Are all religions cults?

[I_am_not_mafia]

Welp. There goes the thread.

[Little Rik]

Here we go...............    

The expert in this field has spoken........

A pity that when I did asked her what is the difference between religion and spirituality she could not come up with anything that make any sense.

For her it is all the same soup so to speak.  
This show all her impudence and effrontery.  

As I have already told you, I don't find the distinction you make between the two to be valid, nor your claim that you are spiritual and not religious.  Your past attempts at soliciting an answer have been seen through as the transparent attempts to provide a springboard for talking about what you believe and proselytizing rather than honest discussion and have been treated as such.  I don't recall venturing any opinion on the difference between the two.  I may have, if so, feel free to remind me.  Otherwise this is just a schoolyard taunt that I did not fall for your loaded questions and because I may have chosen to respond otherwise than according to your pre-written script, I have not addressed the issue.  The only relevant question which I have addressed is whether you and Ananda Marga are religious in addition to being spiritual, and despite your opinion otherwise, it's relatively obvious that you and they are.  So you can take this claim about what I could and could not come up with and shove it up your rectum where you will find the rest of your opinions.  (I even listed how Ananda Marga hit all or most of the check marks on Ninian Smart's seven dimensions of religion, so your claim that I didn't come up with anything that makes sense is just absurd nonsense and yet another one of your lies.  Ninian Smart's research is highly acclaimed, and far from mere nonsense.)

Me proselytizing?

Are you kidding me?
When I ever mention the name of the organization that I follow?
You are the one who mention it all the time.

But let us rather come to the point which is that you still haven't got a clue about the difference between spirituality and religion.

Who came first, spirituality or religion and why?
Who seek God internally and who externally?
Who ask God for the daily bread and who doesn't ask God for any material thing?
Who believe in hell and who doesn't?
Who believe in karma and reincarnation and who doesn't?
Who turned into intermediaries between God and the masses and why?

These are only few questions that anyone who think is an expert in this field should know.
Obviously you are not and I doubt you will be in the near future considering your stubbornness.

And what about your Ninian Smart?

The guy did know a tiny bit, unfortunately he never did practiced spirituality so how could he know the real story?  

[Bob Kelso]

“Who make bare assertion?
Who ask leading question?”

Who have two thumbs and doesn’t give a crap?
Bob Kelso.

Ruin some other thread Rik. Ffs.

[robvalue]

As you note, definitions vary.

One possible distinction is cults being based around current figures, with religions referring to historical ones.

Social acceptance is a big thing. I’ve also noticed that cults don’t necessarily feature the supernatural.

[Little Rik]

“Who make bare assertion?
Who ask leading question?”

Who have two thumbs and doesn’t give a crap?
Bob Kelso.

Ruin some other thread Rik. Ffs.

Obviously you are not an observant reader by claiming that I .......... make bare assertion.
If you were you would have noticed that yog said that I follow a religion which is not the case.

Think again son before YOU make bare assertion.  

[Bob Kelso]

You seem to need audio visual help for understanding my main point, allow me:

[Angrboda]

As I have already told you, I don't find the distinction you make between the two to be valid, nor your claim that you are spiritual and not religious.  Your past attempts at soliciting an answer have been seen through as the transparent attempts to provide a springboard for talking about what you believe and proselytizing rather than honest discussion and have been treated as such.  I don't recall venturing any opinion on the difference between the two.  I may have, if so, feel free to remind me.  Otherwise this is just a schoolyard taunt that I did not fall for your loaded questions and because I may have chosen to respond otherwise than according to your pre-written script, I have not addressed the issue.  The only relevant question which I have addressed is whether you and Ananda Marga are religious in addition to being spiritual, and despite your opinion otherwise, it's relatively obvious that you and they are.  So you can take this claim about what I could and could not come up with and shove it up your rectum where you will find the rest of your opinions.  (I even listed how Ananda Marga hit all or most of the check marks on Ninian Smart's seven dimensions of religion, so your claim that I didn't come up with anything that makes sense is just absurd nonsense and yet another one of your lies.  Ninian Smart's research is highly acclaimed, and far from mere nonsense.)

Me proselytizing?

Are you kidding me?
When I ever mention the name of the organization that I follow?
You are the one who mention it all the time.

Proselytize, v.

1. intransitive. To make, or seek to make, proselytes or converts; = proselyte v. 1b. In extended use: to act as an advocate or proponent of something.
2. transitive. To convert or attempt to convert from one opinion, religion, or party, etc., to another; = proselyte v. 1a.

You are attempting to convert people to your religious opinion, thus proselytizing. More proof that you don't know shit from shinola.

But let us rather come to the point which is that you still haven't got a clue about the difference between spirituality and religion.

Who came first, spirituality or religion and why?
Who seek God internally and who externally?
Who ask God for the daily bread and who doesn't ask God for any material thing?
Who believe in hell and who doesn't?
Who believe in karma and reincarnation and who doesn't?
Who turned into intermediaries between God and the masses and why?

These are only few questions that anyone who think is an expert in this field should know.
Obviously you are not and I doubt you will be in the near future considering your stubbornness.

As noted, you employ these questions as a stalking horse rather than intending to engage in serious discussion. The only reason you ask is because you want to tell us what Ananda Marga followers believe and advocate for those beliefs and opinions. The belief that followers of Ananda Marga practice spirituality and not religion is just a dogma that the religion of Ananda Marga promotes and I'm not the least bit interested in the dogma of your religion. If you had something of intellectual merit to contribute to a discussion of the terms spirituality and religion, then I might consider your opinion, but you don't. All you care about doing is repeating your false and dishonest religious dogma about the matter. I could give a crap about your religious dogma regarding the question. So you can take your dogma and your loaded questions and fuck off.

[robvalue]

Rik is a really bad advocate for his beliefs because the atheists here generally behave in a way that karma would reward more favourably than him. Clearly it doesn’t make him “moral”, nor does he believe his own dogma. How on Earth he expects us to, I don’t know.

This is also true of most religious visitors we get, although I’m aware they aren’t representative.

[Little Rik]

Me proselytizing?

Are you kidding me?
When I ever mention the name of the organization that I follow?
You are the one who mention it all the time.

Proselytize, v.

1. intransitive. To make, or seek to make, proselytes or converts; = proselyte v. 1b. In extended use: to act as an advocate or proponent of something.
2. transitive. To convert or attempt to convert from one opinion, religion, or party, etc., to another; = proselyte v. 1a.

You are attempting to convert people to your religious opinion, thus proselytizing.  More proof that you don't know shit from shinola.

But let us rather come to the point which is that you still haven't got a clue about the difference between spirituality and religion.

Who came first, spirituality or religion and why?
Who seek God internally and who externally?
Who ask God for the daily bread and who doesn't ask God for any material thing?
Who believe in hell and who doesn't?
Who believe in karma and reincarnation and who doesn't?
Who turned into intermediaries between God and the masses and why?

These are only few questions that anyone who think is an expert in this field should know.
Obviously you are not and I doubt you will be in the near future considering your stubbornness.

As noted, you employ these questions as a stalking horse rather than intending to engage in serious discussion.  The only reason you ask is because you want to tell us what Ananda Marga followers believe and advocate for those beliefs and opinions.  The belief that followers of Ananda Marga practice spirituality and not religion is just a dogma that the religion of Ananda Marga promotes and I'm not the least bit interested in the dogma of your religion.  If you had something of intellectual merit to contribute to a discussion of the terms spirituality and religion, then I might consider your opinion, but you don't.  All you care about doing is repeating your false and dishonest religious dogma about the matter.  I could give a crap about your religious dogma regarding the question.  So you can take your dogma and your loaded questions and fuck off.

All this diversion to show that you haven't got a clue about the difference between spirituality and religion for what?
How on earth is possible to engage in serious discussion with you while you keep on pretending that you know this and that when in fact you do not?
Be honest yog and admit that you do not know.
If you knew you already would have said what is the difference.
Obviously you haven't got a clue yet you try to pretend that you do.
Shame yog, shame.  

[Angrboda]

When I ever mention the name of the organization that I follow?

And here you explicitly admit that you do indeed follow an organized religion. How is that not the very definition of being religious?

If it walks like a duck, talks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it's a duck. Any more questions about duckology?