What's the difference between a dangerous cult and a "normal" religion?

Question

There are hundreds of thousands of religious groups in the world but only a percentage, albeit sizable, of those are considered dangerous cults.

Most religious groups are based around a different interpretation of the same basic source, like the Bible, i.e. Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, Catholic, Protestant, Lutheran, the Moonies and so on and others have very much their own belief system, like the church of scientology and Dahn Hak.

How do you work out which is just a group of religious people and which is a dangerous cult? What makes a dangerous cult dangerous and a religious group okay? Don't they all seek world domination? Aren't they all just groups of people desperately seeking solace in a harsh world?

One thing I know, it can't be how wacky the beliefs are because let's face it the Bible has some pretty far out stories that compare with the space alien stories of groups like the church of scientology.

Answer 1

Perhaps the best way to asses a group is the BITE model by Steve Hassan.



Groups are assessed by what methods they use to control the following four factors of a members life and the end result:



Behaviour

Information

Thoughts

Emotions



The end result being:



Dangerous cults promote dependency and obedience to some leader or cause through some of the following mind control techniques.



Behaviour Control

1. Regulation of individual's physical reality

a. Where, how and with whom the member lives and associates with

b. What clothes, colours, hairstyles the person wears

c. What food the person eats, drinks

d. How much sleep the person is able to have

e. Financial dependence

f. Restricted leisure time

2. Major time commitment required for indoctrination sessions and group rituals

3. Need to ask permission for major decisions

4. Need to report thoughts, feelings and activities to superiors

5. behaviour modification techniques-Rewards and punishments

6. Individualism discouraged; group think prevails

7. Rigid rules and regulations

8. Need for obedience and dependency



Information Control

1. Use of deception

a. Deliberately holding back information

b. Distorting information to make it acceptable

c. Outright lying

2. Access to non-cult sources of information discouraged

a. Books, articles, newspapers, magazines, TV, radio

b. Critical information

c. Former members

d. Keep members so busy they don't have time to think

3. Compartmentalized information; Outsider v Insider doctrines

a. Information not freely accessible

b. Information varies at different levels & missions within pyramid

c. Leadership decides who "needs to know"

4. Spying on other members encouraged

a. Pairing with "buddy" to monitor and control

b. Reporting deviant thoughts, feelings, and actions to leadership

5. Extensive use of cult generated propaganda

a. Newsletters, magazines, journals, audio tapes, videotapes, etc.

b. Misquotations, statements taken out of context from non-cult sources

6. Unethical use of confession

a. Information about "sins" used to abolish identity boundaries

b. Past "sins" used to manipulate and control; no forgiveness or absolution



Thought Control

1. Need to internalize the group's doctrine as "Truth"

a. Map = Reality

b. Black and White thinking

c. Good v evil

d. Us v them (inside v outside)

2. Adopt "loaded" language.. Words are the tools we use to think. These "special" words constrict understanding. They reduce complexities of experience into trite, platitudinous "buzz words".

3. Only "good" and "proper" thoughts encouraged.

4. Thought-stopping techniques (to shut down "reality testing" by stopping "negative" thoughts and allowing only "good" thoughts); rejection of rational analysis, critical thinking, constructive criticism.

a. Denial, rationalization, justification, wishful thinking

b. Chanting

c. Meditating

d. Praying

e. Speaking in "tongues"

f. Singing or humming

5. No critical questions about leader, doctrine, or policy seen as legitimate

6. No alternative belief systems viewed as legitimate, good, or useful



Emotional Control

1. Manipulate and narrow the range of a person's feelings.

2. Make the person feel like problems are always their fault, never the leader's or the group's.

3. Excessive use of guilt

a. Identity guilt

1. Who you are (not living up to your potential)

2. Your family

3. Your past

4. Your affiliations

5. Your thoughts, feelings, actions

b. Social guilt

c. Historical guilt

4. Excessive use of fear

a. Fear of thinking independently

b. Fear of the "outside" world

c. Fear of enemies

d. Fear of losing one's "salvation"

e. Fear of leaving the group or being shunned by group

f. Fear of disapproval

5. Extremes of emotional highs and lows.

6. Ritual and often public confession of "sins".

7. Phobia indoctrination : programming of irrational fears of ever leaving the group or even questioning the leader's authority. The person under mind control cannot visualize a positive, fulfilled future without being in the group.

a. No happiness or fulfilment "outside"of the group

b. Terrible consequences will take place if you leave: "hell"; "demon possession"; "incurable diseases"; "accidents"; "suicide"; "insanity"; "10,000 reincarnations"; etc.

c. Shunning of leave takers. Fear of being rejected by friends, peers, and family.

d. Never a legitimate reason to leave. From the group's perspective, people who leave are: "weak;" "undisciplined;" "unspiritual;" "worldly;" "brainwashed by family, counsellors;" seduced by money, sex, rock and roll."



Hope that helps.

Answer 2

Coming from an LDS perspective (we are sometimes called a "cult" by others):



http://lds.org/new-era/1998/05/are-mormons-christians?lang=eng



"The negative term most frequently flung at the LDS is “cult,” a term which can suggest images of pagan priests and rituals. But the truth is there is no objective distinction by which a cult may be distinguished from a religion. Use of the term cult does not tell us what a religion is, only how it is regarded by the person using the term. It simply means “a religion I don’t like.”



Though non-LDS scholars have made many attempts to define a “cult” in a way that would distinguish it from a “religion,” to date every such attempt has failed. So far the major difficulty has been that any definition of “cult” that fits the LDS Church also fits New Testament Christianity! But that’s not bad company to be in."

Answer 3

"Cults" are groups that require you to believe in something without questioning it, and they don't nesessarily have to be religious.



Destructive cults usually have negative financial, mental or spiritual consequences for their members. Followers lose their posessions, freedom and ability to critically think. The cult "officers" or leaders lie and deceive the followers, and spread misinformation in the outside world. Cult followers often try to defend what they were brainwashed to believe in, regardless of any evidence you might present to them.



Mainstream religions don't usually do that. Though some people are more dedicated than is good for them, a lot of their co-believers can actually make an interesting conversation with you. You can't do that with cultists, who simply ignore everything that doesn't fit in their world.

Answer 4

Well ... c'mon! Jim Jones essentially declared himself God and taught his followers that anyone who denied him as Lord is a danger to them all. He then ... drilled them in mock mass suicide exercises.



Christians try to set ourselves apart by our love.



David Koresh armed himself with massive weapon stores for ... a showdown.



Christians try to glorify God in everything we do, including what we do unto the least of thee, we do unto Jesus.



Islam essentially has declared anyone who doesn't believe that Muhammad is the prophet is an infidel who must die. Islam is a religion of war. They spread their "gospel" through violence, fear, and intimidation. It's a religion not unlike the Hotel California. You can checkout but you can never leave.



Christians coerce no one into their faith or threaten anyone who wants to leave. We know that faith is a personal walk with Jesus Christ!



And so on!



The logic and reason you use to determine "dangerous" religions (often called cults) is not unlike the logic and reason you would use to determine dangerous foods in contrast to those that are safe!



Christians don't kill people. Muslims do. Many other cults do. Christians don't arm ourselves for a fight against the world. Many other cults do. People come into and leave the Christian faith at will. Cults do not allow this! Christians don't demand any allegiance to any human here on earth. Many of the cults have a human head that people are told to bow to! Christians don't die as a result of being Christian. That's not true of cults. JUST as poison mushrooms kill but non-poisonous mushrooms do not, cults are poison. Christianity is not a cult and is not poison.



Lord bless

Answer 5

No, Scripture is not full of wacky beliefs. The problem is carnal minded folks try to understand a spiritual book, with their carnal minds. That is not possible, hence, the wild ideas floating around today.



Now the ONLY TRUE religion, is the One described in the Book of Acts, in the Holy KJV. All others are fakes, and DEAD, blind, NAKED, and miserable excuses of a 'church.'

They do disgrace the true God and His True Church. I dare say it would be hard to find a true Church today. Especially since the false ones have the upper hand, by having most of the people, shouting their lies, such as trinity.



They are against the baptism of the Holy Ghost, with the evidence of speaking in other tongues, as the Spirit gives utterance,...hence, they are dead, no life.



Now if you truly wish to find the true Religion, Seek God and the baptism of the Holy Ghost, according to the Book of Acts.

There is no other right way.

If you reject this, you will forever make wild statements because of a carnal reasoning.

None of the 'others' have any true Scripture proving their false religion. For instance, no such thing in all Scripture as a trinity.

No holidays told by God for us to do.

No paid preachers.

No dead 'births' without Holy Ghost.

Answer 6

A dangerous cult is a group you can't leave because they will hunt you down and force you back.



They are very small, and have very strong leaders like Koresh or Jim Jones.



It demeans the word to use it on religions that have millions of members and lose members by the tens of thousands regularly.



Don't misuse the word just because you don't agree with someone else's doctrines.

Answer 7

Walter Martin (Kingdom of the Cults) came up with a '10 characteristics of a cult'. The only problem was that Jesus met all of those characteristics, so the religion of Christ was, itself, a cult. So it becomes somewhat difficult to determine what a cult, in the way you refer to it, is.



It is easy to determine the Jim Jones followers, Heaven's Gate, the Karesh followers, etc. to be the type of dangerous cults. For others, no they aren't cults. They are only called cults because the people who call them that do so because of its a 'they don't believe as I do'.

Answer 8

You need to define your terms in order to properly discuss or ask an answerable question here.

Normal , Religion, Cult, Dangerous?



You could put the word dangerous in from of anything and give it a negative spin.And how do you define "normal"?

Like "What's the difference between a dangerous religion and normal cult?"

Answer 9

The more negativity that comes out backfires. People see what's being done and wonder why a few are making so much noise about a religion. It just makes them curious. Scientology is expanding! Thanks!!



Edit:

What's with all the chat? Isn't that violating the guidelines?

Answer 10

Christianity promotes love and peace. There are only two types of Christian under Christianity. Christian Sheep and Christian Goats. True Christians are the ones that obey the teachings found in the Bible and apply them in their daily lives. (2Tim 3:16-17) False Christians are more about human desires such as rich and famous at the cause of someone else. However, the Bible teaches, to have love for one another, to love neighbors as ourselves, and even to love our enemies because God pours rains and sunshine upon both wicked and righteous people. True Christians "beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning shears." -Isaiah 2:2-4.



Does religion matter?

http://www.watchtower.org/e/bh/article_15.htm

http://www.watchtower.org/e/kn37/article_01.htm

Answer 11

The same difference between riding an unbroken horse and a broken horse. You KNOW the unbroken horse is going to do everything possible to fight you. That is accepted. You know the broken horse is going to remain docile and obedient, and is going to carry you wherever you go as an extension of yourself.



The problem comes when you assume that docile horse is just a mere extension of yourself. Then you find out of nowhere it suddenly bucks you off, scrapes you off under a tree branch, turns and bites down hard typically somewhere very tender. You see, you've forgotten that its a living animal with a mind of its own, pain of its own, reactions and plans all its own. A life of its own. Never come to think your chosen church is an extension of yourself. Never allow your church to believe you are an extension of it. Both types of false belief will turn and bite you in the most tender spot you have every time. Do you believe there are people out there in evangelical churches that are not cultivating a little cult worship of their own, just like the biggest cult church, the mormons, are doing right at this moment? Cult means YOU have forgotten that it is GOD who must be payed attention to at all times. YOU have come to expect God to behave in a certain manner, brought Him down to your level, through your own inattention. That is a cult. No matter the face.



God is God. Never a church. Never let it be said that exmormons don't learn the first lesson of faith. Trust the unfathomable, unknowable GOD, or nothing else.



EDIT>>> And neither do I. You see, God prefers independent relationship with believers in Him. That way there is no blurring of lines. YOU are responsible before God for YOUR end of the relationship, and He is responsible for His end of the relationship. No church involved to run to, to blame, to hold up as some prize. Gathering together with likeminded individuals is not wrong. Its gathering with likeminded individuals and depending upon THEM to replace or enhance this relationship with God is where the trouble starts. Some people eventually come to depend upon churches as their "adulterer", replacing the church teachings with relationship with God. Same as in marriage. Is any interloper considered part of the marriage union, or outside it? Exmormons are not a cult. They of all people know intimately what happens when relationship with God has been corrupted, infiltrated, and refuse to return to their own vomit, if you will.

Answer 12

In a "normal" religion, those who cause harm (of some sort) are, by a wide margin, the exception. In a cult, that's pretty much standard practice.

Answer 13

A prophet has said that a man can get closer to God by reading the Book of Mormon than by any other book. Thus you may forget all other churches (however much good they do) if you read and follow the Book of Mormon.

Answer 14

There is no "normal" religion. Each religion has it's own unique doctrine and it may be true for you or not true for you.



LOL. Meggie, that was spot on!

Answer 15

The cults shoot people with lead. Religious groups shoot people the bird.

Answer 16

a dangerous cult usually ends in mass suicide

Answer 17

Extremely fine line.

Answer 18

There are still extremists in normal religion, so...

Answer 19

Nothing.

Answer 20

cults lie and deny the TRinity....google this

kingdom of the cults..