this post was submitted on 06 Oct 2025
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[–] Muaddib@sopuli.xyz -4 points 1 month ago (4 children)

Might be more sensitive to say "small religions" instead of "cults", since that word has been co-opted by Christians for their moral panic

[–] Duamerthrax@lemmy.world 12 points 1 month ago

Disagree. Let's just call religions "big cults" instead.

[–] Wrufieotnak@feddit.org 11 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Why do you think big religions are not included?

[–] Muaddib@sopuli.xyz 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Propaganda from big religions trying to convince everyone they're not as harmful as cults, that's why. Back in the 70s the Christians villified the word "cult" and the concept of a small religion, trying to use slander to take out the competition. They roped plenty of non-christians and even scientists into their moral panic. And that moral panic has become the basis of our very language. Rimu probably didn't even think about leaving large religions out of that list, because hatred of small religions specifically is so normalised. That's why large religions weren't included.

[–] Wrufieotnak@feddit.org 6 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I meant it opposite of your interpretation. "Why do you think it excludes big religions from the cult definition?" I completely agree with you, just wanted to make a small joke about big religions also just being some cults that survived a bit longer.

[–] Muaddib@sopuli.xyz 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Because cult means "small religion", or at least it meant that before the 1970s, and I refuse to let monotheists decide the definitions of words.

[–] Wrufieotnak@feddit.org 4 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

Understandable. I checked the Wikipedia definition, because I didn't know a proper definition for cult.

The word "cult" is derived from the Latin term cultus, which means worship.[1] In modern English the term cult is generally a pejorative, carrying derogatory connotations.[2] The term is variously applied to abusive or coercive groups of many categories, including gangs, organized crime, and terrorist organizations.[3]

An older sense of the word cult, which is not pejorative, indicates a set of religious devotional practices that is conventional within its culture, is related to a particular figure, and is frequently associated with a particular place, or generally the collective participation in rites of religion.[4][1] References to the imperial cult of ancient Rome, for example, use the word in this sense. A derived sense of "excessive devotion" arose in the 19th century, and usage is not always strictly religious.[a][1]

So it isn't exactly wrong to call all religions cults, according to the old meaning, even before it meant small religions. But out was more aligned to certain places, like the cult of Apollo in Delphi with its oracle.

[–] Muaddib@sopuli.xyz 0 points 1 month ago

I've got a better definition for you, from line 1:

Cults are social groups which have unusual, and often extreme, religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs and rituals

What is common is not unusual.

[–] Zagorath@aussie.zone 8 points 1 month ago

The preferred term in the study of cults is "high demand religion".