What really is a "cult" and what is so bad about them? What are the worst ones? Why?

Answer 1

Cults in of themselves are not bad. It's who you choose to follow after and how you do it that can be bad.

Christianity was once considered a cult at it's early beginnings. But, it didn't take long for the world to see that it's leader was someone really worth looking into!

Answer 2

Counterfeit Christianity is probably the best description I can give for a cult. Counterfeit Christianity is an imitation of real Christianity. Bible terms like "Jesus Christ, Resurrection, Salvation, and Atonement" are used by the Cult, but the various cult groups have assigned entirely different meanings to these terms.
Like counterfeit money which is sometimes difficult to detect, so it is difficult to detect counterfeit Christianity, since it looks like the real thing. Experts examining counterfeit money often hold it up to a strong light and look for identifying marks. Counterfeit Christianity also has identifying marks, which can be seen when, held up to an even stronger light, the light of God's word, the bible.
We are at an advantage if we know what to expect from a cult. Cultists are very well trained to appear "Christian", and indeed believe they are the true churches, and you need the deliverance! Therefore, be bold and ask the question, "do you believe the group you represent is the only true church on the face of the earth?"
If they reply that they are, or if they are evasive, making remarks like "Well, every church has a measure of truth but...", you have made an early detection of a Cultist.
Every true Christian, if asked the same question, regardless of his denomination, would reply that the true church is comprised of believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, and HE (not some organization) is THE WAY, THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE, (John 14:6). No legitimate denomination would claim that they alone and their members have salvation exclusively, but the cults (the counterfeits) do.

There are hundreds of cults out there and they distort the Bible and the means of salvation. They will lead you in the wrong direction, away from a saving relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

For a list of the various cults you can go to this link.
http://www.macgregorministries.org

Answer 3

a cult is a group of people doing unusual things, rituals, ceremonies and activities...
the first cults are intentionally made for good things, bonding, brotherhood and helping others but as the time goes by many people creates cult of their own without the proper knowledge of it thus turning it into a bad one...
not all CULTS are bad but most of it are ANTI-religions...
so people think all of the cults are bad... well, there is a good cult... and sometimes good BROTHERHOODs are often mistaken as cult...

the worst ones?
the cults that kill people because of their so-called "sacrifice"..

Answer 4

cults attract those who are powerless in life, are looking for any thing that will give them guidance, a meaning to their pitiful lives...what the new members do not realize is that they give up any control they may have had to the cult, are forced, often physically, to remain in the cult...any money they had is stripped of them, they are isolated from family, friends, and life in general. They, in fact, are forced into servitude in some name or another, usually some kind of ludacrous religion. Scientology certainly falls under this catagory, and is, in fact, the only cult to date that has had indictments for murder (state of Flordia where mediacal attention was denied to some members who died for lack of treatment). Cults are usually headed by an charismatic leader who could have done so much with their life, but choose to be a big frog in a little pond. Cults come and go, usually the demise is quick. The Kool Aid gang is one of the more famous, certainly Chas. Manson and his followers are another. The KKK falls under the cult status, and is still active. Many white supremitists group are cults, the cult that the FBI demolished in Texas is another famous one, the screw balls that headed for a comet via trash bag suffication in California not so long ago is another. The list goes on and on, and that is just here in the US. Members of cults are often drugged people who cannot make any kind of choice. Once in, in for a short life.

Answer 5

a cult is a group of organized person who believe in something. A cult is bad for it is not of the truth for God by God and his Holiness. the worst ones, are there any worst ones then the ones who have thier follower kill themselves or others like waco? God is about love, peace and forgivness and rightesnous.

Answer 6

In religion and sociology, a cult is a term designating a cohesive group of people (generally, but not exclusively a relatively small and recently founded religious movement[1]) devoted to beliefs or practices that the surrounding culture or society considers to be outside the mainstream. Its status may come about either due to its novel belief system, its idiosyncratic practices, its perceived harmful effects on members, or because its perceived opposition to the interests of the mainstream culture. Non-religious groups may also display cult-like characteristics.

In common usage "cult" has a negative connotation and is generally applied to a group by opponents for a variety of reasons. "This popular use of the term has gained such credence and momentum that it has virtually swallowed up the more neutral historical meaning of the term from the sociology of religion" James T. Richardson wrote in 1993. Understandably, most, if not all, groups that are called "cults" reject this label. Some anthropologists and sociologists studying cults have argued that no one has yet been able to define “cult” in a way that enables the term to identify only groups that have been identified as problematic: Richardson's 1993 article summarized the scholarly dialogue.

The literal and traditional meaning of the word cult is derived from the Latin cultus, meaning "care" or "adoration", as "a system of religious belief or ritual; or: the body of adherents to same"32. In English, it remains neutral and a technical term within this context to refer to the "cult of Artemis at Ephesus" and the "cult figures" that accompanied it, or to "the importance of the Ave Maria in the cult of the Virgin." This usage is more fully explored in the entry Cult (religious practice).

In non-English European terms, the cognates of the English word "cult" are neutral, and refer mainly to divisions within a single faith, a case where English speakers might use the word "sect", as in "Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy and Protestantism are sects (or denominations) within Christianity". In French or Spanish, culte or culto simply means "worship" or "religious attendance"; thus an association cultuelle is an association whose goal is to organize religious worship and practices.

The word for "cult" in the popular English meaning is secte (French) or secta (Spanish). In German the usual word used for the English cult is Sekte, which also has other definitions. A similar case is the Russian word sekta.

Answer 7

A cult is centered around one charismatic person, like Christ. They are insular, believing only they have the True Faith. They demand extreme loyalty, usually requiring the faithful to give up their worldly possession for the good of the cult or cult leader. Christianity is the worst cult. They actively pray for the destruction of Earth so their Savior can return.

Answer 8

dont forget that "cult" is just an abbreviation for "culture", and its basically just a way of life or a group with certain customs and trditions. some bad ones were at waco, people's church, the manson family, and there are many others. these specific cults are considered bad because they invloved mass murder.

Answer 9

a cult is like a religion where the leaders run everyone's life. theyre bad because nobody has any freedom. the worst ones are the ones that kill each other with kool-aid. theyre the worst for the obvious reasons.

Answer 10

Brainwashing and stunting of individualism are features of cults. Most cults involve pseudo religious agenda.