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{{WikipediaQuote|URL=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cult|Title=Cult}}
<blockquote>
In modern English, a '''cult''' is a social group that is defined by its unusual religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs and rituals,<ref>{{REFweb
|url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cult
|title=cult
|website=Merriam-Webster
}}</ref> or its common interest in a particular personality, object, or goal. This sense of the term is controversial, having divergent definitions both in popular culture and academia, and has also been an ongoing source of contention among scholars across several fields of study.<ref name=ZablockiRobbins>{{REFbook
|last=Zablocki
|first=Benjamin David
|last2=Robbins
|first2=Thomas
|title=Misunderstanding Cults: Searching for Objectivity in a Controversial Field
|publisher=University of Toronto Press
|year=2001
|isbn=0-8020-8188-6
|page=473
}}</ref><ref name="Richardson">{{REFjournal
|last=Richardson
|first=James T.
|init=JT
|date=1993
|title=Definitions of Cult: From Sociological-Technical to Popular-Negative
|journal=Review of Religious Research
|volume=34
|issue=4
|pages=348–56
|DOI=10.2307/3511972
|JSTOR=3511972
}}.</ref> The word "cult" is usually considered a pejorative.
An older sense of the word ''cult'' involves a set of religious devotional practices that are conventional within their culture, are related to a particular figure, and are often associated with a particular place.<ref>{{REFweb
|url=https://oed.com/search?searchType=dictionary&q=cult
|title=cult
|editor=Oxford English Dictionary
|publisher=Oxford University Press
|quote=2.a. A particular form or system of religious worship or veneration, esp. as expressed in ceremony or ritual directed towards a specified figure or object.
}}</ref> References to the "cult" of a particular Catholic saint, or the imperial cult of ancient Rome, for example, use this sense of the word.
While the literal and original sense of the word remains in use in the English language, a derived sense of "excessive devotion" arose in the 19th century.<ref>Compare the ''Oxford English Dictionary'' note for usage in 1875: "cult:…b. A relatively small group of people having (esp. religious) beliefs or practices regarded by others as strange or sinister, or as exercising excessive control over members.… 1875 ''Brit. Mail 30'' Jan. 13/1 Buffaloism is, it would seem, a cult, a creed, a secret community, the members of which are bound together by strange and weird vows, and listen in hidden conclave to mysterious lore."</ref>
Beginning in the 1930s, cults became the object of sociological study in the context of the study of religious behavior.<ref>{{REFbook
|last=Fahlbusch
|first=Erwin
|last2=Bromiley
|first2=Geoffrey W.
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=C5V7oyy69zgC&pg=PA897
|title=The Encyclopedia of Christianity vol. 4
|page=897
|accessdate=2013-03-21
}}</ref> Since the 1940s the Christian countercult movement has opposed some sects and new religious movements, labeling them "cults" because of their unorthodox beliefs. Since the 1970s, the secular anti-cult movement has opposed certain groups, and in reaction to acts of violence which have been committed by some of their members, it has frequently charged them with practicing mind control. Scholars and the media have disputed some of the claims and actions of anti-cult movements, leading to further public controversy.
Sociological classifications of religious movements may identify a cult as a social group with socially deviant or novel beliefs and practices,<ref>{{REFbook
|last=Stark
|first=Rodney
|last2=Bainbridge
|first2=William Sims
|year=1996
|title=A Theory of Religion
|publisher=Peter Lang Publishing
|ISBN=0-8135-2330-3
|page=124
}}</ref> although this is often unclear.<ref>Oxford English Dictionary, citing ''American Journal of Sociology'' 85 (1980). p. 1377: "Cults…like other deviant social movements, tend to recruit people with a grievance, people who suffer from a some variety of deprivation."</ref><ref name=":0">Shaw, Chuck. 2005. "[http://shawcss.tripod.com/REL101/society/sects.htm Sects and Cults]." Greenville Technical College. Retrieved 21 March 2013.</ref><ref>{{REFjournal
|last=Olson
|first=Paul J.
|init=PJ
|date=2006
|title=The Public Perception of 'Cults' and 'New Religious Movements'
|journal=Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion
|volume=45
|issue=1
|pages=97–106
}}</ref> Other researchers present a less-organized picture of cults, saying that they arise spontaneously around novel beliefs and practices.<ref>{{REFbook
|last=Stark
|first=Rodney
|last2=Bainbridge
|first2=William Sims
|year=1987
|title=The Future of Religion: Secularization, Revival and Cult Formation
|location=Berkeley
|publisher=University of California Press
|ISBN=978-0-520-05731-9
}}</ref> Groups labelled as "cults" range in size from local groups with a few followers to international organizations with millions of adherents.<ref name="barker1999">{{REFbook
|last=Barker
|first=Eileen
|year=1999
|chapter=New Religious Movements: their incidence and significance
|title=New Religious Movements: Challenge and Response
|editors=Wilson B, Cresswell J
|publisher=Routledge
|ISBN=0-415-20050-4
}}</ref>
== Definition ==
In the English-speaking world, the term ''cult'' often carries derogatory connotations.<ref>{{REFbook
|last=Brink
|first=T. L.
|year=2008
|url=https://resources.saylor.org/wwwresources/archived/site/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/TLBrink_PSYCH13.pdf
|chapter=Unit 13: Social Psychology
|pages=293–320
|title=Psychology: A Student Friendly Approach
|quote=Cult is a somewhat derogatory term for a new religious movement, especially one with unusual theological doctrine or one that is abusive of its membership.
}}</ref> In this sense, it has been considered a subjective term, used as an ''ad hominem'' attack against groups with differing doctrines or practices.<ref>{{REFbook
|last=Bromley
|first=David Melton
|last2=Gordon
|first2=J.
|year=2002
|title=Cults, Religion, and Violence
|location=West Nyack, {{USSC|NY}}
|publisher=Cambridge University Press
}}</ref> As such, religion scholar Megan Goodwin has defined the term ''cult'', when it is used by the layperson, as often being shorthand for a "religion I don't like".<ref>{{REFweb
|last=Ingram
|first=Wayne
|url=https://religion.ua.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Ep_-2-Turkey-Ritual.pdf Turkey Ritual
|title=(transcript). Ep. 2 in ''Study Religion'' (podcast)
|location=Birmingham
|publisher=Dept. of Religious Studies, {{UNI|University of Alabama|UAB}}
}}</ref>
</blockquote>
== Simplest definition ==
Award-winning filmmaker [[Brendon Marotta]] ''(American Circumcision)'' offers a much shorter and smarter definition for a ''cult'' which at least nails it for the topic of [[intactivism]]:
{{Citation
|Title=How To Identify A Cult In One Question
|Text=Cults don't let you leave.
|Author=[[Brendon Marotta]]
|Source=Hegemon Media
|ref=<ref>{{REFweb
|url=https://www.hegemonmedia.com/p/how-to-identify-a-cult-in-one-questionhttps://www.hegemonmedia.com/p/how-to-identify-a-cult-in-one-question
|title=How To Identify A Cult In One Question
|last=Marotta
|first=Brendon
|init=B
|author-link=Brendon Marotta
|publisher=Hegemon Media
|date=2022-08-01
|accessdate=2022-08-08
}}</ref>
}}
{{REF}}
[[Category:Term]]
<blockquote>
In modern English, a '''cult''' is a social group that is defined by its unusual religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs and rituals,<ref>{{REFweb
|url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cult
|title=cult
|website=Merriam-Webster
}}</ref> or its common interest in a particular personality, object, or goal. This sense of the term is controversial, having divergent definitions both in popular culture and academia, and has also been an ongoing source of contention among scholars across several fields of study.<ref name=ZablockiRobbins>{{REFbook
|last=Zablocki
|first=Benjamin David
|last2=Robbins
|first2=Thomas
|title=Misunderstanding Cults: Searching for Objectivity in a Controversial Field
|publisher=University of Toronto Press
|year=2001
|isbn=0-8020-8188-6
|page=473
}}</ref><ref name="Richardson">{{REFjournal
|last=Richardson
|first=James T.
|init=JT
|date=1993
|title=Definitions of Cult: From Sociological-Technical to Popular-Negative
|journal=Review of Religious Research
|volume=34
|issue=4
|pages=348–56
|DOI=10.2307/3511972
|JSTOR=3511972
}}.</ref> The word "cult" is usually considered a pejorative.
An older sense of the word ''cult'' involves a set of religious devotional practices that are conventional within their culture, are related to a particular figure, and are often associated with a particular place.<ref>{{REFweb
|url=https://oed.com/search?searchType=dictionary&q=cult
|title=cult
|editor=Oxford English Dictionary
|publisher=Oxford University Press
|quote=2.a. A particular form or system of religious worship or veneration, esp. as expressed in ceremony or ritual directed towards a specified figure or object.
}}</ref> References to the "cult" of a particular Catholic saint, or the imperial cult of ancient Rome, for example, use this sense of the word.
While the literal and original sense of the word remains in use in the English language, a derived sense of "excessive devotion" arose in the 19th century.<ref>Compare the ''Oxford English Dictionary'' note for usage in 1875: "cult:…b. A relatively small group of people having (esp. religious) beliefs or practices regarded by others as strange or sinister, or as exercising excessive control over members.… 1875 ''Brit. Mail 30'' Jan. 13/1 Buffaloism is, it would seem, a cult, a creed, a secret community, the members of which are bound together by strange and weird vows, and listen in hidden conclave to mysterious lore."</ref>
Beginning in the 1930s, cults became the object of sociological study in the context of the study of religious behavior.<ref>{{REFbook
|last=Fahlbusch
|first=Erwin
|last2=Bromiley
|first2=Geoffrey W.
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=C5V7oyy69zgC&pg=PA897
|title=The Encyclopedia of Christianity vol. 4
|page=897
|accessdate=2013-03-21
}}</ref> Since the 1940s the Christian countercult movement has opposed some sects and new religious movements, labeling them "cults" because of their unorthodox beliefs. Since the 1970s, the secular anti-cult movement has opposed certain groups, and in reaction to acts of violence which have been committed by some of their members, it has frequently charged them with practicing mind control. Scholars and the media have disputed some of the claims and actions of anti-cult movements, leading to further public controversy.
Sociological classifications of religious movements may identify a cult as a social group with socially deviant or novel beliefs and practices,<ref>{{REFbook
|last=Stark
|first=Rodney
|last2=Bainbridge
|first2=William Sims
|year=1996
|title=A Theory of Religion
|publisher=Peter Lang Publishing
|ISBN=0-8135-2330-3
|page=124
}}</ref> although this is often unclear.<ref>Oxford English Dictionary, citing ''American Journal of Sociology'' 85 (1980). p. 1377: "Cults…like other deviant social movements, tend to recruit people with a grievance, people who suffer from a some variety of deprivation."</ref><ref name=":0">Shaw, Chuck. 2005. "[http://shawcss.tripod.com/REL101/society/sects.htm Sects and Cults]." Greenville Technical College. Retrieved 21 March 2013.</ref><ref>{{REFjournal
|last=Olson
|first=Paul J.
|init=PJ
|date=2006
|title=The Public Perception of 'Cults' and 'New Religious Movements'
|journal=Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion
|volume=45
|issue=1
|pages=97–106
}}</ref> Other researchers present a less-organized picture of cults, saying that they arise spontaneously around novel beliefs and practices.<ref>{{REFbook
|last=Stark
|first=Rodney
|last2=Bainbridge
|first2=William Sims
|year=1987
|title=The Future of Religion: Secularization, Revival and Cult Formation
|location=Berkeley
|publisher=University of California Press
|ISBN=978-0-520-05731-9
}}</ref> Groups labelled as "cults" range in size from local groups with a few followers to international organizations with millions of adherents.<ref name="barker1999">{{REFbook
|last=Barker
|first=Eileen
|year=1999
|chapter=New Religious Movements: their incidence and significance
|title=New Religious Movements: Challenge and Response
|editors=Wilson B, Cresswell J
|publisher=Routledge
|ISBN=0-415-20050-4
}}</ref>
== Definition ==
In the English-speaking world, the term ''cult'' often carries derogatory connotations.<ref>{{REFbook
|last=Brink
|first=T. L.
|year=2008
|url=https://resources.saylor.org/wwwresources/archived/site/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/TLBrink_PSYCH13.pdf
|chapter=Unit 13: Social Psychology
|pages=293–320
|title=Psychology: A Student Friendly Approach
|quote=Cult is a somewhat derogatory term for a new religious movement, especially one with unusual theological doctrine or one that is abusive of its membership.
}}</ref> In this sense, it has been considered a subjective term, used as an ''ad hominem'' attack against groups with differing doctrines or practices.<ref>{{REFbook
|last=Bromley
|first=David Melton
|last2=Gordon
|first2=J.
|year=2002
|title=Cults, Religion, and Violence
|location=West Nyack, {{USSC|NY}}
|publisher=Cambridge University Press
}}</ref> As such, religion scholar Megan Goodwin has defined the term ''cult'', when it is used by the layperson, as often being shorthand for a "religion I don't like".<ref>{{REFweb
|last=Ingram
|first=Wayne
|url=https://religion.ua.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Ep_-2-Turkey-Ritual.pdf Turkey Ritual
|title=(transcript). Ep. 2 in ''Study Religion'' (podcast)
|location=Birmingham
|publisher=Dept. of Religious Studies, {{UNI|University of Alabama|UAB}}
}}</ref>
</blockquote>
== Simplest definition ==
Award-winning filmmaker [[Brendon Marotta]] ''(American Circumcision)'' offers a much shorter and smarter definition for a ''cult'' which at least nails it for the topic of [[intactivism]]:
{{Citation
|Title=How To Identify A Cult In One Question
|Text=Cults don't let you leave.
|Author=[[Brendon Marotta]]
|Source=Hegemon Media
|ref=<ref>{{REFweb
|url=https://www.hegemonmedia.com/p/how-to-identify-a-cult-in-one-questionhttps://www.hegemonmedia.com/p/how-to-identify-a-cult-in-one-question
|title=How To Identify A Cult In One Question
|last=Marotta
|first=Brendon
|init=B
|author-link=Brendon Marotta
|publisher=Hegemon Media
|date=2022-08-01
|accessdate=2022-08-08
}}</ref>
}}
{{REF}}
[[Category:Term]]