A Cult is a …

Group of People…

… who share an intense dedication to a particular individual or belief system.

This simple definition of cult can be applied to almost any type of group, whether focused on a religious belief system or not. Until recent times, the word was seldom heard outside of the academic world. Historians would use it to label aspects of ancient societies, such as the "Cult (or Latin cultus) of the Emperor" in Rome. Sociologists would use it, sometimes interchangeably with the word "sect," to indicate a small religious group outside the mainstream of "historical Christianity." A few decades ago, one might even hear it used humorously to describe the fanatic devotion of some admirers of entertainers, such as the "Cult of Elvis."

However, all that changed in November 1978 when over 900 followers (including children) of a religious leader named Jim Jones committed mass suicide—and murder of the children—at Jones’ command in their religious compound in Jonestown, Guyana. In reports of this startling situation, Jones’s group was often referred to in the media as a cult. The grisly images of the death scene on international television and in print news left an indelible impression on most who saw them. From that point on, the public became more and more familiar with the word cult, as it was frequently used in the media to describe unconventional religious groups.

Although the original word has no specific negative connotation to it, its common use now in our society carries the negative baggage of the Jonestown massacre and numerous other subsequent troubling incidents connected to the activities of unconventional religious groups. One such was another mass suicide of 39 adults in 1997 involving a non-Christian group calling itself "Heaven’s Gate." Although not as many individuals were involved, the circumstances of the deaths were so bizarre that reporting on this event also dominated the news for quite some time.

There is really no use in attempting to avoid use of the word cult, as it is so pervasive in our society now. Nor is there a need to insist that it must be completely confined to its totally neutral definition above. The reality is that it is no longer a neutral word. We may as well use it, but carefully define it in the context in which we choose to communicate.

For the purposes of this website, a modern religious cult will be defined as
a group of people established by one leader or a small group of leaders,
to whom they are intensely dedicated and obedient,
and who have such a significantly unique set of beliefs
that they are cut off from religious fellowship
with all others outside their own group.

Given this definition of modern religious cults, the following observations may be helpful when evaluating the potential for serious spiritual harm of any given such cult. (These observations include reference to the words New Age and occult. Definitions and descriptions of those terms follow this list.)