What is your opinion on cults?
Do you think they are dangerous/manipulative if so, why?

//Do you think they are dangerous/manipulative if so, why?//

Yes.

* Aum Shinrikyo
* Branch Davidians
* The People's Temple
* Scientology
* Heaven's Gate
* Order of the Solar Temple
* The KKK
* Hillsong

Is that enough reasons for you?

All types of religion are manipulative and disruptive. It is in Governments child care and schools. People that get involved with cults of any kind have leanings that persuade their logic.

Evolutionists, feminist and the global warming cults are the most dangerous. Just ask the unborn.

One cult has been responsible for the deaths of thousands, condoned millions to a life of poverty, takeen from the poor, supported slavery, oppressed women, allowed children to be defiled by its members, retarded the growth of the human intellect, preached lies and superstitions.supported murderous regimes, and had its leader preached to the UN recently!

When is a cult a religion? When its got enough members to make it seem respectable. Religions are only glorified cults.

Dangerous? Relatively so... by which I mean it depends upon your position in the queue to drink the Kool-Aid.

Manipulative? Yes, by definition.

People who fall for that stuff are stupid cults.

Paul, You do understand that Obama is not really a Muslim right?
So you've finally come around and realise what we've been saying all these years, the cult of Mohammed, (Judaism 2.0) has retarded the development not only of Asia but Europe as well, well done!

//Paul, You do understand that Obama is not really a Muslim right?//

Jay, you do realise he was talking about Pope Francis right?

Obama is the leader of a country, not a religion.

What is worse taxpayers are forced to subsidize these tax deduct-able institutions.

And in a lot of cases the taxpayer via the Government even gives them money.

In modern times should 'cult' be limited to religions and then only to the extreme? Or should the common characteristics of cults define what is a cult and allocate a place on a grid from moderate to extreme?

Is feminism a cult? What about animal rights groups, eg PETA?

Characteristics,

Submission
Exclusivity
Persecution complex
Control
Isolation
Love Bombing
Special Knowledge
Indoctrination
Salvation
Group Think
Cognitive Dissonance
Shunning
Gender Roles

Expansion and source,
https://carm.org/signs-practices-of-a-cult

That was from the Net and others are welcomed for discussion.

Gee OTB, looking at that list it seems that domestic violence is a cult...

The Wikipedia dictionary says a cult is a "...religious or social group with socially deviant or novel beliefs and practices."
I always thought it was some mad groups of people following one or more mad blokes who believe they really can talk to invisible gods and who think they are better than everyone else.

Yep, I would say that about covers all religions...

Smedley Smithy-Hareass, 51, of Brighton England is challenging the DVLA over his right to wear a colander on his head in his driving licence photo and while being tested. Mr Smithy-Hareass claims it is the equivalent of a Muslim woman wearing a hijab in her licence photo, or a nun in her habit. The father of none and fruit cake fanatic is a devotee of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti which claims to have more than 3 billion (secret) members world wide, making it the largest religion on the planet. Turned down by numerous driving agencies for a licence Mr Smithy-Hareass intends making another bid for a licence very very soon, probably on the feast day of St Barney of the Nacked Toad, well known in ecclesiastical circles as a most favorable day, biblicaly wise, for a driving test.
The Most High Bishop Lombotty of the non denominational Church of the Flying Spaghetti says wearing of the sacred colander is of both religious and biblical significance, "it is the cornerstone of our faith" he said. Besides, from early times men of god, not women, wore colanders to show both hemorrhoids and piles, something The Most High Bishop said is sadly lacking in today's riff raff especially the non believers and women, not that the church is in anyway being homophobic towards women the good bishop said, we just don't like them that's all, nothing wrong with that! said Bishop Lombotty.

Sound like my kind of colt!

Paul1405,

He is an Austrian atheist. You are obsessed with the British. His irony was directed at the hijab and other head covering clothing worn by Muslim women.

Very pleasing to find that you are now critical of such sexist and restrictive symbolism for women.

Is Islam a cult as you are also implying? Yes, undoubtedly it does meet the criteria.

Beach Old Boy, I am not, nor have I ever been, a supporter or devotee of the Islamic faith, like Christianity it is another load of baloney! I believe in secularism. That is not to say I do not support people such as asylum seekers who hold to that religion. I do not relate their secular problems to their religious beliefs. One of my very best friends is a Muslim politician, who has no problem with her secular work and her religion.

"Is Islam a cult as you are also implying? Yes, undoubtedly it does meet the criteria."
Given the narrow definition of a cult, Did not Christianity begin as a radical cult within Judaism. It did not obtain true respectability as an organised religion until Emperor Constantine embraced the faith late in his rule around the 4th Century AD. It took 300 or 400 years to gain respectability, so there is still hope for the Church of the Flying Spaghetti.

A bit of light reading for you.

http://www.antiochian.org/constantine-great-roman-emperor-christian-saint-historys-turning-point

Paul1405,

I am glad we agree on a secular State.

Also that Islam is a cult and that Muslims must do as Christians have done, which was to dump the medieval controlling baggage way back in the distant past. -Although our good friends the Roman Catholics have had vestiges of the old order drag on.

Like Islam, Catholicism would not have survived were it not for the support of the women, the mothers and wives who taught the fundamentalism at the breast and in the home and strongly encourage their husbands and children to attend church and the mosque.

Obviously women must value order and predictability. They must be encouraged out of those ways and to adopt Australian values.

Something for you to think about.

//Obviously women must value order and predictability. They must be encouraged out of those ways and to adopt Australian values.//

I value order and predictability. Obviously you can have too much of a good thing, and a society with too much order and predictability is a stagnant society. On the other hand, a society with no order and predictability is anarchy and life becomes nasty, brutish and short.

I'm not sure if people should be discouraged from valuing order and predictability, and I am certain that an appreciation of a healthy amount of order and predictability is not a rejection of Australian values.

I certainly agree with you there Toni, the need for a measured amount of order and predictability within society is most necessary to avoid the pit falls of the anarchist state.
A term often bandied about by neoconservatives and ultra right nationalists within Australia is "Australian Values" and the need to embrace such values as opposed I assume to say "New Zealand Values" or "Chinese Values", John Howard is a proponent of "Australian Values" as is Tony Abbott and I can only assume Malcolm Turnbull is, although he has been seen downing the odd bottle of that lardy dah Frenchy wine crap, also along with Bill Shorten and a host of other would be if they could be politicians.
As one who always craves guidance on such matters, and since none of the aforementioned persons have actually defined for me "Australian Values" I thought my best option was to 'Google' the subject, and sure enough I was lead to the official web sit, well it looks official, of the Government Department of Mateship and Fair Dinkum Aussie Values, it must have been established during Howard's time or was it Hawke.
It brought a lump to my throat, it made me want to put on the 'king Gee' stubbies and go out and polish the 'Kingswood', down another VB, kick stat the 'Victa' run the flag up the 'Hills Hoist'scoff down a 'Sargents' pie etc etc. Since visiting the site I haven't stopped reciting 'The Man from Snowy River', gee I've been overcome with 'Aussie Values'.

http://valuesaustralia.com/australian_values.htm

p/s Don't restrict yourself to 'Aussie Values' this site has lots of other values we all should embrace as well. I am particularly taken by the Aussie lifestyle values'. This site should be mandatory for school children and any ethnics who want to get in the door!

cult .An organised group, religious or not with whom you disagree.
from Fr culte : cultivation, tended land. from colere : to till (see colony).
colony: settled land, farm, landed estate. from colonus : husbandman, settler in new land.
This is serious.
Not the ..the... Nationals.?

". Since visiting the site I haven't stopped reciting 'The Man from Snowy River', gee I've been overcome with 'Aussie Values'."
It's subversive and aristocratic. His mates left him to fall to his death and watched him and his under-dog horse working it out alone.
Stony silence when he staggered home, no group hug and man-bonding.
Just gossip the next day. The horse's breeding was named but not the little battler. 1000 pounds, that's Australian value.