What is the difference between a cult and a religion?

Question

Isn't it just how long it has existed and how many people believe in it?

Answer 1

Please look at what you are asking. What isn't a cult?

cult
–noun
1. a particular system of religious worship, esp. with reference to its rites and ceremonies.
2. an instance of great veneration of a person, ideal, or thing, esp. as manifested by a body of admirers: the physical fitness cult.
3. the object of such devotion.
4. a group or sect bound together by veneration of the same thing, person, ideal, etc.
5. Sociology. a group having a sacred ideology and a set of rites centering around their sacred symbols.
6. a religion or sect considered to be false, unorthodox, or extremist, with members often living outside of conventional society under the direction of a charismatic leader.
7. the members of such a religion or sect.
8. any system for treating human sickness that originated by a person usually claiming to have sole insight into the nature of disease, and that employs methods regarded as unorthodox or unscientific.
–adjective
9. of or pertaining to a cult.
10. of, for, or attracting a small group of devotees: a cult movie.
[Origin: 1610–20; < L cultus habitation, tilling, refinement, worship, equiv. to cul-, var. s. of colere to inhabit, till, worship + -tus suffix of v. action]

Considering all the definitions of the word 'cult', every religion is a cult.

Answer 2

Personally, I don't think it really has much to do with either of the two.

This is a couple of fragments from something else I wrote on the same topic. I think it might help you :]


I think that the only difference between the two, is the connotation itself.

There's often a negative connotation with the term "cult."

However, how can ANYONE truly say that something else is "bad" or "evil?"

Everyone has lived their own lives. What has happened to me has not by any means happened to you. We've all heard, seen, said, done, thought, and experienced different things. When you consider something, EVERYONE is biased, because we all base our opinion off of experiences. Whether the experiences are credible or not doesn't matter; either way, we all think differently.

A Christian may feel that atheism is the worst foundation to ever strike the Earth, but who's to say that there's not an atheist out there that feels the same way about Christians?

You can say, "Alright, we'll ask mom for her opinion," just as many kids settle their arguments. But what if Mom's a Christian or an atheist? Then she'll most likely side with one or the other.

Really, who can decide?

No one can.

That's why I hate it when things such as religions, and/or cults, develop a negative connotation at ALL.

I'll admit, some cults go extensively overboard. But if that's the culture they wish to take part in, who is ANYONE to say that's "wrong?"

Personally, I feel that the two are the same. They both fit my own definition of "religion." Maybe I'm just naive, or maybe I don't have all the facts.

But until I learn something that says otherwise, I guess I feel that they are, indefinitely, one and the same.

Answer 3

A layman's definition of a cult is a team of human beings who have self belief in or do something different than I do. yet heavily, once you combine 3 tenets you create an extremely volatile and risky concern: a million) the gang is extremely secretive 2) basically participants can understand all the gang's ideals and practices 3) as quickly as a member joins, there is not any thank you to bypass away no longer attempting to assert any particular team does a million) via 3) above, in basic terms defining what a cult fairly is.

Answer 4

I would say it has to do with personal freedom of thought. Just because a 'religion' has a specific doctrine does not mean all followers necessarily believe or follow. Usually people find a faith whose basic tenets are ones that they do believe.
A cult demands that followers believe everything and use techniques to seperate followers from 'outsiders' and further enforce the authority of the cult.

Answer 5

I am inclined to say that a religion follows a book and a cult follows a man (a human one, not the divine one) That is a slight oversimplification, for Mormons, who I consider a cult, have a book, -as do Muslims. Catholics, since they follow a man rather than scriptures, I consider a cult. (not many people agree with me, but I still think I have truth on my side, and that should be enough for anyone.)

Answer 6

semantics. The word cult is thrown around by which ever religion is popular, at the time, in an attempt to discredit any religion it disagrees with. The word cult is purposefully negative and is used by those who fear the existence of any belief contrary to their own.

Answer 7

A cult is a the following of a man. Religion is man's attempt to reach God.

True christianity is neither, it is a relationship with God.

Jesus hates religion. The Bible speaks against it.

Answer 8

Membership.

Small group = cult
Large group = mainstream

When the cult grows large enough it will be accepted as a "religion".

Answer 9

The only difference is that those labeled a cult that label themselves a religion is numbers of members. Cult members rarely label themselves a cult.

Answer 10

A cult is a religion with no political power.

Tom Wolfe