RELIGION VS CULT
62Jonestown
Religion Vs. Cults
If you "truly" believe something, have you questioned everything? How do you know you believe something without truly believing? If you only believe and not truly believe, you will continue to question. If you truly believe, there will be no question. If you tell yourself you believe enough, would this lead to truly believing? Possibly.
What are the differences between religions and cults?
Religion controls people, cults control people.
Religion tells people how to live, cults tell people how to live.
Religion tells people what to believe, cults tell people what to believe.
Religion has to have followers, cults have to have followers.
Religion looks to preachers as leaders, cults look to preachers as leaders.
Religion has faith, cults have faith.
Religion breeds influence, cults breed influence.
Religion contradicts free will, cults contradict free will.
Religion contradicts free thought, cults contradict free thought.
Religion contradicts individual belief, Cults contradict individual belief.
Is there Really a difference?
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Comments
Wow. That's a pretty airtight argument. I think the major -- and perhaps critical -- difference between religion and cult is choice of leader. In religion, followers worship an entity or god (or God). The entity is not human, but may at one time have been human. In cults, the leader IS human.
Hello Mighty Mom, thank you for your perspective and comment.
You bring up a good point that made me think: "In religion, followers worship an entity or god (or God). The entity is not human, but may at one time have been human. In cults, the leader IS human."
"Religion looks to preachers as leaders, cults look to preachers as leaders."
Is it not right that both religion and cults believe "preachers" are chosen by God?
If a cult leader says that God has spoken to him, yet he is not God, wouldn't the followers still be thinking they are following God?
Thank You.
To me the difference is the size of the movement. Cults have far fewer adherents than religions.
Hello James. One point I am trying to make is: If you allow your mind to be a "follower" of anothers word, they control your fate, not you. So in the mindset, there are a lot of similarities, mainly being a follower mindset.
Following Jesus is a bit different from following Jim Jones
Both are "following".
A few more . . .
Religions are about money and control. Cults are about money and control.
What is the difference between the "single mind" of a cult, on the one hand, and the "single mind" of a football team, the Army, the AMA, America, on the other? Maybe the qualities being attributed to a cult are not too different than those necessary to enable any group to accomplish its goal.
Since we are a Judaeo-Christian country for the moment, I put it to the Christians . . . Just what qualities can you attribute to the cults that do not apply equally to any of the Christian churches? Most of the cults honor Jesus in the same way you do. So I would say the only difference is that the existence of the cults threatens the authority of church leaders . . . not Jesus, the church leaders. I think that's why God allows cults on the planet: so that there is some phenomenon forcing us to consider and reconsider the integrity of our established churches.
Are you telling me that Jesus was not a cult leader? Are you telling me that the Romans and Jews did not react to Jesus in the same way you Christians are now reacting to the cults? I am sure the spirit of Christ lives among some in the current Christian churches, but it does not seem to be present with those who are heard most often. Maybe that is why so many of your young children are turning away?
It is amazing to me that God has allowed the majority of us to maintain a "follower" mind without intervening. I believe our greatest freedom is individualization of the mind. Religion/Cults contradict individualization of the mind. The Bible contradicts individualism as well. I do not yet understand why this looks irrational to me and normal to religious believers. The only core seperation I see is a "follower" mind compared to an "individual" mind. I have said this once before: The follower mind will "follow" anothers path, the "individual" mind will create it's own path.
Thank You for reading and commenting Steve.
If God wanted a follower mind, he should have stopped after creating dogs.
Even the Angels failed obedience class.
"If God wanted a follower mind, he should have stopped after creating dogs."
So simple, yet so true. There would be no difference from the human mind and animal mind if we did everything based on another.
I see a few Christian religions throwing other religions into the "Cult" category for the soul purpose of sensationalism. In hopes to disuade the public mind of their relevancy, their targets become associated with people such as Jim Jones, Marshall Applewhite, David Koresh, Etc.
It's all about spreading fear.
Thanks for reading Onusonus.
Agreed. Fear is a Huge aspect of control.
on what basis do you conclude this? have you really researched this or are you merely stating your opinion?
Hello Checkit, Thanks for reading and commenting.
Which part do you not agree with? My research is reasoning and logic. It dosn't require a degree.
eovery says:
7 months ago
I understand what you say. I hear this a lot and I can actual almost totally agree.
Please check out my hub on I do not need to defend my faith but share it. http://hubpages.com/hub/I-Do-Not-Need-To-Defend-My In it under Item 4, I explain how we can know truth of all things.
Keep on Hubbing