What is the difference between a religion and a cult?

Question

I know, a religion owns more real estate. Aside from that fact what is the difference?

Answer 1

Trick question. There is none.

"Cults" are just defined as such by the people who aren't in that particular one. They're really all just cults, with various degrees of "respectability" based on how long they've been around and how many members they've got.

Answer 2

A cult used to be a term for any religious practice devoted to the worship of a specific deity: like there were cults of Isis or Dyonisos back in classical times. It wasn't a derogatory term. For the most part, these days, any religion that another religion with more clout doesn't like gets called a cult. But this is not true, obviously. Here is a list of criteria for cult hood:
http://www.neopagan.net/ABCDEF.html
Any group that scores high on a lot of these categories could be considered a cult.

And about the real estate thing- some cults own entire cities.

Answer 3

A cult is usually defined as 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", is also often considered as a "obsessive, especially faddish, devotion to or veneration for a person, principle, or thing". It is also characterized for being "young in years of existence" and having usually "only relatively few followers".
A religion in change is defined as a "personal or institutionalized system grounded in the belief, worship and reverence for a supernatural power or powers regarded as creator and governor of the universe". It also has a "set of beliefs, values, and practices based on the teachings of a spiritual leader". Religions are usually "ancient or very old in years" and have "millions of followers".

Therefore, a religion is not necessarily a cult, but a cult is always a religion. Being a cult a religion usually characterized by radicalism, oddness, obsession, short number of years, small number of followers and guidance by a founder who almost all the times tend to be authoritarian. Another particularity is that in cults, you found that in many cases the cult-followers worship the founder as God himself.

About the comments (with bad ratings) :( I don't know why some people think that Jehova's Witnesses and Mormons are cults. They comply with every requisite to be religions and not to be considered cults. Besides, I used the words "usually" and "relatively" referrering to the small number of followers. You can't put in the same category the "Mormon Church" and the "Cult of the Followers of the Purple Rose"!
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Answer 4

There are certain things to look for if you want to determine if a religious group is a cult. A cult may have the following characteristics:

1) A charismatic leader who is presumed to have ultimate knowledge.

2) A black-and-white view of the world, with a very sharp divide between good and evil and nothing in between.

3) Members are taught that there is a big, irreconcilable difference between members of the group and people on the outside.

4) Members are discouraged from having any contact with people outside the group, except to proselytize.

5) Members are told just to accept the group's teachings, and not ask challenging questions or figure it out for themselves.

Answer 5

http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/4532

A cult is usually defined as 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", is also often considered as a "obsessive, especially faddish, devotion to or veneration for a person, principle, or thing". It is also characterized for being "young in years of existence" and having usually "only relatively few followers".

A religion in change is defined as a "personal or institutionalized system grounded in the belief, worship and reverence for a supernatural power or powers regarded as creator and governor of the universe". It also has a "set of beliefs, values, and practices based on the teachings of a spiritual leader". Religions are usually "ancient or very old in years" and have "millions of followers".

Therefore, a religion is not necessarily a cult, but a cult is always a religion. Being a cult a religion usually characterized by radicalism, oddness, obsession, short number of years, small number of followers and guidance by a founder who almost all the times tend to be authoritarian. Another particularity is that in cults, you found that in many cases the cult-followers worship the founder as God himself.

Answer 6

The difference between a cult and a religion is the holy trinity.

Money, believers, and power.


.

Answer 7

Cults involve a certain amount of brainwashing (on a deeper level than your average religion) of their followers. As I said in my last posting, I doubt you could convince many Christian men to cut off their testicles like Bo and Peep convinced the followers of the Hail Bop Comet. Also, cults tend to end in mass suicide of all their members, whereas religions do not (or the religion would no longer exist).

)O(

Answer 8

According to Mirriam-Webster Online Dictionary, the biggest difference seems to be the size of the group. According to most people I know, a cult worships a man, a religion worships God (however they may interpret him).

Answer 9

Not sure what the Standard Book of Hoyle might have to say on the subject...

...but in my opinion, cults always seem to end in some weird ritual suicide, or end up being engulfed in a horrific building fire after a shootout with the Feds.

Answer 10

Typically a cult will attempt to isolate you from your family and friends. They will tell you that having relationships outside the cult is not healthy. Most religions don't do that. If they do then they are leaning towards culthood.

Answer 11

There is no difference... because at the heart of both, they deny God and rebel against Him...

Remember reading about the people who were always trying to give Jesus the blues....it wasn't the prostitue, or the wine-o, or even the theif... it was the leaders of religeon... The religeous leaders..

Jesus was called, the friend of sinners... why? because he kicked it with the bad folk... the screw ups... the people who knew that there was something wrong inside them...

Jesus said the sick have need of a doctor, not the well.. That is why he was casting out demons, and proving by His works that He came from God.... there has never been a man past or present that has done the works that He did... and how could an evil man even think to help people the way Jesus did...

Jesus is not for religeon or cults... He is for each of us having a RELATIONSHIP with Him, in truth... and what is truth..?

The Holy Bible.... every word is pure, and holy, and right..

later