The term ‘cult’ can be used in a positive, negative, or neutral sense. It does not necessarily have a pejorative meaning, although the term has taken on negative connotations — precisely due to the behaviour of some groups that have been identified as cults.
The ambiguity of the term ‘cult’ makes it necessary to identify or determine in what sense the word is used.
Note that the term ‘cult’ can be defined either sociologically or theologically. Sociology concerns itself with behavior, while theology concerns itself with doctrine. [More about the differences between sociological and theological definitions of the term ‘cult’]
Also, in some countries the term ‘sect‘ — equally ambiguous in meaning — is used instead of the word ‘cult.’
More information:
• Cult FAQ — Frequently Asked Questions About Cults, Sects, and Related Issues
• Cult Definition
See also:
cults use a method that experts now refer to as coercive control – an act or a pattern of acts of assault, threats, humiliation and intimidation or other abuse that is used to harm, punish, or frighten their victim into conforming.
Updated Israeli police have arrested man whom they suspect of leading a violent cult community that routinely practiced child abuse.
The group of people he controlled consisted of six families, including 11 parents and 25 children.
The upcoming trials of the last three Aum Shinrikyo cult members will inevitably revisit the atrocities committed by the cultists, whose spiritual pursuits under guru Shoko Asahara claimed 29 lives and left more than 6,500 people injured.
Cult experts hope that revisiting Aum’s mayhem will raise public awareness of the potential dangers of joining cults.
The Cult Information Centre, a UK charity that warns people of the dangers of cults, is set to have its funding withdrawn.
The problems started when a complaint was made to the commission about the centre’s educational remit.
‘Fatal Attraction’ star Glenn Close has told New York Magazine that she was well-equipped for a career in acting because she grew up in what she refers to as a ‘cult’ — which gave her the chance to practice pretending to be someone she was not.
After 25 years in operation, the Cult Information Centre in England fears it may no longer be able to work effectively.
The Cult Information Centre (CIC) was granted education charity status in 1992 but has recently run into difficulties with the commission after complaints were received from the Church of Scientology that it is in breach of the rules governing status.
A panel of academics and professionals from Israel’s Ministry of Welfare and Social Services will meet Thursday to discuss the possibility of creating legislation to legally outlaw sects and cultish practices in Israel.
The one-day symposium will explore the ethical dilemma of curbing such groups and attempt to sharpen the definition of what constitutes a cult.
South Australia’s chief prosecutor is calling for new laws to thwart the rise of cults across the nation.
Stephen Pallaras says a new approach by law-makers needs to address the “mental damage and mental harm” caused by cults.
Global fears of economic or environmental upheaval feed the growth of gurus and damaging cults that prey on the weak, a French government expert on cults has warned during a visit to Australia.
>Georges Fenech, president of France’s Interministerial >Mission for Monitoring and Combating Cultic Deviances, said it was working for greater international co-operation in dealing with sectarian abuses.
The three central defendants in a Jerusalem cult were indicted in the Jerusalem District Court on Wednesday, in a case of what police and social workers have called the worst abuse of its kind they have seen in decades.