I think it also has a factor of how well it blends with current/dominant society. You’d probably be able to find a large amount of folks who agree that the amish are a cult, for example. They’ve been around for a while, and they have relatively large numbers, but their rejection of modern technology flies in the face of the average modern person. If pressed on ‘why?’ those people considering them a cult likely have that unique quality behind the ‘cult’ reasoning.
Just off the top of my head, the snake handlers and the jehovah’s witnesses are both considered cults in my social circle (as in, these topics have come up and are generally agreed on), despite both being large enough to be known in many areas and have been around for quite a while.
Well…yeah. The only difference between a religion and a cult is member count and how long it’s been around.
Big and several generations? Religion.
Small or only been around for a few generations? Cult.
The only reason Christianity isn’t a cult is because we were told it’s a religion.
Just like Herbalife isn’t a pyramid scheme, it’s an MLM.
I’m sorry but I think you missed my point. Religion is cult plus time is not a helpful framework.
I think it also has a factor of how well it blends with current/dominant society. You’d probably be able to find a large amount of folks who agree that the amish are a cult, for example. They’ve been around for a while, and they have relatively large numbers, but their rejection of modern technology flies in the face of the average modern person. If pressed on ‘why?’ those people considering them a cult likely have that unique quality behind the ‘cult’ reasoning.
Just off the top of my head, the snake handlers and the jehovah’s witnesses are both considered cults in my social circle (as in, these topics have come up and are generally agreed on), despite both being large enough to be known in many areas and have been around for quite a while.