Are all cults 'bad'?

I think cults have just accumulated a bad name over time,
Due to the cults that commit mass-suicide and crimes. I'll bet that there are cults that do no harm to anyone;

 

Rastafari is considered a "cult"

 

A lot of what coincidentally comes with cults is bad, but that can be said of most religions or non-religious organisations to some degree.

However, in terms of how we define a cult as separate from religion, the bad thing, for me and most people, is the requirement of a strict code that is not open to interpretation, and doesn't allow discrete degrees of adherence the way a religion does. Of course, it is likely that not all cults are like this, or that it's something all religions go through and are eventually forced to "grow out of" as they become more popular - they must either evolve to fit newer generations of members, or else face extinction.

In general though, I dislike this idea. I believe that the good thing about religion is that it generally keeps punishment ethereal and distant, in Hell rather than in the immediate now. While there are flaws in this, it does at least leave it up to a person's conscience to punish them, rather than some cult elder.

I'm interested to know how people feel about this though. I'm of the firm belief that merely being considered a cult should not be seen as inherently negative; rather, that a cult is potentially an emerging religion. They should be judged individually based on what they do and don't do. A cult is very often no different from a commune, and if a belief that they share is harmless then that can be a very positive thing, a means of resistance to homogeny and hegemony in society.

 

So you don't see any difference between lying to someone and "mind control"? Would you know what a virus was, or whether a condom worked, if no-one had ever told you? There's a lack of education in Africa about what AIDS is, to the extent where people believed (no joke) that they could catch it via text message. Yes, I believe that the church's preaching in Africa is irresponsible, just as I believe that the US's aid programmes concerning sexual health are irresponsible. But to suggest that there is some kind of brain washing involved is a severe exaggeration.

 

i'd be more inclined to ask:"are all cults good?".

with the exception of a few major religeons, most of them, it seems to me, are.

(and there are certianly lies about what a lack of education is)

=^^=
.../\...

 

First thing you have to do when asking question like this is to define the word 'cult'. It has many different interpretations and over time it became something different what it meant originaly. I think the original meaning was really to adore something, to worship for example leader or some object/idea which isn't that bad in itself but as most cults exploited its members, had harmful and dangerous practices it gained negative charge and that is how the word is used today.

Some definitions can be found here: http://www.google.sk/search?hl=sk&c...ine:cult&sa=X&oi=glossary_definition&ct=title

In this section of this forum and certainly when people are talking about Scientology being a cult they have this definition in mind:

This is the definition most people have in mind when talking about some group being a 'cult'. Members of such cults defend themselves (at least Scientology) by throwing another definition at you and telling you that you don't know what you're talking about ignoring the actual definition you have in mind. In my view that's another sign of brainwashing ... they ignore what you're trying to say and substitute it with what they've been told instead, they defend themselves by ignorance.

 

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