What seperates a cult from a "normal" religion? Im not anti religion I just wonder where the cut off was. In 6th grade health class we were warned about "cults" but the teacher never exactly explained what a "cult" was.
I am quite anti-religion myself so I struggle not to say all religions are a cult and walk away. Sociologists classify a movement as a cult by some criteria, including:
Excessive zealousness in behaviour.
Not questioning the leader(s).
Dissent or questioning or doubt are discouraged and punished.
Elitism and a polarizing us-against-them mentality.
Preoccupation with acquiring new members.
Insisting that whatever is demanded of members and whatever the cult does is always justified.
Members are expected to commit most or all of their time to the cult.
Discouraged from interacting with anyone not in the cult, including family and friends.
Shunning of anyone who leaves.
Instilling the belief that there is no life beyond the group and nothing worth living for outside the group.
Instilling the belief that members will be worthless, useless, or otherwise incapable without the group and its practices.
Shaming, confessions, spying, excessive exhausting work, or other means of controlling members.
Control over member's lives outside the group, work and school and recreation and even their correspondence with others.
And probably others as well.
The biggest red flag is shunning and squashing of dissent. If the group wants to keep people from voicing doubt or interacting with anyone who doubts, questions, doesn't believe, etc... then odds are it has some culty practices and is possibly dangerous.