Is it the number of people? State recognition?
How many followers do you need before its stops being a Cult and becomes Religion?
2007-07-10 01:54:01 · 16 answers · asked by Link , Padawan of Yoda 5 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
They are all cults.
2007-07-10 01:58:03 · answer #1 · answered by hypno_toad1 7 · 5⤊ 0⤋
In some ways, I think the difference between a cult and a religion is what perspective you hold. Many Christians think Wicca is a cult, for example. I have also known Wiccans that think Christianity is a cult and that Wicca is a "true" religion. I suppose one could set an arbitrary number of followers for a "cult" to become a "religion", or use law to establish formal recognition of a cult as a "legal religion", but it is still arbitrary and not truly objective.
2007-07-10 02:07:39 · answer #2 · answered by ElphinKnight 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Technically a religion can be a cult, the terms aren't mutually exclusive. Its all very subjective. No one admitts to being a cultist. But a cult doesn't have to stop being a cult to become a religion, it can be both.
Generally a cult becomes a religion when there is enough slack in the beliefs to accomodate more people, which leads to more money and power. Otherwise, the cult excludes most potential converts and doesn't grow.
2007-07-10 02:02:35 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Some religions could still be considered a "cult". From a Christian perspective, any system of belief that strays partly or fully from what the Bible says is a "cult". It doesn't matter how many people "believe" or where they are when they are "believing".
Acceptance of a "cult" as a "religion" is strictly a governmental thing. The granting of tax-exempt status to a system of "beliefs" could be calling it an accepted "religion"; however, that doesn't really mean that those beliefs are "right".
If you're looking into a "cult" that's calling itself a "religion", then that's your first sign that you need to stay away from it.
2007-07-10 02:06:53 · answer #4 · answered by Wayne M 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Initially at start every religion is a cult. When following increases, leaders of that cult work for its recognition as religion. These leaders create their own God and then fight with other religions that theirs is the only true God.
All this happens out of ignorance of self.
2007-07-10 04:04:57 · answer #5 · answered by dd 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I am thinking of how most religions began. Like that of the Jews, by the man Abraham. And then the Christians not so much by Jesus as by Peter and Paul and a few of the others of the 12 as can be found in the book of Acts on the day of Pentecost at which some 3,000 where baptized into this New Way.
Today here in America, we have two of them that I can point to as being like such. The Mormons by Joseph Smith, And the Witnesses by Charles T. Russell.
2007-07-10 02:33:54 · answer #6 · answered by Bill D 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It works a bit like languages - The prevalence depend son who uses them - Christianity for example became a force in the world when Emperor Constantine converted. At that time the Romans had a thing called 'the cult of the Emporer' where all the people of the Empire were obliged to pay tribute to the god(s) of the Emperor, so his conversion boosted Christianity to the world's biggest religion kind of overnight.........
2007-07-10 02:03:08 · answer #7 · answered by john n 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I shall tell you when my cult becomes a religion. So far I only have one follower/worshipper and that is me. It's quite exclusive, but I am hoping that soon people on YA might start to worship me. Donate money to "my church". It's a pretty cool cult, all I want is a hymn made about me and a book that becomes a big work of fiction, I mean autobiography of my work. Instead of a drink of wine and bread to represent my body and blood, I want people to drink Ribena (to represent the shaving cut this morning). When I become a dictator, I shall then make the State recognise my cult as the state based religion. If you want, you can become one of my disciples?
2007-07-10 02:01:31 · answer #8 · answered by Spawnee 5 · 2⤊ 1⤋
A cult turns right into a faith the two whilst it turns into so great that the individuals can now no longer be controlled and remoted, or whilst outsiders intermingle with its individuals and furnish them selection existence types. The LDS church became a decrease interior the start and whilst it moved to Utah. It grew relatively great as cults circulate because of the fact it became so bodily remoted. there are various memories of people who tried to circulate away Utah being murdered. As non LDS human beings moved into Utah, LDS began to have recommendations different than following the chief's orders. The leaders eased up on administration and allowed the individuals to alter into greater like outsiders. They eradicated polygamy. they are nonetheless interior the suggestions-set of 'mainstreaming', yet they have not been a nicely controlled cult for over one hundred years.
2016-10-01 07:14:49 · answer #9 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ask the Christians. they were a cult before almost world domination.
2007-07-13 03:28:22 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
I've always thought that a cult can become a religion by stopping killing its own followers and killing outsiders instead and visa versa to revert back....
... but that would be facetious.
2007-07-10 02:04:52 · answer #11 · answered by numbnuts222 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋