(April 24, 2015 at 9:23 am)DeistPaladin Wrote: I voted "no" to the question as asked. The only difference between a "cult" and a "religion" that the word "cult" is never used in 1st person to describe one's own religion.
That said, some religions/cults are more dangerous than others. Christianity will only take 10%. Scientology will take 100% and bond you into labor for a billion years.
Christianity will bond you for an eternity.
The reason why Christianity wisely settled for 10% and Scientology is foolish enough to demand 100% is simply this:
Christianity had long reached the stage where it customarily dominated the entire society that it had parasitized. Within its reach there are therefore typically not a great amount of virgin territory to exploit for its effective aggrandizement. Therefore its own survival became more highly dependent upon the strength and competitiveness the portion of host society it had already parasitized. Consequently it was necessary for chritianity to be mindful of the fact the society it parasitized needs effective investment in its own continued productivity if Christianity itself were to survive and prosper. Hence for its own longterm interest chritistinaity learned to rein in its own extortionist Cupidity and settle for 10%.
Scientology is still a virulent cult at the beginning of its existence, and had minimal penetration into its host society. Most of the society is still virgin territory. Its own aggrandizement still lies in squeezing every drop of sweat and blood out of its parasitized hosts in order for its to better arm and equip itself for further penetration into virgin territory.
