'Cult' is out of vogue as term for high-pressure faith »

Posted By Jayson 1 year, 1 month ago in Religion

Prop it 2 Drop it

Is your place of worship a cult? Probably not. No group calls itself a cult.

That's the trouble with the word: It's mostly used to denounce any religion we don't like.

That's why cult is in decline these days — tarnished by misuse or vagueness. Abusive, secretive sects still exist, but scholars and news reports use cult guardedly. Too often it's just a smear word.

Thirty years ago, cult was in its grisly heyday. In November 1978, the Jonestown suicide tragedy killed some 900 Americans under the psychotic sway of leader Jim Jones.