What qualifies a group as a "cult"?

Question

In your mind, what makes a group of people a cult? Strong devotion? Then are the US's political parties cult-ish? Were the Nazis a cult?

Answer 1

Pick ANY religion and you found one.

Answer 2

According to the dictionary:
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.
–adjective 9. of or pertaining to a cult.
10. of, for, or attracting a small group of devotees: a cult movie.

Answer 3

If they ask for millions of dollars to get there so called teachings very much like scientology does.

Answer 4

whena church or religion has power over the people like when anyone is forced fto do anything or is punished. or if it is harder to get out than in

Answer 5

Mind control,brainwash, and if you can get in but not out.

Answer 6

I think you have to have a religious angle

Answer 7

American Citizenship............

..........OHHHHHH sorry I thought you said what qualifies as a CUN*?....