What's the difference between a religion and a cult?

Question

In my opinion,it's the name and popularity.Another thing that helps is if it's been around for a long time.And the old saying,"You need money to make money." makes me think of religion and the way they need followers to attract other followers to succeed.Some might say a cult leads people to death,but don't religions do that too?If you're not familiar with history,I can give many many wars carried out in the name of God.One more thing,I'm not an atheist.I am an agnostic that has the sense to know when and when not to take that Kierkegaardian leap of faith.

Answer 1

The term 'cult of Christianity' is used of a group, church or organization whose central teachings and/or practices are claimed to be biblical, but which are in fact unbiblical.

The term can also be applied to groups, organizations or churches whose statement of faith may sound orthodox, but who add aberrant, heterodox, sub-orthodox and/or heretical teachings to such an extend that the essential doctrines of the Christian faith are negatively affected.

It should be noted that in addition to aberrant, unorthodox, and/or heretical doctrines, many - but not all - religious cults also have excessive or abusive sociological characteristics (e.g. authoritarian leadership patterns, strict conformity requirements, manipulative controls, etc.)

"Central doctrines" of the Christian faith are those doctrines that make the Christian faith Christian and not something else.

The Christian faith is a definite system of beliefs with definite content (Jude 3). Certain Christian doctrines constitute the core of the faith.

Central doctrines include the Trinity, the deity of Christ, the bodily resurrection, the atoning work of Christ on the cross, and salvation by grace through faith. These doctrines so comprise the essence of the Christian faith that to remove any of them is to make the belief system non-Christian.
Scripture teaches that the beliefs mentioned above are of central importance (e.g., Matt. 28:19; John 8:24; 1 Cor. 15; Eph. 2:8-10).

Because these central doctrines define the character of Christianity, one cannot be saved and deny these.

Central doctrines should not be confused with peripheral issues, about which Christians may legitimately disagree. Peripheral (i.e. non-essential) doctrines include such issues as the timing of the tribulation, the method of baptism, or the structure of church government. For example, one can be wrong about the identity of "the spirits in prison" 1 Peter 3:19) or about the timing of the rapture and still go to heaven, but one cannot deny salvation by grace or the deity of Christ (John 8:24) and be saved.

All Christian denominations — whether Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, or Protestant — agree on the essential core. The relatively minor disagreements between genuinely Christian denominations, then, cannot be used to argue that there is no objectively recognized core of fundamental doctrine which constitutes the Christian faith.

Answer 2

It's not about the age of the religion, the popularity, or even the "weirdness" of it. It is hardly about religion at all, really. In a cult, religion is used as a tool for the domination and servitutude of a group of people, a way of enslaving them, often for the purpose of making the leader rich, sometimes because the leader is just plain depraved, and he11 bent on taking others with them.

Here are some things to look for, to help you decide if it is a cult.
A cult is often headed by a charismatic leader, and it is more about the leader, than the religion.
A cult tells you to give up your friends and family. They narrow your point of view only to the group and thier leader, and tell you that they are your new family.
They tell you your friends and family are evil, and did great damage to you. Cults part husbands and wives, and parents from children.
Loyalty to the leader is all. In many circumstances, you are loyal to the group, or you are dead. Sometimes both.
Once they have you, participation is not voluntary. You lose your freedom to move in the world.
Members often "love bomb" you when you first meet them, to increase you sense of belonging and welcome, and to an extent that it puts you off balance.
They make you give up everything that ever made you the unique and interesting person that you are, and focus your attention on the cult, only the cult, nothing but the cult.
You give them every thing you own, they tell you it's for your own good, to help detach you from worldly things, when the fact is they are robbing you blind.
In a cult, you are often living with the group in a compound of some kind.
In a cult, you are often sleep deprived, and undernourished, because they have you working long hours to support the compound one way or another, more long hours of scripture drills and "study" and feeding you poorly. This makes it easier for them to brainwash and control you.
Women who join cults often lose thier periods from malnourishment and exhaustion.
They may also use other techniques to brainwash you.
They can use any religion or make one up, but most often they use Christianity. Jim Jones, and David Koresh were both Christian ministers, Ti and Do offered a weird blend of Christianity, New Age, and UFOlogy.
I am not saying here that Christianity is a cult.
There are probably alot of things I left out, but this is certainly enough for you to be able to tell the difference between a religion and a cult.
Sounds like fun, don't it?
Hard to imagine how anyone can fall for this stuff, but it happens every day.
There is a huge difference between a cult, and a normal religion.
Do understand also that there is a big difference between a cult, and other religious groups such a monasteries. People who live in monasteries are there voluntarily, are better taken care of, still retain who they are, and can still have hobbies and stuff and go out in the world if they want. If they have chosen a very strict lifestyle, it is because they want to. Same goes for a commune, or anything of that sort. And the same with a normal church or religious group.

Answer 3

i don't think of all religions are cults. There are church homes interior religions that use cult methods. Cults use recommendations administration methods and manipulation to empty their followers of money and materials. the version between a cult and a faith is which you serve the cult, the cult does not serve you. there is likewise oftentimes a loss of transparency, The nearer you get to the "middle" or the better you progression in a cult, the extra unethical and immoral interest might grow to be obvious. A recruit might desire to instruct themselves till now being allowed to progression and earn rank. The extra you question unethical interest the plenty extra probable you would be singled out and expelled. there is extra often than not a charismatic chief who's idolized and taken care of like Jesus, his words and movements are under no circumstances puzzled. oftentimes men recover from excited with this point of authority and sleep with their followers. followers are exploited sexually, financially, and so on.

Answer 4

1: No Difference.
2: A cult is a religion with no political power. – Tom Wolfe (1931- )

Answer 5

Religions are cults that have become institutionalized. Cults are about a charismatic leader obtaining followers. All religions start as cults, if they become accepted than they become religions. Lets be perfectly clear, cults and believe systems can be non-religious just as well as they can be religious.

Answer 6

A true religion is a total belief system, it comes from the heart first. A cult brainwashes people, and uses manipulation to get people to believe things.

this is just my view.

Answer 7

religions are supposed to be bennificial to the followers.

not that many are today. but the general idea is that a religion is bennificial.

where as cults are believed to be harmful to the followers and bennificial only to the leaders.

however i really agree it is numbers and money in the end.

Answer 8

I think this must be discussed from the point of view of each religion because many baseless religions and beliefs cannot rule the life of people and thus they walk in many ways none of which is true

back to your question i think .. but i believe that a religion is a way of life for those who believe in God. and cult is a measure of how you believe in god

Answer 9

The same difference as between a nation and a tribe. It's spelled:

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Of course from a more cynical perspective, it would be spelled:

P-O-W-E-R

From any perspective the difference between religions and cults as between nations and tribes is purely subjective....

Nimadan

Answer 10

If they want 10% of your money, it's a religion. If they want it all, it's a cult. I'm agnostic also.