What is a cult? Are more developing?

General Faith
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What is a cult? Are more developing?

The term “cult,” as expressed in the English language, can be used in both secular and religious settings. For example, “the singer’s cult of fans” or “the film has a cult following.” We’re discussing religious cults, defined by Dictionary.com as “great veneration of a person, ideal, or thing, especially as manifested by a body of admirers; a religion or sect considered to be false, unorthodox, or extremist, with members often living outside of conventional society under the direction of a charismatic leader.”
#Cult #WarningSigns #BiblicalTruth #Religion

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All major religions have offshoots that take accepted doctrine and distort it, forming a group that is considered apostate.

This is different from a sect, that takes one or two teachings and over emphasize those and sometimes make salvation requirements from teachings that are not required for salvation.

Are we seeing a rise in cult activity in Christianity?

Hinduism and Judaism are experiencing this right now.

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Cults or sects?

As an expert in historical religious movements, how do you classify each of these, that spun out of the Great Awakening?

Quakers
Seventh Day Adventists
Mormons
Jehovah’s Witnesses

I recently became interested in looking into a group that calls themselves The Twelve Tribes. Very cultish- but they (as each of the others do) consider themselves to be a sect of Christianity.

I’d love to hear your perspective.

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I define a cult as a group that denies basic tenets of a major religion, yet insists it is of that religion. Non-trinitarian, raising a book to equality with scripture, elevating their founder or others to a Christlike status are examples. Cults are also defined by control techniques. Demanding that members cut off family that leave the group, etc. Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses both fall into the category, and odd as it seems consider each other to be cults.

A sect takes one or two doctrines and elevated them to a status above other doctrines, or changed the definition of a doctrine a bit. Example: Holiness churches thst demand a second work of grace subsequent to salvation, or Pentecostals who insist speaking in tongues is THE proof of salvation and sanctification. Sects tend to be legalistic as well.

Seventh Day Adventists are a sect.

There are secular cults as well, based on a business or other secular groups.

The melding of Christianity with other religions, political groups, or health/exercise demands. Yes! A church that demands you be trim snd good looking exists! They have scales to weigh you, you must dress to the hilt to be a member.

Some would define Quakers as a cults, others as a sect I think they are a low control cult.

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The Twelve Tribes are indeed a cult, the last of the old Jesus movement hippie groups. They are in the Messianic category, and they target college age folks. Very legalistic. I believe they operate an organic sandwich shop near the Appalachian Trail.

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I want to be very clear: in the United States , ALL religions have freedom to practice their beliefs, even cults. I do not believe that should be curtailed in any way. Those that call members to commit criminal activity must be legally held responsible, however.
This isn’t just pretty talk. It is hard. Particular when dealing with extremist Hasidic Jews overtaking a village, Asian gun cults building a compound near where you hunt deer, or the secretive church thst has church bells blasting early in the morning on your day off.

Freedom for them, IMO, means freedom or all of us- and categorizing these groups is quite time consuming but must be done to determine if a group is indeed practicing a religion or if it is a cover for criminal activity.

Warren Jeffs, anyone?

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How would you define a cult?

The term “cult,” as expressed in the English language, can be used in both secular and religious settings. For example, “the singer’s cult of fans” or “the film has a cult following.” We’re discussing religious cults, defined by Dictionary.com as “great veneration of a person, ideal, or thing, especially as manifested by a body of admirers; a religion or sect considered to be false, unorthodox, or extremist, with members often living outside of conventional society under the direction of a charismatic leader.”
#Cult #WarningSigns #BiblicalTruth #Religion

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58118-CrowdCultish.1200w.tn700×366 36.6 KB

Photo Credit: ©Unsplash/sasan_rashtipour

In Acts 20:29-30 Paul is speaking to the early church—and to us—about cults. They existed back then just as much as they do today. If we’re not extremely careful, they can draw us away from the truth.

How would you define a cult? What are some signs to look out for so that we don’t fall into one?

Check out this article on Crosswalk for six telltale signs to look for when trying to determine if you’re dealing with a cult:

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There is already a thread on this topic.

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Have you been part of a cult?

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Oops. My bad. Sorry about that

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A fulfillment of biblical New Testament prophecy is indeed the latter-day rise of satanic false gospels, or as Waler Martin said, cults. Martin wrote “The Kingdom of the Cults” and he encouraged Billy Graham before he died in 1989 to include a webpage about cults if Graham established a website for BGEA, which he did. I can only write authoritatively about the Mormons, the Latter-day Saints, because I was a Mormon elder serving the devil for 30 years, from 1970 until 2000. Christian cults began with the schisms and heresies that divided the First Century church and brought about the incremental rise of Roman Catholicism, from around 96AD until 325AD. These false gospels fell in line with what the Apostle Paul told Timothy in 1 Timothy 4, 2 Timothy 3, Galatians 1:1-10, and Ephesians 6:12. Yet, these false gospels were to occur at different times during the long period of the latter-days, such as Islam, brought by a demonic angel, Gabriel, in the 7th Century, which has affected the lives of billions of God’s children since Mohammed wrote the cultic Koran. Roman Catholicism began as a cult that distorted the basic Gospel of Grace and faith, as did it’s paying to idols, which was called the cult of the virgin in the 10th Century, and its work-based ordinances. The Shakers and Quakers were cults that distorted the Gospel of Grace and purpose of the Holy Spirit. Except for the effect of Martin Luther on the Reformation, most of the reformers were caught up in distorting the Word of God for humanistic purposes. Then came Mormonism in 1830 and its sinister history and devilish polytheistic theology and doctrines concocted by Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, and Lorenzo Snow that fiendishly proclaimed that all men keeping the commandments of Mormonism could be as great as God almighty.

All of these prophecies of Paul had to be fulfilled as much as the prophecies of the Old Testament had to be fulfilled about the gathering of the children of Israel and the coming of the Savior Jesus in the rapture and first resurrection. What did Paul tell Christians to do about these cults? Though they, as Historyprof said, must be allowed their freedom to exist, they must not be tolerated but must be vigilantly opposed by evangelistic Christians. Christians are constantly in battle against evil in high places, per Ephesians 6:12, which sounds much like perverse American and politics. Vigilant evangelistic Christians must wield the sword of truth and righteousness aggressively to oppose the cults. I personally think that Romans 6 was a chapter devoted to the personal opinion of Paul about human government. Paul had permission from Jesus to state his opinion, as he did about marriage. Not all governments are good governments, which we can see from the American Revolution. The British government, under a king, was evil, and it still is to some degree in 2025. Freedom loving men and women should despise and oppose totalitarian government, as the American colonists despised the British control over their lives. Historyprof must remember that the greatest incentives to fight for liberty and justice in the American Revolution after 1775 came from the pastors and ministers who spoke-out from their pulpits to American men to stand and fight for liberty. Remember that the Apostle Paul completed his life with an admission to Timothy, that he had fought a good fight (against cults and false gospels) and kept the faith.

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This is a heavy but important discussion. 1 John 4:1 reminds us, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God…” …..and that’s still just as needed today. Cults often twist Scripture, adding to or taking away from the Gospel of grace found in Christ alone.

When we know what is true, we’re better equipped to spot erro, not to argue, but to gently correct and point others to Jesus (2 Timothy 2:24–26). May we be people who contend for the faith with both courage and compassion.

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Friends

Technically the word “cult” is really just a short version of the word “culture”. It comes from the same root word from which we get the word “cultivate”, which is a farming process that encourages the desirable plants while eliminating the undesirable ones. A “cultured” person is one in whom good traits are encouraged and bad ones are discouraged or eliminated (hopefully). A human culture is similar, in that it is a group of people who share some common beliefs, those who conform are welcomed, encouraged, and usually participate, and those who don’t conform are unwelcomed in some form or another. Only in the past 200 years has the term “cult” come to mean something negative, and is usually applied to religious groups who are “unorthodox”, and as judged by the person who is labeling them such, believe or practice something undesirable. There is no consensus, however, on what marks a religious group as a “cult”, and so it usually just means a religious group that is different than me, and one who I think negatively of.

Humans are tribal by nature, and naturally gravitate into groups of like-minded individuals. As a group inculcates its beliefs into its members, persons of dissimilar beliefs are rejected and distanced from the group. By this process, a culture is formed. When the group is religious, the same social process generates sectarian groups, and when those sects happen to practice or believe something untenable to a person or group, they are labeled a “cult”. To be labeled a cult is a bit of a scarlet letter, a negative mark, and groups tend to avoid the moniker if possible.

It makes little difference if the same groups are labeled cults by you and I. However, if you and I are in the same group, it may make a great difference if we do not agree on what group is a “cult”. One of us may feel the need to leave, or the need to push the other one out of the group.

When this subject was posed to Jesus, this is what He said.

Now John answered Him, saying, “Teacher, we saw someone who does not follow us casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow us.”
But Jesus said, "Do not forbid him, for no one who works a miracle in My name can soon afterward speak evil of Me. "For he who is not against us is on our side. For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name, because you belong to Christ, assuredly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward. Mark 9:38-41

What can we learn from this vignette?

KP

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It’s true the word “cult” has shifted over time, and your explanation of the root is thoughtful. But while culture and cultivation can certainly produce good fruit, I believe we still need to be clear when it comes to spiritual truth.

The Bible warns us not just about those who are “different,” but about those who distort the Gospel (Galatians 1:6–9). Jesus’ words in Mark 9 show that not every outsider is an enemy—but He also told us to beware of false prophets who come in sheep’s clothing (Matthew 7:15). The difference lies in whether Christ is being rightly preached, and whether the group holds fast to the authority of God’s Word.

It’s not about drawing tribal lines, but about guarding sound doctrine out of love for the truth and for souls. 2 John 1:9 warns us: “Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God.”

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Thanx @JennyLynne

You said:

Of course, I wholheartedly agree; we need to be clear when it comes to spiritual truth, and, by extension, and as bearers of The Truth, we need to be clear in everything that we say. I sure hope nothing in my “clarification” led you to believe otherwise.

@HistoryProf (who I believe is no longer with us) started this discussion over a year ago. He made some personal claims about groups he thought were “cults” in his personal POV – while pressing two (IMO contrary) views; that cults should be considered legitimate under the first amendment, and that often they are just a cover for illegal activity. I won’t comment any further on his ideas.

I’d really like to comment on several points you made, however, not to contradict, but to “be clear”. I’ll be brief.

You mentioned Gal. 1:6-9. Paul is speaking of “those who distort the Gospel” but, as you know, he is speaking here about contemporary orthodox Jews, specifically Judaizers, a group you would, no doubt, not call a cult. I do appreciate your point however, and we receive Paul’s admonition to the Galatians that “righteousness does not come through the law”. I also appreciate that this admonition does aptly apply to all who “distort the Gospel” in any way. “Even if Paul himself, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what Paul originally preached to you, let him be accursed (i.e. laid up for God’s judgement).” Galatians 1:8

I appreciate your reference to Matt. 7:15, but, for clarity, Jesus, in his famous sermon, is instructing his disciples to “beware of false prophets” and how to “know them, by their fruits”. Obviously, there were then, as there are now, “false prophets” who are ravenous wolves, who fail to “hold fast to the authority of God’s Word” as you say. Without question we should still “beware” and “know them by their fruits”. But to be clear, when given instructions to “beware”, Jesus is not tacitly giving us instructions to “confront”; we are instructed to “be cautions”, but not necessarily to antagonize. The sheep are rarely sent out to attack the wolves.

I sincerely appreciate, and agree with you that “

Here, you said it all.
Test all things; hold fast what is good.
Abstain from every form of evil.
1 Thessalonians 5:21-22

Peace in clarity.

KP

P.S., in the future, when responding directly to me, please use the little gray “reply” button at the bottom of my post, and not the blue “reply” button at the bottom of the thread. This keeps the thread clean and readable for others, and it also notifies me of your response. Thanx for your participation. I always enjoy reading your thoughts and ideas.

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Cults of Christianity have several hallmarks.

They deny the deity of Jesus, JwWs he is ‘a god ‘, Mormons the son of the god of this world and brother to the devil.

They have another more authoritive book over the bible.

They are exclusive, other Christian beliefs are in error.

They major in minor issues. JW Jehovah.

The first two are the key giveaways, any group that qhestions Jesus or the bible leave well alone.

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@Who-me Yes, you’ve pointed out some very clear warning signs of cults. When a group denies the full deity of Christ or adds new “revelation” that overrides Scripture, we’re not dealing with doctrine, we’re dealing with deception.

2 Corinthians 11:4 warns of those who preach “another Jesus” or bring “a different gospel.”

I also agree that when groups claim exclusive access to truth or elevate secondary issues, it often masks deeper theological errors. As you said, the biggest giveaways are a distorted view of Christ and a diminished view of Scripture.