Anonymous asked this question on 4/18/2000:

What's the difference between a minority religion and a cult?

desertphile gave this response on 4/18/2000:

Technically, there is no difference. The word "cult," up to about the year 1970, was synonomous with "religion." Current usage now implies to the word the definition "destructive religion."

The dictionary defines the word as:

"cult n. 1.a. 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. b. 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.a. Obsessive, especially faddish, devotion to or veneration for a person, principle, or thing. b. The object of such devotion. 6. An exclusive group of persons sharing an esoteric, usually artistic or intellectual interest. --attributive. Often used to modify another noun: a cult figure; cult films. [Latin cultus, worship, from past participle of colere, to cultivate."

One can say that the word "cult" is used derogatorily. Most "cults" are merely labeled a "cult" by competing religions, and may or may not have "cultic" traits.

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