The Cult: Thoughts on a Definition

The current definition of the cult, simply in my personal experience and the common perception of the masses, has one major issue of always conjuring negative images of violent beliefs. Negative optics and stereotypes have always been associated with cults, leading them to be susceptible to higher rates of police surveillance and negative depictions by the media. Initially, I was going to define a cult to necessarily be extremist and violent in order to play into the public’s perception of a cult and separate “cults” from other NRMs, but after talking with my external advisor and doing some further research, I decided to explore a new avenue. After all, any definition of a cult should understand and respect both academia and the layperson.

So, what is a cult? Currently, the definition of a cult is a religious movement that breaks away from the traditional religion while still identifying with the traditional religion. This definition is practically the same as the definition of an NRM, so both are often considered synonyms, yet public perception would consider the word “cult” to be much more negative than NRM. I believe that because of this distinction, some change needs to be made to the definition of the word “cult” to distinguish it from a regular NRM.

Part of the reason cults receive such negative optics is because of the new age of information that we have entered, which exposes cults into the world whether or not they like it. In fact, cults being exposed to society as a whole sometimes cause certain cults to turn violent. If an NRM doesn’t have the political/social power or influence to convey its message in a positive light, then that NRM would be considered a cult. Consider this: Mormonism would follow the academic definition of a cult, yet Mormonism isn’t considered a cult anymore by the layperson because it has gained influence in media to convey its message in a positive light. Therefore, I believe that, in addition to the current definition of a cult, the aspect of not having the political/social power or influence to convey its message in a positive light is necessary to include to truly define the concept of a “cult.”