What's a cult?

What's a cult?

This is a question I've asked before - numerous times in this blog, most likely - but it's a question I find very interesting.

Cult is a weird word because people attach so much to it. We use "cult" like a swear word typically, and things like Waco and movies like Red State do a good job keeping the media focused on the "dangerous" and "subversive" elements of a cult... But what truly is a cult? Many religions can be called cults in their early forms, so is it just numbers and historical distance that separate "cults" from "full" religions? I don't think so. But let's explore.

A cult, according to a Google search of "What is a cult", has four definitions:
1) A system of religions veneration and devotion directed towards a particular figure or object.
2) A relatively small group of people having religious beliefs or practices regarded by others as strange or sinister.
3) A misplaced or excessive admiration for a particular person or thing.
4) A person or thing that is that is popular or fashionable, especially among a particular section of society.

Working backwards, 4 seems to be too narrow in its definition; 3 seems to be on the right track, but the inclusion of the word "misplaced" creates a rather negative connotation; 2 seems to be a bit more inclusive with its definition, but it still has a bit of negativity about it in regards to other people; 1 seems to be a good definition, but perhaps it is too broad? If cults are truly what is listed in this first definition, is there any separation between "religion" and "cult"?

Personally, it seems as if a more workable and specific definition of a cult could be a mixture between 2 & 3: A relatively small group of people with an excessive admiration for a particular person or thing that borders on the religious or mystical. 

With this definition in mind, there is a difference between "full" religions and things which may be considered "cults." It's more of a neutral definition, and it addresses something I think is necessary for a "cult" to have: A relatively small number of people, and an object of devotion. If a cult grows in numbers, then perhaps we have a religion, but I think a cult is a more localized phenomenon that centers on a specific person, place or thing as opposed to a religion that is a little bit more diffused and "universal."

From this definition, I think a more complex thing could then be created upon it: Rituals, moves to other countries, restrictive practices, etc... But I think it's necessary to define a cult differently than a religion. I don't know why. Maybe there's some weird thing in me that forces me to define them separately.

But, I bring it up because I've mentioned that I believe Acting Schools in America are cults, or at least exhibit some cult-like behavior, but I don't think that cults are necessarily a bad thing. Yes, Jonestown was bad. Heaven's Gate was a tragedy, but to think for a moment outside the norm: Could their death have actually been what those people truly wanted? Brainwashing is always a thing to consider, yes, but at what point and at what level do personal leaders affect their "congregation"?

I would argue, quite a lot, actually. Personal leaders are taste-makers, trend-setters, and they often have isolated a member so much that their fellow cult members are their only form of support and family. I sincerely doubt most people in Jonestown, based on the evidence, wanted to kill themselves, but I'm sure that many of them were afraid that if they didn't, they would have no family, no support, no help and nowhere else to go. To use a cliche, their eggs were all in one basket, and while the leader of a cult may have just placed the basket on the ground and supplied the eggs, they almost force the hand of the member to do such a thing. One can always say "no," but it would depend on the level of involvement one has within a cult. I have seen people be violently abused and verbally wasted in a "cult-like" atmosphere, only to have them turn to me afterwards and say while bawling their eyes out, "I deserved it."

People do things in groups that they would never do by themselves, and new philosophies often find their most ardent believers in times of trouble. A cult can be good, yes, and so can a religion, but it is important to see how both of those things can be twisted and manipulated. A strong and workable definition of a cult is a good first step for understanding how and when these manipulations take place, and how once can guard against it.

Eventually, I'll probably let you know what happened in my experience.... It was pretty wild, yo.

Pretty wild.