At what point does a "church" become a "cult"?

Question

Serious question so you can save yourself the time from answering "from day one." or something like that.

Answer 1

A group of cult qualifies whenever it meets all the criteria. Every cult can be defined as a group having all of the following five characteristics:

1. It uses psychological coercion to recruit, indoctrinate and retain its members

2. It forms an elitist totalitarian society.

3. Its founder leader is self-appointed, dogmatic, messianic, not accountable and has charisma.

4. It believes 'the end justifies the means' in order to solicit funds recruit people.

5. Its wealth does not benefit its members or society.

Answer 2

beeze: A very good and important question ! As a Christian, I can assure you, that there are many cultic or "cults" out there and religion has its share too. Some of the tell-tale signs are these: "We are the only ones with the truth". "Must keep the LAW to be saved". No accountability for the head person of that religion. Psychological and emotional abuse (sometimes, physical abuse) of the membership's family including children. The wife is to be "obedient" to the husband or the ministry disciplines her. Free-will is replaced by "must", "should" or "better" do it feelings in order to avoid punishment. A cult preaches exclusiveness - not "inclusiveness". A cult does not foster "choice" but meeting of some strict standards. A cult preaches fear-religion, in that "God will get you" for not conforming to some teaching or self-manufactured doctrine. The biggest clue is ... you are a human "doing" - not a human "being" . Cults teach a relationship with the person or persons in charge NOT a relationship with God, the Father, through the saving grace of Jesus Christ. Cults fail to allow God to do the changing within an individual's life and attempt to do the job for God. Overall, expect many cultic groups to rise up - especially, as things begin to unravel in our societies, claiming that they have the corner on "end-time" Bible prophecy. Things seldom are what they appear to be !!!

Answer 3

You've got it backwards. All religions start off as cults. A charismatic leader and a few devoted followers who practice a new or heretical belief, according to the mainstream ones.

If it gains popularity, it becomes a mainstream church. Christianity was once a cult. Mormons are still considered a cult by Christians, though they are mainstream to the rest of us non-believers. Scientology is still a cult to everybody, but it is big enough that pretty soon it will be mainstream too.

Cults generally also tend to have stronger mind control techniques, though all religions employ them to some degree.

Answer 4

A church becomes a cult, when it resorts more to making money or fulfilling other worldly desires, and using religion as an excuse to get those things, rather than being focused on the religion. Usually led my some mentally deranged leader, who believes he is some sort of religious figure.

Cult can also simply mean a faith with a small collection of close-knit followers rather than the large scale Churches of mainstream Christianity.

The girl who claimed that Catholicism is a cult because it added/took away from the Bible apparently forgets that the King James Bible has translation errors and took out 7 books from the Catholic bible.

Answer 5

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Answer 6

I think that a "Church" and a "Cult" can not change from one to another really. In the Church, worship to a profound spiritual being, in hopes of gaining knowledge of our individual purpose on earth in accordance to a state of well being are the intentions. In a Cult, worship to a spiritual being is done with natures to the extreme that may include selfish or negative acts being involved for those purposes only where spiritual harm may occur in the process. There is no individualism in a Cult. There is in the Church.

Answer 7

When the leadership is no longer accountable to anyone outside of their ranks.
When the leadership and or the staff are all members of the pastors family.
When they insist that you not spend time with family who are not a part of the church.
When they ask the members to cash in their 401's to finance a building project.
When they want to know what your w-2 says.
When they expect you to be in the church every time the doors are open.
When they expect all the church members to move as close to the church as possible.

Answer 8

Actually I believe it is the other way around. A small group of people worshipping a different way is a cult until such time as their numbers make them socially acceptable enough to be a religious sect or church.

Answer 9

Shouldn't that question be reversed?
I mean, every religious movement pretty much starts out as a small cult. The only way a church could go back to one would be to lose almost all its members.

Answer 10

i beleive a church becomes a cult when theywill have you beleive that you must begin to break times with family and friends, to keep your eyes on thier truth( in other words, they dont want you getting any outside input) when they regulate or monitor what you do outside of church, if they regulate or monitor your income, if you are staying just above poverty so you can continue contributing to the church, thats a red flag. some of the more obvious ones are, if you eventually break ties with family, and devote yourself fully to the ministry, and you are food deprived and sleep deprived. then, you are in the thick of it.