posted on Aug, 3 2005 @ 10:27 AM
Before we call an organizationa cult, we should define a cult first.
Dictionary.com defines a cult as:
1. 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.
2. The followers of such a religion or sect.
2. A system or community of religious worship and ritual.
3. The formal means of expressing religious reverence; religious ceremony and ritual.
4. A usually nonscientific method or regimen claimed by its originator to have exclusive or exceptional power in curing a particular disease.
5.
1. Obsessive, especially faddish, devotion to or veneration for a person, principle, or thing.
2. The object of such devotion.
6. An exclusive group of persons sharing an esoteric, usually artistic or intellectual interest.
Reading this list, I could strech it a little and claim Islam and Christianity are cults. How could I say that? Lets reread some of the
definations-Obsessive, especially faddish, devotion to or veneration for a person, principle, or thing.
What happens if a cult becomes very large and popular-what do we call them then? Established religions?