What is the Difference Between a Cult and a Religion? — Part Five

Photo by Noah Holm

As I continued my research in order to glean a more definitive answer for the differences between a cult and a religion, I began to look at the topic in a different frame of mind. I had been ready to malign all organizations that seemed ‘cult-like,’ and write all the nastiness I could find out about them, which was a lot.

There are a lot of screwed-up leaders out there and that was what I was looking for. However, as I read deeper into the origin of the term ‘cult,’ I began to realize that in truth, ‘cult’ and ‘religion’ used to mean the same thing.

One definition of the word ‘cult’ was from the Latin word ‘cultus’, as were culture and cultivate, which meant anything from tilling the soil, training and educating, to adoration, caring, and worship. A broad spectrum, I thought.

Another source said that in the 1600s the term ‘cult’ derived its English meaning from the French word ‘culte’, which also meant ‘worship’.

Seeing the term cult in a different light, I looked back at the last paragraph I had written in the previous Part Four of this article. I’d queried:

“How could such warped minds lead so many people to such bad ends? And the ultimate question already asked: How can so many people be so gullible?”

Rereading that paragraph, I had to reevaluate those questions. They are legitimate questions, no doubt, but at what point did ‘cults’ start to attract leaders with ‘warped minds’, and people needing to be ‘gullible’ to follow such leaders?

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When I dug deeper into the history of religions, it seemed that the organized orders were originally considered to be cults. After all, a cult has been defined as an organization of followers of one person or object. In the glory days of Pompeii, there was a renowned Cult of Isis, and I found many more such examples that were popular back in those early BC days. One such cult, which would be the most familiar to all today was Jesus Christ and his growing followers.

Photo by James Coleman

That brings me to the question: What is the difference between a cult and a religion?

The simplest answer I was able to find said:

“A cult becomes a religion when its members become so numerous that they require recognition by a governing authority. Witness the evolution of Christianity and the many religions under its umbrella.”

So, what about the more modern definition of ‘cult’ which has become more of a pejorative term in the past 50 years, even though some of those cults are more cultural instead of religious? Most of those negative cults have been the well-known entities I have mentioned in the previous four parts of my article, but I found many more.

I had to wonder if the religious aspect of the original groups of those notorious ones I previously outlined changed because the leadership turned the ‘worship’ aspect into something more personal. Did the leader’s lust for more and more power, topped with a growing greed for more money from his/her followers, and seeing the endless buffet of partners for his/her sexual appetites skew the original purpose of the organization? Or was that the intent in the first place?

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Those questions will likely never be answered, nor my original quest for finding out if the church our friends belong to is a cult or not. Yet I’m still concerned.

I am seeing many of our countrymen, from whatever needs they feel they lack, seeking a leader whose charisma beckons to them with promises of utopian magnitude, not unlike the cult leaders of the past. But what end will come for those ‘true believers’ unwilling to see the bigger picture?

What about our housekeeper friends, who must dress only in clothes designated by their director and only purchased through the church’s own supply store, who are allowed to eat certain things and forbidden to eat others, who can barely survive because their money goes back to the church, and who must keep secrets from outsiders about what they do within the church? Questions that make me wonder: Do they belong to a religion or a cult?

But I must also wonder: Does it really matter?

As I have seen over the years, people, who have a direction set in their minds, are usually unable to budge from it for whatever reason: stubbornness, beliefs, dedication, or fear, and I am not in a position to make a difference in those mindsets, not being influential by having fame or fortune. So, what can I do?

Mind my own business, some might say, yet I’ve persisted.

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I researched how latter-day cults originated, how they worked, and why people fell under their spells. My findings have been scary from the methods of coercion, motivations, and the mind-numbing methods for devotion. Because cult leaders need to be charismatic, dynamic, and convincing, he or she must be adept at brainwashing their potential followers to convince them he or she is the greatest asset to their lives. If the followers succumb to the brainwashing methods and it has no effect on outsiders, there is likely not a problem. But if, for whatever reason, there are throwbacks to others outside the realm, that’s another situation altogether.

Photo by Wisnu Widjojo

For example: What if a new member of this organization becomes enmeshed in its policies to the point of no longer being allowed to spend time with, or even make contact with, those loved ones who are concerned for his or her safety? That would have a major impact on family and friends. Or what if the new member must sign over all his or her assets that would involve taking those assets away from another family member not involved in the new organization? Or what if that loved one who is involved in an organization means drinking the fruit punch at gunpoint? How do the outsiders live with any of those scenarios?

It might depend upon which side of the question, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” a person is on as to the relevance of all this ponderance, but I have always been one who feels happy in knowing there is someone out there watching my back.

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If you missed any of this story series, read part one here.

Read part two here.

Read part three here.

Or read part four here.