Who can tell me what defines a cult or a sect?

Question

Many people will call Jehovah’s Witnesses a cult and/or a sect. Since many will just go along with what other uninformed people say and will not do the research and find out the truth…I’ve done the research for you. I’ve had to add several “Additional Details”, so please read it all, as I have been able to dispute the false claims. Please tell me why people think that Jehovah’s Witnesses are a cult or a sect?

Jehovah’s Witnesses are NOT a cult. The definition of a cult, quoting the Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary, involves "great devotion to a PERSON, IDEA, OBJECT, or MOVEMENT" and also is a "SMALL group of people characterized by such devotion". The fact about this is that we have a family of over 6 million Brothers and Sisters in over 236 lands. (That doesn’t sound small to me) And we also are NOT led by man. We are being led by Jehovah God who directs us with His Holy Spirit also called His ‘Active Force’. (Psalms 83:18 will give you God's name in many translations. The new KJ version, as well as some other translations, has taken out Gods name completely from the Bible.)

We are also not a sect who, by definition from Merriam-Webster online dictionary, is "a group adhering to a distinctive doctrine or to a leader" And as I said before; we are led by God, NOT man. Wikipedia.org has defined a sect as being “described as newly formed religious groups that form to protest elements of their parent religion (generally a denomination). Their motivation tends to be situated in accusations of apostasy or heresy in the parent denomination.”

We did not break off of a so-called “parent denomination.” As, I’m sure you’ve noticed, there are many Churches that may have the same name, or groups of people who call themselves by the same name, but they may not all believe the same thing because they have broken off of the main “parent denomination.” And that's the reason they broke of and formed another group, because they want to worship differently than the "parent denomination." Jehovah's Witnesses, around the globe, all 6 million plus, believe the same way and none of us have broken off and made another group of Jehovah's Witnesses.

The website also says about sects that “One of the main factors that seems to produce sects is the rigid continued adherence to a doctrine or idea after its time has passed, or after it has ceased to have clear applicability to a changing reality.” Certainly the teachings of Jesus Christ and the truth about Gods Kingdom has “applicability to a changing reality” for many people. And, from Bible research, we see that there are many prophecies that have not been fulfilled yet, so, as far as our beliefs and the teachings of Jesus Christ; “its time” has not “passed” by the articles’ definition.

So why do so many call the Witnesses a sect or a cult…it’s because so many people are being misled. “So down the great dragon was hurled, the original serpent, the one called Devil and Satan, who is misleading the entire inhabited earth…” (Revelation 12:9)

Many will lie about us and slander us. Even Jesus Christ was falsely accused and persecuted, and he said that his followers would be too. This, however, is the problem with people today…they lack unbiased research about what it is that makes them so engrossed with us and are trying to dispute everything that we know to be true.

Arpgme…

I’m not sure I completely understood your ‘personal’ definition, but,

Jehovah’s Witnesses are still not a cult according to your definition because Hellfire is a false doctrine that the Witnesses do not accept. Hellfire is not a teaching from the Bible and is just a ‘scare tactic’ to get people to come to church.

“God is Love” So why would a loving God send people to hell to be tortured and to burn forever, when even the Bible says that “The wages sin pays is death." (Romans 6:23) So the punishment for sin is death, not to be tormented for an eternity.

Rhsaunde…

So, exactly how many people, would you say, it takes for them to be defined as a religion instead of a cult? And does that mean that all groups of people who share the same beliefs are cults until enough people come to fill your ‘religion quota’? Then they can finally be a religion.

Do you know how many Christians there were Jesus’ time? Even if you did, would you still call them a cult?

AM Sweeney Todd…

Yes…God is invisible, but so is the wind. Now, are you gonna tell me that the wind doesn’t exist either?

Sorry Sweeney Todd,

You weren’t exactly denying the existence of God, so I’ll take my previous comment back.

Answer 1

Just remember that if people call us a cult or a sect, that doesn't mean it's true. I don't care anymore if they do. Jehovah will deal with the stubborn ones.

Answer 2

If people want to call us a cult or a sect, that is OK by me because we are in good company. We have been called a sect ever since our beginning in the first century.

The KJV of Acts 28:22 says: "But we desire to hear of thee what thou thinkest: for as concerning this sect, we know that every where it is spoken against."

Answer 3

Truly it has been said: if a large number of people believe in a fantasy, it's a religion; if a small number do, it's a cult; if one does, it's a delusion. JW is a cult because it isn't big enough to be a religion; even if it has six million members, that's far fewer than the number of Catholics, Protestants generally, or Muslims. And "god's kingdom" is an oxymoron.

Answer 4

I call a "cult" a group of people that are following rules that leads them to suffering.

Like in my definition , Christianity is a CULT because they have to believe that a guy name Jesus defied the laws of physic or they will be burned in fire forever; at least that is what they believe.

Islam is a cult because you have to submit yourself to an invisible, non-sensible, creator named Allah or you will spend like a thousand years in hell for each one sin that you did.

the list goes on...

Answer 5

OK, fine, you're a well-respected silly belief in an invisible being.