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Yes. In my alternate universe north of the 49th, they have these wonderful parked vehicles called "chip trucks" that sell French fries in summer, and I can't for the life of me understand why they aren't on every corner in New Jersey.
But unlike the UK, they call potato chips potato chips and not crisps.
Yeah. And what made it harder ... in my young day, before the Romans left, British chips were cooked proper, like. pale, greasy, soft and wet with those delicious little crunchy black flecks all over. Those were Chips and American fries were crisp, golden and dry; quite wrong. But then we went into Europe, the French chefs started teaching us how to do it different and now you just can't tell them apart.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bobspez
A cult seeks to isolate members from family and friends and those who think differently. A legitimate religion doesn't do that. A religion is voluntary, you can come and go as you please, invest as much or little time and money into it as you wish. A cult seeks to dominate your time and money.
Back on topic Well, you're on the right lines. But fact is, a religion seeks to do that as well. See the Mustwatch Tracie Harris vid on Religious Family Values, which shows that religion uses the family to serve itself. True, religion often doesn't do that, but only because people have drifted away a bit, but it would dominate family and community if it could.
A Cult is different in as I say, "It lets you go home at night". A cult becomes your family. Of course, Religion Can have Cultish elements.
That's why people sometimes think they are the same.
Last edited by TRANSPONDER; 11-27-2018 at 04:22 PM..
for me its freedom. In religion you can come and go as you please. Cult is more extreme. But when they lock you in and claim they are a "profit", run. Jesus was against literal religion. If they teach literal religion it is not of Christ. really simple.
I think this is a fair statement.
But even leaving a group that is not a cult may be difficult as well, due to possibly losing family and social ties.
Yeah, descriptions and definitions that include pretty much everybody except people who believe exactly as he does.
They now prefer to use the word "apostate" when cult is too extreme for them now.
Just about every non-Evangelical Protestant falls under this category in their book.
A cult seeks to isolate members from family and friends and those who think differently. A legitimate religion doesn't do that. A religion is voluntary, you can come and go as you please, invest as much or little time and money into it as you wish. A cult seeks to dominate your time and money.
And is hard to leave. Some religions call you an apostate if you leave their particular church, and then it's hard with friends and family still in. Some sects straddle the line of being a cult very closely.
This may or may not be the best place to explore this question. I'm guessing that many atheists would make no distinction between a cult and a religion.
My background, briefly: I was raised in a fairly liberal United Methodist Church. It's focus was on being and doing good, social causes, love toward others. It was not heavy on rules, doctrine, no feeling of mind-control. Then as a young adult, I somehow got active in an independent Bible church (was similar to an Independent Fundamentalist Baptist), and it was heavy on rules, doctrine, taught that most other Christian churches (and non-Christian of course) were wrong, no questioning of the teachings was accepted, etc. Looking back, I would call it a cult. Long story short, I've been agnostic for about 15 years now.
I don't really have a problem with churches like the one I grew up in. But I still carry a fair amount of anger toward groups that (to me) are cults. I've watched Leah Remini's show about Scientology, and her recent episode about Jehovah's Witnesses, and it just makes my blood boil.
I'm curious if some of you make a distinction. To me, most importantly, is the mind control involved. A cult member can't really deviate from what they are told they must believe. Another important point is what happens when you try to leave the group. Is there shunning, harassment, etc. Lastly, is the group more focused on specific beliefs than on kind, loving actions?
This may or may not be the best place to explore this question. I'm guessing that many atheists would make no distinction between a cult and a religion.
My background, briefly: I was raised in a fairly liberal United Methodist Church. It's focus was on being and doing good, social causes, love toward others. It was not heavy on rules, doctrine, no feeling of mind-control. Then as a young adult, I somehow got active in an independent Bible church (was similar to an Independent Fundamentalist Baptist), and it was heavy on rules, doctrine, taught that most other Christian churches (and non-Christian of course) were wrong, no questioning of the teachings was accepted, etc. Looking back, I would call it a cult. Long story short, I've been agnostic for about 15 years now.
I don't really have a problem with churches like the one I grew up in. But I still carry a fair amount of anger toward groups that (to me) are cults. I've watched Leah Remini's show about Scientology, and her recent episode about Jehovah's Witnesses, and it just makes my blood boil.
I'm curious if some of you make a distinction. To me, most importantly, is the mind control involved. A cult member can't really deviate from what they are told they must believe. Another important point is what happens when you try to leave the group. Is there shunning, harassment, etc. Lastly, is the group more focused on specific beliefs than on kind, loving actions?
Those "cults" would call your "real bonafied religions with freedom" as simply "worldly/corrupted relgions" and "self-help meeting groups with no real Godly substance, ugly and luke-warm secular cults."
Sad but true, yet not necessarily as derogatory as those "cults" would wish it to be. Real and safe freedom sounds nice, for one.
This may or may not be the best place to explore this question. I'm guessing that many atheists would make no distinction between a cult and a religion.
My background, briefly: I was raised in a fairly liberal United Methodist Church. It's focus was on being and doing good, social causes, love toward others. It was not heavy on rules, doctrine, no feeling of mind-control. Then as a young adult, I somehow got active in an independent Bible church (was similar to an Independent Fundamentalist Baptist), and it was heavy on rules, doctrine, taught that most other Christian churches (and non-Christian of course) were wrong, no questioning of the teachings was accepted, etc. Looking back, I would call it a cult. Long story short, I've been agnostic for about 15 years now.
I don't really have a problem with churches like the one I grew up in. But I still carry a fair amount of anger toward groups that (to me) are cults. I've watched Leah Remini's show about Scientology, and her recent episode about Jehovah's Witnesses, and it just makes my blood boil.
I'm curious if some of you make a distinction. To me, most importantly, is the mind control involved. A cult member can't really deviate from what they are told they must believe. Another important point is what happens when you try to leave the group. Is there shunning, harassment, etc. Lastly, is the group more focused on specific beliefs than on kind, loving actions?
I do not see it as a distinction, but a matter of degree between religion as practiced by may and fundamentalism. Such as when does red become purple? Psalms 14:1 is an example of what I mean. It is not a good passage for gaining converts, it can only be for those in the religion, to attack any doubts as foolish. This is typical behavior of cults, yet is found in Judaism and Christianity.
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Well, you're on the right lines. But fact is, a religion seeks to do that as well. See the Mustwatch Tracie Harris vid on Religious Family Values, which shows that religion uses the family to serve itself. True, religion often doesn't do that, but only because people have drifted away a bit, but it would dominate family and community if it could. 
) and yours was Spot On.
Cult vs religion?
