What's The Real Difference Between A Cult And A Religion?

Publish date: 2024-05-02

Baltimore Sun writer Fleischacker, a professor of philosophy at the University of Illinois-Chicago, says the difference between a religion and a cult is "about 100 years." He notes that at one time, Islam and Christianity were both considered cults; now, of course, they are considered mainstream religions — the two most dominant religions in the world, according to Pew Research Center. Similarly, Quakers and Baptists were at one point considered cults.

All of these religions, at least at the beginning, checked off the boxes that would define a cult: a charismatic leader who claimed to have direct access to the divine (such as Jesus Christ or, later, Joseph Smith, as Tina Rodia notes in Penn Today), a belief system that challenged established orthodoxy, and the like. However, all have survived the centuries.

Cults, on the other hand, fail to last. Some have ended in mass suicide. Others have promoted unhealthy or abusive practices, and even direct their members to attack others. Still other cults have practices that antagonize younger members, driving them away. In short, cults tend to fall apart under their own weight, while religions tend to grow and, over the decades and centuries, become established, mainstream faith movements.

Another possible definition of the difference between a cult and a religion is widespread public acceptance and, in particular, governmental intervention.

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7qL7Up56eZpOkunCCj3JnaW5frLWiwNJmq6GdXaeyoriMnaCfnpWnsq%2BvxGaZnqynmrKvecBmmq6kpGKur7CMmmSrnZyetKq7zWg%3D