RE: Are all religions cults?
September 13, 2018 at 8:27 am
(This post was last modified: September 13, 2018 at 8:29 am by fromdownunder.)
I can only speak of my personal knowledge, which is limited to Australia, where most people do not take religion very seriously any more. Many churches and excepting the Charismatics such as Hillsong and smaller groups, many people are nominal Christians or social Christians, especially older people who go to Church mainly to catch up with friends. One of their few remaining social outlets.
The religions themselves can be defined as cults, many of the adherents not so much. Up until the late 1960's/early '70's people went to Church on a Sunday because there was nothing else to do. The country simply shut down after Noon on Saturday until Monday morning. Church Picnics, Social Events, Dances, Hay Rides, birthday parties at the Church hall, cake stalls, were activities that most followed. And I would love a dollar for every boy and girl who had their first fuck after a Church outing. Or at an evening Church beach party in the sand dunes.
It was not because we frothed at the mouth because: Jesus, God, or feared Damnation and Hellfire. It was a habit which stuck for a while and for many and still does for some older people. Hell, I was a Church Organist and Sunday School teacher even after I became an atheist. Belief was not a requirement.
Can you have a cult with non cult adherents? Of course. I do not doubt that some people who make a profession of religion cults and make a helluva lot of money are proverbially laughing the way to the Bank. Do all TV evangelists who encourage cultism believe or adhere to all the garbage they spout? Does the Sun rise in the East?
Norm
The religions themselves can be defined as cults, many of the adherents not so much. Up until the late 1960's/early '70's people went to Church on a Sunday because there was nothing else to do. The country simply shut down after Noon on Saturday until Monday morning. Church Picnics, Social Events, Dances, Hay Rides, birthday parties at the Church hall, cake stalls, were activities that most followed. And I would love a dollar for every boy and girl who had their first fuck after a Church outing. Or at an evening Church beach party in the sand dunes.
It was not because we frothed at the mouth because: Jesus, God, or feared Damnation and Hellfire. It was a habit which stuck for a while and for many and still does for some older people. Hell, I was a Church Organist and Sunday School teacher even after I became an atheist. Belief was not a requirement.
Can you have a cult with non cult adherents? Of course. I do not doubt that some people who make a profession of religion cults and make a helluva lot of money are proverbially laughing the way to the Bank. Do all TV evangelists who encourage cultism believe or adhere to all the garbage they spout? Does the Sun rise in the East?
Norm
