Why do a lot of peole call a religion a "cult" when they know very little about it?

Question

Why do people use word "cult" to denote any religion that they do not endorse? By labeling a group a cult, does it make make it easier for them to convince others that a particular group is somehow inferior or less moral than the spearker's religion?

Examples: People call certain denominations such as Jehova's Witnesses, Mormons, Amish or Mennonite etc. "cults" without even knowing the minimum about their religion. Do they call them "cults" because they know very little about them? Or because strive to live by their religious ideals? Please enlighten me.

Answer 1

One man's religion is another man's belly laugh - Robert Heinlein

Answer 2

Ever since the sixties, seventies, and into the eighties, when groups such as the Moonies (Unification church of Sun Myung Moon), the "Hare Krishnas", and other such groups, the word "CULT" brings this knee-jerk reaction of

"A CULT??? OMG!! Something should be done, before they take over!"

The Webster's dictionary defintion of a cult is pretty much any group that has some sort of object of reverence. But, today, it's pretty much come to mean "The church or group down the street that I don't like and don't believe, that I want others to fear and hate as much as I do".

Sometimes, these people who refer to these groups as "cults" DO know what they believe, but choose to stretch the truth, play up something as more sordid than it really is, or just outand out lie. Others just trust these people and refuse to find out for themselves what they believe. Mostly because they are told that the people of these "cults" will lie thru their teeth, and since they have no reason to doubt these liars, then these so-called "cultists" don't have a chance.

Answer 3

I think people call others Cultists to make themselves feel better. In the Bible we read of many Religions other than Christian that are referred to as Religions, not cults. Also NO ONE likes feeling one upped or wrong. So when someone sees someone of a different faith following it well it can be uncomfortable, but once you throw a slur on the group you can live happily thinking they are wrong.

PLUS as shown by an above poster there are those who simply take the word of someone else as Gospel as it is easier to quote the opinions of others than form ones for ourselves. Carm seems to be a favorite. It is the opinion of 1 or more men. Not the opinion of the Bible. Wouldn't that mean that those who follow the words of these people, without necessarily verifying, cultists?????

Answer 4

I think that cult has become a word that is tossed around in our culture. For most people, I think, they use the term to apply to religions or groups that put certain restrictions on their members, such as cutting off contact with those not in the group (including family and friends), giving all your money/possessions to the group, shunning/cutting off contact with those who break the rules of the group. I think groups that isolate themselves tend to be viewed as cults whether or not they meet the official definition of cult.

Answer 5

Ignorance breeds insensitivity and people like to think they are right about the way they live their lives. There is good and bad in all religion and in most cases religions that are overcast by the shadow of mass relgion are made out to be worse than others. Usually when someone is adamant about religious ideals its because they were raised and unfortunately brainwashed to think one way and one way only. They are given a set of distinct rules and those rules will get them into heaven or so they think. Its a very simple programming that many people live by, if you follow the rules you're rewarded, if you question them you are evil. Its sad but true.

Answer 6

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.

Sounds to me like all religions would satisfy at least some of the definitions of a cult.

Answer 7

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

Answer 8

we as Jehovah Witnesses are not a cult and we are not brainwashed as people keep saying we are. Jehovah gave us free will. we live and work just like you. a cult worships man and live together. sometimes they even die for the man. we cry and laugh just like you. people know nothing about us. we worship Jehovah and Jesus Christ. people keep saying we don't worship Jesus but with Jehovah God his Father, there would never be Jesus Christ. we have a book about the life of the Greatest Man that Ever lived about the life of Jesus Christ. if we did not believe in him we would never have a book of Jesus. on April 2 2007 at seven thirty at night all around the world in 236 lands we will be celebrating Jesus Christ memorial (his death) since Jesus died on Nisan 14 and he told us to celebrate his death not his birth and since he was not born on DEC 25 because the Shepard's where out in the field we do not celebrate it

Answer 9

Technically, all religions in which people gather together to worship or practice religious rituals are cults. The simple act of praying together in a group is a religious ritual and would technically be a cult.

Answer 10

Actually to a certain extent I do think religion is a cult. It feeds a certain set of criteria to the followers and expects them to follow it no questions asked. It is a tool of control. I've been there done that - ex-christian who is now agnostic.

Answer 11

Mormons and JWs are in fact cults. They are highly regimental and essentially cloistered groups that deny the basic tenets of orthodox Christianity, especially the divinity of Christ, virgin birth, Christ's crucifixion, bodily resurrection of Christ, Trinitarian doctrine, and atonement for sins through Christ.

I do not label them "cults" flippantly as you imply by your question. After many years of study of the writings of these cults, I have found them to be philosophically indefensible, being internally incoherent or undermining human reason and experience.

And I am not alone in so stating these facts. Read what others have to say:

JW:
http://www.carm.org/witnesses.htm
http://www.bible.ca/trinity/trinity-Catholic.htm

Mormonism Summary:
http://www.carm.org/lds/nutshell.htm

Is Mormonism Christian?:
http://www.carm.org/lds/lds_christian.htm

Doctrinal Writings of Mormon Leaders:
http://www.carm.org/lds/lds_doctrines.htm

More Mormon related details for those wanting to go deeper:
http://www.carm.org/mormon.htm
http://www.lhvm.org/index2.htm
http://www.mormonchallenge.com/ref_compare.htm