I am researching cults for a film project I am working on and after studying the definition of a cult what makes a cult different then any other religion?

Christianity fits all the definitions as well. But there are many sects of Christianity. But I looked at it and was trying to determine what the difference is in general as I could not think of any religion that was not a cult.

Westboro Baptist church is an extreme example.
[www.youtube.com]

The Branch Davidians, etc.

But what about Mormonism? Or the fire and brimstone ways of many Southern Baptist churches?

Where is the line divided?

If we took the practices of Islam, or even convents in the Catholic church they seem to fit the criteria as well.

Some cults may evolve into religions.

But most cults die out after the founder/leader dies.

The driving force of a cult and its most salient single feature is an absolute authoritarian leader that becomes the defining element of the group.

See [www.culteducation.com]

Psychiatrist Robert Jay Lifton, who wrote the definitive book about thought reform (often called "brainwashing") also wrote a paper about cult formation. Lifton defined a cult as having the following three characteristics:

1. A charismatic leader, who increasingly becomes an object of worship as the general principles that may have originally sustained the group lose power.

2. A process [is in use] call[ed] coercive persuasion or thought reform.

3. Economic, sexual, and other exploitation of group members by the leader and the ruling coterie.

Also see [www.culteducation.com]

That's an interesting definition but trouble some because in effect it defines all religion as a cult. Jesus Christ was a charismatic leader and so was Mohamed. In fact all leaders have some charisma ortherwise there would be few to follow.

talaposa:

Read the links.

Some "cults" evolve into religions.

There are three criteria not one.

This is a good working definition and serves as the nucleus of most other cult definitions.

To me there is a big difference between a cult and a religion. Myself being brought up as a Christian, although I'm not a church goer these days, there was plenty to draw from as a moral code and in wisdom. I was also in the church choir and we learnt how to read music, to sing in harmony, to behave responsibly and be disciplined. But we also mucked around, took the piss out of each other and nicked the biscuits in the parish hall.

The point I'm trying to make is that; yes we belonged to a Christian church, but we were allowed to be who we were and there was no underhand coercion. We all had our own distinct beliefs and after our few years in the choir, most of us have gone our seperate ways. However, cults do not want you to go your own seperate way. They do everything they can to stop you doing that. This is the main difference.

I had a brief look at the Eckhart Tolle forum earlier and was saddened by the amount of seemingly good people who put so much trust in a 'so called' spiritual teaching, which is very cultic and dangerous. Most of the posts on that forum were negative, and from vulnerable and confused people. A quote from this website sums it up for me:-

"Destructive cults, groups, movements and/or leaders "maintain intense allegiance through the arguments of their ideology, and through social and psychological pressures and practices that, intentionally or not, amount to conditioning techniques that constrict attention, limit personal relationships, and devalue reasoning."

-- Margaret Singer, Ph.D.

Sadly, a cult such as Scientology or Jehovah's Witness or Regnum Christi can get itself legally defined as a religion in the United States. That is a big problem.

Jay Lifton and Margaret Singer are two of the most important writers on what a cult is.

As a novice to the subject, but having had it thrust upon me, I would add that a cult is not always easy to identify as some of the criteria such as control, power, money, sex are obscured to the casual observer and often to all but those at the inner circle. The groups may appear loosely organised disguising unseen structures.

A very successful cult is one where the members are almost totally unaware that they are in a cult or the fact that they worship the leader and are unreasonably defensive of him or her as if it is an extension of their own egos; rather seeing the leader as an 'ideal' of their aspirations, as sold to them by the very same person. The members behave generally as usual in their normal secular lives, changes unnoticed except by those closest to them, who are usually excluded or rejected if the integrity of the group is at stake.

A cult in the final analysis is different to a religion because the ends dictates the means- which can result in changes in behaviour and moral rectitude of its members.
whereas a religion is concerned with morality before the ends, believing that virtue and moral rectitude of its members takes precedent and will result in natural, truthful and just end

Once these boundaries are blurred, the organisation is moving from religion to sect to cult. Cult being a group claiming autonomous doctrine and ends motivated rationales.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/01/2012 07:23PM by COncerned Partner.

HIII,

WELCOME TO THIS SITE ,WELL I THINK THERE ISN'T ANY BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CULT AND RELIGION...

heykevin:

There is a big difference between cults and mainstream religion.

First of all not all cults are even religious. Cults can be based upon politics, martial arts, meditation, yoga, multi-level marketing schemes, therapy, large group awareness training, UFOs, various philosophies, etc.

See [www.culteducation.com]

The most salient single feature of a destructive cult is a living leader that defines the group. He or she is the focus of the group and the locus of power. That authority figure has no meaningful accountability.

The second feature is what has been called "cult brainwashing". Members are put through a process within the group that essentially shuts down their critical thinking and engenders dependency upon the group/leader to think for them. Whatever the leader says is right is right and whatever the leader says is wrong is wrong.

Finally for the group to be a destructive cult it must engage in destructive behavior, which is mandated by the leader and systemically produces damage concerning the membership. This varies by degree from group to group. In some groups the damage done is psychological and emotional in others this can be more extreme, e.g. sexual abuse, medical neglect or violence.

See [www.culteducation.com]

Psychiatrist Robert Jay Lifton's paper "Cult Formation" explains this in more detail. Lifton also explains "thought reform", which has been popularly labeled as "brainwashing".

Cults can become religions over a period of time, but they are not like mainstream religions in the beginning. Most cults fade away after the death of the founding leader. Only a few have evolved after that point to become a religion or denomination.

This can be seen as somewhat analogous to Eric Hoffer's observations about the evolution of revolutionary movements in his seminal book "True Believer". Hoffer saw such movements as moving through stages of development and said some can potentially become part of the status quo after they evolve through the most turbulent active phase.