Whats The Difference Between A Religon And A Cult?

Question

Huh?

Answer 1

Mostly it has to with size and social acceptance. Anything small, new, or a bit different that people don't understand is usually labeled as a "cult".

Answer 2

There is NO difference between a religion and a cult;
They are the same thing...

Go beyond cults and religions and DO this:

Create Your Relationship with Our Creator
and have UnConditional Love and Peace in Your Life.

Answer 3

Basically, a cult is an offshoot of a religion, in which basic doctrines and tenets of faith have been skewed from the original.

For instance, in the Bible, God says that He is eternal, that there are no other gods besides Him, whereas mormonism teaches that God was once a man, and men can become gods by following the mormon doctrine. This alteration of the Bible makes mormonism a cult.

Do you see the difference between the two?

I hope that helps.

Answer 4

A religion is a group of people with the same beliefs.
A cult is poeple who get brainwashed and do anything thier leader says.

Religion and cult ARE NOT THE SAME THING.

Answer 5

i could say that a 'cult' is one that courses you to have faith in some thing untrue as being genuine - which distinctive religions do at present. And a real faith is what it says it does --- which very very few religions fulfill. What the Jews, Christians and Muslims have faith in, are fake. considering the fact which you have in basic terms to hearken to what they're asserting, and notice that it particularly is neither smart nor logical to have faith in. Plus - they show the obtrusive indicators they're brainwashing those with their approaches, via their "preaching". genuine religions do not "carry forth" and merely supply you the techniques, with which you would be able to make up your person concepts, no count in case you prefer to have faith or not? ie. they don't supply a carrot (heaven) nor a stick (hell) to conquer you with.

Answer 6

This is the intelligent response:
They are actually the same by definition.

This is the uninformed response:
The meaning of the word cult takes on a different light depending on how it is used. Christianity is a cult, but they refer to other non Christian religions as cults. And to them cult means satanic death koolaid drinkers.

Answer 7

Most of it has to do with the amount of control over the followers' lives that the group exerts, the infallibility of the leader, and financial "contributions" required to the group.

There's a very good evaluation tool online here:

http://www.ra-info.org/library/programming/Bonewits.shtml

Answer 8

can be determined by examples, Relgiions like Christianity, buddhism, hindusim.

Cult like Islam.

were you don't feel much loyal to your country as much loyal to the cult, and moved by couple of godfathers order you to do nonsense and bizarre things.

Answer 9

Often it is a matter of time and or social "acceptance". More recently or generally a cult refers to a group that is totally brainwashed, fairly secretive, and will strongly resist members leaving. Often members have to give up all goods and control to a central figure or leader.

Answer 10

It depends on the definition of cult you are going for.

Generally speaking a cult is any group of people who have solidarity and share a common philosophy and/or belief and abide by certain rules within that group. So in the general sense ALL religions are cults.

If what you REALLY mean is a destructive cult in the form of a group that seeks to maintain membership through mental, emotional and physical isolation, control tactics in an effort to exploit people against their better judgement for the benefit of one or more members of the organization, then not ALL religions fall into that category.


Here are some warning signs of a destructive cult

1. A destructive cult tends to be totalitarian in its control of its members' behavior. Cults are likely to dictate in great detail not only what members believe, but also what members wear and eat, when and where members work, sleep, and bathe, and how members think, speak, and conduct familial, marital, or sexual relationships.

2. A destructive cult tends to have an ethical double standard. Members are urged to be obedient to the cult, to carefully follow cult rules. They are also encouraged to be revealing and open in the group, confessing all to the leaders. On the other hand, outside the group they are encouraged to act unethically, manipulating outsiders or nonmembers, and either deceiving them or simply revealing very little about themselves or the group.

In contrast to destructive cults, honorable groups teach members to abide by one set of ethics and act ethically and truthfully to all people in all situations.

3. A destructive cult has only two basic purposes: recruiting new members and fund-raising. Destructive cults may claim to make social contributions, but in actuality such claims are superficial and only serve as gestures or fronts for recruiting and fund-raising. A cult's real goal is to increase the prestige and often the wealth of the leader or inner circle of leaders.

4. A destructive cult claims to be the ONLY viable system for change that will solve life's problems or the world's ills. These promises are used to recruit members who are then surreptitiously subjected to mind control to inhibit their ability to examine the actual validity of the claims of the leader and the cult.

5. A destructive cult is authoritarian in its power structure. The leader or group of leaders are regarded as the supreme authority. They may delegate certain power to a few subordinates for the purpose of seeing that members adhere to the leader's wishes. There is no appeal outside his or her system to a greater system of justice.

6. A destructive cult's leader or leaders are self-appointed persons claiming to have a special mission in life or special revealation or link to the Divine.

7. A destructive cult's leader tends to be determined, domineering, and charismatic. Such a leader effectively persuades followers to abandon or alter their families, friends, and careers to follow the cult. The leader then takes control over followers' possessions, money, time, and lives.

8. Destructive cults usually have an high exclusivity- 'Only WE are special' or 'Only WE will survive' and tend to have an overly pessimistic view of the world and outsiders. They tend to have "Final Solution' world views.

If you are in ANY group that exhibits 3 or more of these characteristics, GET OUT NOW! You are in a destructive cult.

There is a lot more, so do some research on it.