Whats the difference between a cult and a religion?

[lovesgravity]

define

[shevek]

One's perspective. My beliefs are the truth, and yours are a stupid cult. :D LOL

[Gypzy]

One's perspective. My beliefs are the truth, and yours are a stupid cult. :D LOL
I don't get it...

[rubicon]

cult:
A religion or religious sect generally considered to be extremist or false, with its followers often living in an unconventional manner under the guidance of an authoritarian, charismatic leader.
religion:
Belief in and reverence for a supernatural power or powers regarded as creator and governor of the universe.
I just copied the first definitions....they seem pretty much the same to me, except 'cult' supposedly have less 'credibility'

[shevek]

One's perspective. My beliefs are the truth, and yours are a stupid cult. http://www.hipforums.com/forums/images/smilies/biggrin.gif LOLI don't get it...This was intended as a sarcastic joke. Everybody thinks that they're right no matter what they believe, and that means that everyone else who believes differently is wrong. I just put it into a "Devil's Dictionary" (by that famous cynic Ambrose Bierce) type of quote to make it funny in a sarcastic sort of way.


Then again maybe your're just built too low, the fast ones fly right over your head... :D

[Gypzy]

Are u hacking on me cause I'm short!?...

[taoflipflower]

yes indeed, not much difference.

A religion is a just a cult that's been accepted into/recognised by society.

[SirTokesAlot]

why do you think the Sticky is there for FAQ's? This happens to be a FAQ... see the connection?

[Wolf_Bloodfang]

The difference is religions get goverment funding and cults don't. lol

[heron]

A cult is when many people follow one charismatic leader, without question.

What the goverment calls a cult is a different question.

[Green]

A cult is something hidden, nothing more.

[MikeE]

"Most members of a religion are born into it. Most members of a cult are converts."

This distinction between "religion" and "cult" does not address the truth or social acceptance of either.

[prism]

A cult is when many people follow one charismatic leader, without question. I bet Jesus was charismatic.

...the same goes for child-molesting priests.

[heron]

A cult is something hidden, nothing more.

OCCULT is hidden LMAO and you spoke with such authority

[DancerAnnie]

I think every religion started out as a cult. Christianity started out as a cult, you know.

I'm not sure there is any difference. What one might call a cult, another might call religion.

[heron]

In an anthropological sense, yeah, they did all start out as cults, at least by label.

They refer to the differing religions of Europe as "Fertility cults" "Bear Cults" "Goddess Cult" etc.

When it boils down, its just a label.

[Oz!]

one attracts followers, the other recruits them.

[DancerAnnie]

one attracts followers, the other recruits them.
So by that definition, The Kingdom of Jahovah's Witness would be a cult?

Hmmm, I'm not so sure about that.

[Oz!]

So by that definition, The Kingdom of Jahovah's Witness would be a cult?

Hmmm, I'm not so sure about that.
Why not? New members have to be introduced to their church by an existing member..and have to go through a ceremony to be indoctrinated before they are accepted..if it looks like a cult, then acts like a cult.....why give it another name?

[DancerAnnie]

I guess once a "cult" gets more common, it looses it's association with a cult and instead is considered a religion. I think that's how Christianity started, if I'm not mistaken...

The Kingdom of Jehovah's Witness is VERY common where I live...and would RARELY be called a cult in my area.

[Oz!]

I guess once a "cult" gets more common, it looses it's association with a cult and instead is considered a religion. I think that's how Christianity started, if I'm not mistaken...

The Kingdom of Jehovah's Witness is VERY common where I live...and would RARELY be called a cult in my area.
Yeah, I agree.....seems that once a cult is a part of "acceptable" society it loses all the negativity associated with the word, in the main anyway.

Jehovah's Witness' has a very popular following in my neck o' the woods as well.....but then this is the country that has allowed Jedi Knight to be a formally recognised religion.....so make of that wot yer will :D

[drew172]

I heard from someone that to become a religion, a cult has to have at least a thousand followers and their leader must die....which explains ow cults like christianity and scientology became religions

[Mr MiGu]

religions get tax breaks
cults dont

[steffan]

in my understanding, a cult is something thats realativly new, while a religon is well established

[gunison]

In a definition I'm borrowing (read: ripping off wholesale) from Tom Wolfe, a cult is a religious organization (which is often, but not necessarily, theological) that has little or no political influence.

Seems to work. Our intuitions are probably that, say, the Catholic Church, whatever else it is, isn't a cult. Meanwhile, Heaven's Gate and Ayn Rand's Objectivists are each cults.

'Cult', to me, is not a derrogatory term (at least I don't use it that way). It's merely descriptive.

[drew172]

by the way people use the word "cult" today, you would think that the difference between the two would be that "cults" are not socially acceptable while "religion" is

[Libertine]

You can religiously feed your dog.

Most organized religion I regard as a cult.

[Irish Hippy]

i always classified a cult as " a group (religous or otherwise) with no set doctrine and an all-powerful leader."

basically a group that some guy/girl can mold to his/her will, whenever s/he feels like it
peace and love

[SaraiLoruhamah]

I think a cult is a group of people who follow someone, and a religion is a set of beliefs and a denomination is a smaller set of beliefs within a religion. There is a lot of confusion abot Christianity, a lot of people claim to be christian but know nothing about Christ. They have turned it into a bunch of meaningless strict pointless rituals, like going to church. Going to church does not make you a christian and it has nothing to do with Christ.

[heron]

I think a cult is a group of people who follow someone, and a religion is a set of beliefs and a denomination is a smaller set of beliefs within a religion. There is a lot of confusion abot Christianity, a lot of people claim to be christian but know nothing about Christ. They have turned it into a bunch of meaningless strict pointless rituals, like going to church. Going to church does not make you a christian and it has nothing to do with Christ.

So since a religion is a set of beliefs (and rules) then what you
are saying is that Christianity became a religion but started as a cult (buncha people following someone).

I think it still is, just a bigger one, with more rules.

[SaraiLoruhamah]

So since a religion is a set of beliefs (and rules) then what you
are saying is that Christianity became a religion but started as a cult (buncha people following someone). Exactly.

[/QUOTE]I think it still is, just a bigger one, with more rules.[/QUOTE]Only some people dont even care about following Jesus anymore they just do the going to church being homophobic thing, completely bastardizing the cult because its the socially acceptable thing to do, and all the while they call themselves Christians which gives the real followers of Christ a bad name. It is disgusting.

[Gentle]

numbers

[ChiefCowpie]

So since a religion is a set of beliefs (and rules) then what you
are saying is that Christianity became a religion but started as a cult (buncha people following someone).
Chr1st was G0d!!! d0n't f0rget that

[NaturaAtraSpiritus]

I think it should only matter if it is a dangerous cult, like requiring members to kill themselves or harm other people.

[COS_IRE]

Religions are just really old cults

[SunshineTheAngryHipi]

The difference? Cults admit it.

[IllusoryFreedom]

^not necessarily. Have you ever tried to get a scientologist to admit to being in a cult?

Religions are just really powerful cults, and have more members.

[Columbo]

The term "cult" has its etymology in the term "culture" it is an abbreviation.
Christianity is a cult, Islam is a cult, Hindu, and all those religions are cults.
Your own family is a cult. A cult is simply an organised body of people
with a shared interest. Whether it is a religious culture or not will be typified by whether they worship some higher being or are a ritualistic group. There are cults which are not religious - cult of the dead cow for example - a hacking cult.
why new ways of organising people are commonly referred to today as "a cult" is simply organised politics defending itself against new cultures emerging. The abbreviation is a way to undermine the status of the group being attacked as "culture" nowadays defines a large group but "cult" seems to imply "small and possibly misguided"
__________________________________________________
I really like this NaturaAtraSpiritus, did you make this up?
or where did it come from?
Keep the gun oiled and the temple clean
Shit, snort and blaspheme
let the heads cool and the engine run
because in the end
everything we do, is just everything we've done.

[themnax]

well it's already been said

cult = someone else's religeon someone else's religeon = cult

baha'u'llah said "when two people argue about religeon the're both wrong"

ok, i'm not currently a baha'i in my heart either, i'm not convinced anything needs to be infallable. if something is or isn't, well i don't think anyone knows that either.

it all comes from one place, and if that one place is anyone's idea of god or gods or even if it isn't, well it, meaning all beliefs, all mystic uplift the heart, it's that same spark, within you without you

the lines people draw, trying to judge what we cannot judge, what is not ours TO judge, the only line is to avoid causing suffering

=^^=
.../\...

[fistermister]

There is no difference. Religion is a cult and a cult is a religion.

[Treadge]

Q: What makes a religion a cult?

A: A mass of blind followers!

[aspirine]

The amount of money and power held by the group is the only difference between a cult and a religion.

The major religions seem pretty cultish to me. They seem to be flat out insane to me.

define

[lifelovefun]

The only difference between a religion and a cult is that

1. A cult doesn't realize that it's a religion

and

2. A religion doesn't realize it's a cult