The Difference Between a Cult and a Religion?

SkepticJ said:
Is there one?
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Well, it's kinda like the difference between hot and cold... there is no clear dividing line where it is suddenly not hot and becomes cold.

I would say the two biggest clues are isolationism and charismatic leadership. Especially leaders so strong that many weak people's egos can be totally subsumed by it.
 
The word religion describes a belief system, while cult denotes a group or organization. You can say that a particularly religion is a group or organization, i.e. Christianity, but the methods of practice are so varied that you can't paint them with one brush.
Of course, there are Christian cults, so in that sense, the religion contributes to the belief system of that cult, but it doesn't exclusively define it.
 
KelvinG said:
The word religion describes a belief system, while cult denotes a group or organization. You can say that a particularly religion is a group or organization, i.e. Christianity, but the methods of practice are so varied that you can't paint them with one brush.
Of course, there are Christian cults, so in that sense, the religion contributes to the belief system of that cult, but it doesn't exclusively define it.
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Thanks. That's the most useful answer for this question I've ever heard.
 
KelvinG said:
The word religion describes a belief system, while cult denotes a group or organization. You can say that a particularly religion is a group or organization, i.e. Christianity, but the methods of practice are so varied that you can't paint them with one brush.
Of course, there are Christian cults, so in that sense, the religion contributes to the belief system of that cult, but it doesn't exclusively define it.
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Does this mean Catholics form a cult? It's always seemed to me that Catholics were the largest Christian cult around.

A
 
I've heard a number of historians refer to various early Christian sects as "Jesus cults".

Stick around and you can enter the heady world of religion- It worked for the Mormons, and apparently the Scientologists as well.
 
SkepticJ said:
Is there one?
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I think the difference is in the number of members. Organized religions with large followings aren't called "cults."
 
SkepticJ said:
Is there one?
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Cults are what Religions are afraid of. To paraphrase Verbal Kint:

Cults are a myth, a spook story that priests tell their flock on Sunday. "If you rat on God, the Cult will get you."

A
 
Re: Re: The Difference Between a Cult and a Religion?

aofl said:
Cults are what Religions are afraid of. To paraphrase Verbal Kint:

Cults are a myth, a spook story that priests tell their flock on Sunday. "If you rat on God, the Cult will get you."

A
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No, they are quite real. Head on down to Clearwater if you don't believe me, take a look at Scientology HQ.

However, I guess anything can be used to scare you when you belong to one of those self-isolating fundie churches that supposes Satan is responsible for everything not a part of them.
 
Seismosaurus said:
Religions get tax breaks and/or government endorsement. Cults don't.
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What about a cult like Dienetics/Scientology that simply dressed-up as a religion to avoid tax?

I reckon any small movent based on some faith in words/books/leaders that shows longevity moves from cult to religion - it's all in the number of bleevers.
 
SkepticJ said:
Is there one?
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I think the difference is subjective. My subjective answer is that a religion is a religion and a cult is a spinoff of a religion.

JWs and Mormons, to list 2 examples, are not Christian groups in the orthodox or traditional sense, but they do borrow heavily from Christianity. This makes them cults or more specifically Christian cults. Coincidentally they both practice the isolationism others have mentioned.

The Roman Catholic church is viewed as a cult by many in the protestant faith, and the RC church has viewed protestants as cults. This kind of muddies the waters though as neither is isolationist in nature and they both resemble each other closely enough that they are different, but share similar influences.

Some infamous cults have featured a charismatic leader claiming to be Jesus. Groups like this are easy to classify as cults, but labelling the RC or protestant churches as cults is more difficult.

To make things even less clear, Christianity could be viewed as a Jewish cult and Islam could be viewed as either a Jewish or Christian cult.
 
'Cult' is a handy derogatory term for groups who spend significant time and effort refuting that they are a cult.
 
Here are some words I had ferreted-away on my drive:

"Cult - a small, unpopular religion
Religion - a large, popular cult"
- By unknown

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A def of "cult":

Veneration of the leader
Glorification of the leader to the point of virtual sainthood or divinity.

Inerrancy of the leader
Belief that the leader cannot be wrong.

Omniscience of the leader
Acceptance of the leader's beliefs and pronouncements on all subjects, from the philosophical to the trivial.

Persuasive techniques
Methods, from benign to coercive, used to recruit new followers and reinforce current beliefs.

Hidden agendas
The true nature of the group's beliefs and plans is obscured from or not fully disclosed to potential recruits and the general public.

Deceit
Recruits and followers are not told everything they should know about the leader and the group's inner circle, and particularly disconcerting flaws or potentially embarrassing events or circumstances are covered up.

Financial and/or sexual exploitation
Recruits and followers are persuaded to invest money and other assets to the group, and the leader may develop sexual relations with one or more of the followers.

Absolute truth
Belief that the leader and/or the group has discovered final knowledge on any number of subjects.

Absolute morality
Belief that the leader and/or the group has developed a system of right and wrong thought and action applicable to members and nonmembers alike. Those who strictly follow the moral code become and remain members; those who do not are dismissed or punished.

(Source: "Why People Believe Weird Things", Michael Shermer, p.119-120)

No links - sorry.
 
I agree with Donn and some of the other posters, but one important difference that hasn't been mentioned is that there are non-religious cults (but no non-religious religions).

A charismatic leader can gather blind followers who discard critical thinking in their pusuit of the truth in the fields as far ranging as politics, philosophy (Ayn Rand's Objectivism), and health.
 
Re: Re: The Difference Between a Cult and a Religion?

username said:
I think the difference is subjective. My subjective answer is that a religion is a religion and a cult is a spinoff of a religion.

JWs and Mormons, to list 2 examples, are not Christian groups in the orthodox or traditional sense, but they do borrow heavily from Christianity. This makes them cults or more specifically Christian cults. Coincidentally they both practice the isolationism others have mentioned.

The Roman Catholic church is viewed as a cult by many in the protestant faith, and the RC church has viewed protestants as cults. This kind of muddies the waters though as neither is isolationist in nature and they both resemble each other closely enough that they are different, but share similar influences.

Some infamous cults have featured a charismatic leader claiming to be Jesus. Groups like this are easy to classify as cults, but labelling the RC or protestant churches as cults is more difficult.

To make things even less clear, Christianity could be viewed as a Jewish cult and Islam could be viewed as either a Jewish or Christian cult.
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Religion is also organized superstition!
 
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