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Religion vs Cult - What are the differences?
#1
Religion vs Cult - What are the differences?
I'm not exactly one to hesitate calling Christianity a cult now that I view it from an Atheist perspective, mainly because of its effects on me and factors of when I left. When I went from Catholic to Methodist, the Catholic priest at my old cat. church tried to guilt trip me into staying, and so did my grandmother, and there were other things I had experienced that would make me call it a cult, but to get to the question.

It seems as though if we were to build a time machine and go back in time about 1,000 years, the only difference between a religion and a cult would be the size, because everything that makes a modern day cult a cult, Christianity, Islam and even other religions have had those qualities at those times too. I could argue that Modern day Islam is still a massive cult. Are there any real differences between a religion and a cult? Thanks a bunch.
If pinkie pie isn't real, then how do you explain the existence of ponies, huh? If ponies are real, then that's proof that Pinkie Pie is real. Checkmate, christians!  Heart
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#2
RE: Religion vs Cult - What are the differences?
A religion is a cult that has gotten enough followers to be considered mainstream.
Poe's Law: "Without a winking smiley or other blatant display of humor, it is impossible to create a parody of Fundamentalism that SOMEONE won't mistake for the real thing."

10 Christ-like figures that predate Jesus. Link shortened to Chris ate Jesus for some reason...
http://listverse.com/2009/04/13/10-chris...ate-jesus/

Good video to watch, if you want to know how common the Jesus story really is.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88GTUXvp-50

A list of biblical contradictions from the infallible word of Yahweh.
http://infidels.org/library/modern/jim_m...tions.html

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#3
RE: Religion vs Cult - What are the differences?
Honestly, I don't see a damn bit of difference between the two.
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#4
RE: Religion vs Cult - What are the differences?
Religion is harder to spell.
Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former.

Albert Einstein
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#5
RE: Religion vs Cult - What are the differences?
Hi Ian,
Excellent question.
A cult is an organization of people based on a personality or a concept (off the top of my head) considered deviant.
All depends on your perspective.
You guys think every religion except your own is a cult. Ha.
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#6
RE: Religion vs Cult - What are the differences?
Well, if you're part of an Abrahamic religion, you're not supposed to think highly of any other religion.
Poe's Law: "Without a winking smiley or other blatant display of humor, it is impossible to create a parody of Fundamentalism that SOMEONE won't mistake for the real thing."

10 Christ-like figures that predate Jesus. Link shortened to Chris ate Jesus for some reason...
http://listverse.com/2009/04/13/10-chris...ate-jesus/

Good video to watch, if you want to know how common the Jesus story really is.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88GTUXvp-50

A list of biblical contradictions from the infallible word of Yahweh.
http://infidels.org/library/modern/jim_m...tions.html

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#7
RE: Religion vs Cult - What are the differences?

At the age of five, Skagra decided emphatically that God did not exist.  This revelation tends to make most people in the universe who have it react in one of two ways - with relief or with despair.  Only Skagra responded to it by thinking, 'Wait a second.  That means there's a situation vacant.'
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#8
RE: Religion vs Cult - What are the differences?
(February 3, 2015 at 10:23 pm)professor Wrote: Hi Ian,
Excellent question.
A cult is an organization of people based on a personality or a concept (off the top of my head) considered deviant.
All depends on your perspective.
You guys think every religion except your own is a cult. Ha.

You're a funny guy.
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#9
RE: Religion vs Cult - What are the differences?
It's clear by what is and isn't available for historical review in the Mormon archives that the church hierarchy is aware they are sitting on a huge pile of incriminating bull shit.

As it turns out, due to schisms, past laxity, filing errors and other factors, quite a bit of the real 'poo' in the Mormon archives is available somewhere.

Looking over what is available, and then being aware of what they will and won't release, it is very easy to conclude most of the poobahs at Mormon Central are aware the whole stinking mess of Mormon theology is total crap.

Makes it a cult, a damn successful one too. Probably enough success to really stick in the craw of the Scientologists.
 The granting of a pardon is an imputation of guilt, and the acceptance a confession of it. 




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#10
RE: Religion vs Cult - What are the differences?
I thought a cult is a religion that doesn't reveal its beliefs to a non-believers. And in some cases, it slowly reveals its beliefs to its believers like scientology. But I like Stimpo's definition better.
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