I was watching a documentary about Wayne Bent on the National Geographic channel the other night and their definition of a cult was something like this - a group of people who follow a leader or a belief system that is outside accepted society norms. That's a paraphrase from memory, but that was the idea.

 

It doesn't answer your question, but I think we could ask at what point does society accept it as "normal". I definitely think size would have an impact. How many people need to follow a religion for it to not be a "cult"? But, I don't think size is the end all. I think a belief could possibly be deemed normal without having X amount of followers.:idunno:

 

It's just something that has fascinated me in the past. I was Mormon (10 years out in November - huzzah), and I still remember feeling it was strange that we/they were called a cult. When I think of a cult, I think of something that has less than a thousand followers, or if you didn't want to put a number on it, a very small group. Small enough that they could be in the same area entirely, which plays to the idea of isolation. The Jehovah's Witnesses claim a membership of over 7.5 million. Mormons now claim north of 14 million (it was around 10 million when I left). I certainly think both of those beliefs are separate from what I would call Christianity, especially Mormons. I don't know about the Jehovah's Witness origins, but I would say Mormonism's origins began in what I would call a cult. But I believe at a certain point something like that evolves past being a "cult" and becomes a "religion".

DF - You're idea sounds much closer to the technical definition that I talked about earlier. I think the isolation factor is a big part of what makes a cult.

We'll call them a cultisect.

 

Works for me! :thumb:

Actually, they do believe he is the son of God, born without sin. They just believe he is subordinate to God and not part of a Trinitarian Godhead.

 

Who Is Jesus Christ? - Jehovah's Witnesses Official Web Site

 

Jesus Son of God...capital S referencing divintiy. That was my point in my post. They believe he is a son of God, BUT they do not believe He was God in the flesh...a part of the Trinity as you say.

I was watching a documentary about Wayne Bent on the National Geographic channel the other night and their definition of a cult was something like this - a group of people who follow a leader or a belief system that is outside accepted society norms. That's a paraphrase from memory, but that was the idea.

 

It doesn't answer your question, but I think we could ask at what point does society accept it as "normal". I definitely think size would have an impact. How many people need to follow a religion for it to not be a "cult"? But, I don't think size is the end all. I think a belief could possibly be deemed normal without having X amount of followers.:idunno:

 

By this definition, what qualifies as a cult is a moving target, depending on where you might be.

 

For example, in most of Kentucky, Catholics (or most any other religion) are seen as a cult by the Baptist majority.

Even though many of us do not subscribe to their beliefs should those of us that call ourselves "Christian" respect them for walking the walk vs just talking the talk that most Christians do? I mean they get out and try to spread the word KNOWING they're going to get a lot of negative responses. We all talk about spreading the word but we rarely do.

 

Well said Clyde. I am more than happy to listen to whoever comes to my door, for I respect their efforts. However I inform them that I am a practicing Roman Catholic and I'm not "jumping ship".

 

While I can agree to a point with the bolded, I think some of us "spread the word" by our actions and deeds.

I guess I was visited by the militant wing.

 

Too funny, thanks for the laugh.

I remember one time they visited me, and it was one of those rare Saturdays I didn't have much to do. I began to converse with them and thought if I could keep them distracted with me for quite a while, it would mean less people they could talk to that day. So I did. Approximately two and a half hours later, I finally told them the truth. I really didn't care for their theology. I was only playing dumb and asking questions to learn and to keep them from visiting and victimizing other folks that may not now any better. LOL You should have seen their faces. Then I asked them if my house would be "blacklisted" from their visit list.

It's just something that has fascinated me in the past. I was Mormon (10 years out in November - huzzah), and I still remember feeling it was strange that we/they were called a cult. When I think of a cult, I think of something that has less than a thousand followers, or if you didn't want to put a number on it, a very small group. Small enough that they could be in the same area entirely, which plays to the idea of isolation. The Jehovah's Witnesses claim a membership of over 7.5 million. Mormons now claim north of 14 million (it was around 10 million when I left). I certainly think both of those beliefs are separate from what I would call Christianity, especially Mormons. I don't know about the Jehovah's Witness origins, but I would say Mormonism's origins began in what I would call a cult. But I believe at a certain point something like that evolves past being a "cult" and becomes a "religion".

 

Obviously, a lot depends on the definition. Based on the definition given on the documentary I watched, I think JW and Mormon's could still be cults because I don't think they're considered "normal" by society. I think Mormonism is closer to being "accepted", if I had to guess. Especially, with Mitt Romney now being a presidential nominee.

 

Here's the definition from the Yahoo! dicitonary - 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.

 

From a Christian perspective, I think any religion that is outside of the accepted, mainstream Christian doctrine that still tries to present itself as "Christianity" is considered a cult. I think both JW and LDS would fall into this group regardless of their size.

 

I tend to agree with you for the most part though. When I think of a cult, I think of a small, isolated group of people that are devoted to a single leader. Like Wayne Bent's group (Jim Jones, David Koresh, etc.)

 

I would also think longevity might be a factor.

By this definition, what qualifies as a cult is a moving target, depending on where you might be.

 

Absolutely. I think that is a flaw in the definition they gave.

By this definition, what qualifies as a cult is a moving target, depending on where you might be.

 

For example, in most of Kentucky, Catholics (or most any other religion) are seen as a cult by the Baptist majority.

 

It could be argued until around 300 AD, Christianity as a whole was a cult until it became socially accepted in the Roman Empire and then soon afterwards the mandated faith until the full of the empire in (I think) about 450ish AD.

Bad news, I think they are now officially telemarketing. I had a call from a Carolyn Johnson @ 431-7171 yesterday. She was asking me a few questions regarding my beliefs and referenced the Johovah Jesus a few times. I was very polite and answered her questions. She than asked if she could swing by and drop off so reading material. I declined and told her to keep spreading the word. So if any one wants to speak to her, the number again is 431-7171. I figured maybe everyone on BGP can solicitate her since she had no worries calling me to spread her word. Once again Carolyn Johnson 431-7171. Got to love caller ID.

I'll call right now. Not even joking.

I'll call right now. Not even joking.

Did you talk to Carolyn?

Did you talk to Carolyn?

I tried, got a funky tone. What is the area code? I'll call on our independence day.