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 “When people leave cults, they don't know that they left a cult.” (Sean Durkin)

Throughout the history of mankind, it has been natural for people to worship something. When deciding the religious community wish to join, what is one major way you can tell the difference between a genuine religion and a phony cult (that pretends to be a legitimate religious group)? Both can be distinguished by the amount of time they’ve been around. Once a cult is able to establish itself for about 100 years; it is called a "religion." Before a century is over, it is considered a dangerous cult.

Early Christianity was considered a cult by both the Jews and Romans. If your definition of "cult" is a group with a charismatic and strange leader who thinks they have direct access to God, and spreads a theology that seems both heretical and confusing to the established religions around it, then Islam and Buddhism were certainly cults when they began. What is the information you need to know for a cult and a religion?

A cult is a new religious movement that convinces its limited number of members into engaging in secretive and harmful practices for the sake of its charismatic leader.

Cults are usually joined through coercive persuasion. A person is told that the best way to solve their problems is to join the cult. They are then given unconditional love by the cult and its leader while at the same time being alienated from their other friends and family.

Remember the BITE acronym to help you determine if you are a member of a cult. It stands for B as in behavior control, I as in information control, T as in thought control, and E as in emotional control.

General characteristics of cults:

·       Followers are encouraged to worship a specific group leader.

·       Followers are personally monitored to ensure they’re following guidelines.

·       Leaders dictate in great detail all aspects of followers’ lives.

·       Leaders hurry followers into joining them, and discourage questioning.

·       Methods of control are used to keep members close.

Examples of cults:

·       Branch Davidians: What started as an offshoot of the Seventh Day Adventists ended in a government raid and deadly fire that killed leader, David Koresh, in Waco, TX.

 

·       Heaven’s Gate: This group was known as a doomsday cult and committed mass suicide, which they believed would gain them access to an alien spacecraft.

 

·       Jonestown: Due to legal and societal pressure, the group’s leader, Jim Jones, moved the group out of the US to Guyana, South America, where a mass suicide occurred.

Religion is a method of thought that is meant to give meaning to a person’s life by putting them in connection with God through rituals and beliefs.

Religion is generally a family affair. A youngster will be raised in a certain religious tradition, and follow a path to complete membership. This may include ceremonies like bar mitzvah or confirmation. An adult who wishes to convert to another religion must approach that religion’s leaders directly to ask for guidance, and study before being formally accepted.

General characteristics of religions:

·       An understanding of evil is established, and how it impacts human beings.

·       Appropriate forms of conduct between people are defined.

·       The group worships God (in a variety of ways) rather than a single human person.

·       The main beliefs are consistent with basic mainstream standards for human dignity.

·       There are sacred rituals (like baptism and communion).

Examples of religions:

·       As of 2017, the US Department of Defense recognized over 220 religions. According to the US government’s policies on religious discrimination, traditional organized religions include religions such as: Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism.

“The difference between a cult and a religion: In a cult there is a person at the top, who knows it’s a scam. In a religion that person is dead.” (Anonymous)[i]

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[i] Adapted from:

·       “Are You in a Cult?” by Telltale

·       “Cult vs. religion: what's the difference?” by Sam Fleischacker

·       “Difference between Cult and Religion” by Difference Between

·       “Guyana” from Wikipedia

·       “Identifying Differences between a Cult and a Religion” by YourDictionary

·       “Jonestown: How Jim Jones Trapped Followers and Forced Suicides” by Lesley Kennedy

 

Jim Jones