DEFINITION OF A CULT

This is a personal view, I haven't consulted Wikipedia and I haven't sought the advice of anyone. The key to all religious belief is summed up in the following quote by Jidu Krishnamurti -

"The mind gives meaning to anything but the meaning it gives is meaningless."

CULT:
The word "cult" generally applies to a group of people who follow an authority figure who is either deluded, dishonest or quite mad. Or a combination of all three. The authority figure is usually charismatic in a sick sort of way, always a megalomaniac and often a psychopath. The authority figure - usually a man but sometimes a woman - demands absolute obedience from devotees. This can sometimes lead to indescribable cruelty directed at devotees but especially towards the children of devotees. Normally loving and caring parents can be brainpumped to believe that they must beat their children mercilessly to save their soul from hell. Anyone who challenges this diabolical practice is told to read the Bible (proverbs) which instructs parents not to spare the rod, nor show pity for the child's tears.

Not all cults behave like this but a great many do.

Because cults operate outside the mainstream and have little or no contact with the outside world the leaders can and often do behave abominably towards their flock and to the children of devotees. Paedophilia is often rife, cruelty is a sacrament and sometimes mass suicide is the result of people blindly following a deranged, deluded and psychopathic authority figure.

None of these awful activities are exclusive to cults as we'll learn shortly, but it's a rare cult where the followers are treated with kindness, consideration and respect. The devotees exist to inflate the already overblown ego of the authority figure who gets his kicks from watching otherwise intelligent people grovelling before him and treating him like a God.

Very often devotees are convinced that the authority figure is the resurrected "Christ" or a combination of Christ, Buddha, Moses and Krishna. Whatever the authority figure wants his devotees to believe, they will believe.

Notorious cult leaders:
Guru Maharaji (Divine Light Mission), Raj Neesh (the orange people), L. Ron Hubbard (Scientology), Jim Jones (People's Temple), Sun Myung Moon (Moonies), Sai Baba, David Berg (Children of God), Joseph Di Mambro (Solar Temple), Shoko Asahara (Aum Supreme Truth).

It has to be said that Scientology is a stand-alone cult in so far as it is based on the thoughts of science fiction writer, L. Ron Hubbard who figured out how to turn science fiction into fact in the minds of those people generous enough to pay huge sums of money for his intergalactic wisdom. Scientology considers itself a religion and despite numerous court battles around the world the "church" manages to retain its legal status as a religion but in time that will change.

SECT:
The difference between a cult and a sect is hard to define, the line separating the two is bent and blurred. Basically speaking, a sect is a breakaway group from an established religion. Someone within an established church convinces himself (him or her understood throughout) that he's had a vision from "god". God tells him to break away from his church and form a new church based on the information provided in the vision.

Sects, like cults, can be very secretive about their beliefs and activities. Jehovah's Witnesses have a liberal attitude towards adult/child sex but when questioned they deny it. Mormons are reluctant to discuss their magic underwear. The Exclusive Brethren is the most secretive of all sects, barricading themselves against what they perceive to be the evils of the world.

Notorious sect leaders:
Yeshua (Jesus), Moses, Charles Russell (Jehovah's Witnesses), Joseph Smith (Mormons), Mary Baker Eddy (Christian Scientists), William Miller (Seventh Day Adventists) , Frederick Raven (Exclusive Brethren), Krishna Consciousness, David Koresh (Branch Davidians).

RELIGION:
A religion is simply a cult that has grown large and is recognised by the state as a religion for tax exempt purposes. Large cults and most sects also qualify for tax exempt status.