re: What’s the difference between a cult and a religion?

My farts smell like cherries

Somebody had a Branch Dravidian as a relative

Coercion

Scientology is a scam more than a cult. It has the same authoritarian tendencies as a cult, but in most religious cults, there is a fervent desire to spread the word or truth to its members. Scientology purposefully hides its doctrine to members for decades, only until one has paid it millions of dollars. This flies in the face of probably every religion in the world.

cults evolve into religions a couple generations after their infallible founders pass away.

Morty is onto it.

Religions and cults share things in common, but of course, it’s a matter of perspective. In modern society, there are a few signs that a religion is a cult.

1). Methods of persuasion. How coersive.

2) Level of secretiveness

3) Level of forced separation from former life, especially family.

4) Amount of freedom and freedom to choose to stay or go

5) Use of intoxicants for control

6) Use of sleep deprivation and other deprivations to maintain control

7) Use of blackmail to maintain control

8) Pro-social versus anti-social interactions with outsiders


There are others, but those are the main ones.

Religion claims that salvation is achieved through grace.
Religious cults claim that salvation is achieved through acts.

quote:

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Scientology is a scam

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Watching some of that show with Leah Remini, it does seem like Scientology is a bit of a scam. If I remember correctly, members have to pay for classes or something to reach certain levels.

It's a giant tax scam that began as a way for L. Ron Hubbard to keep all of the money he was making from his sci-fi writings and Dianetics pamphlets.