punishments.