this post was submitted on 13 Jun 2025
71 points (100.0% liked)

Ask Lemmy

32606 readers
1908 users here now

A Fediverse community for open-ended, thought provoking questions


Rules: (interactive)


1) Be nice and; have funDoxxing, trolling, sealioning, racism, and toxicity are not welcomed in AskLemmy. Remember what your mother said: if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all. In addition, the site-wide Lemmy.world terms of service also apply here. Please familiarize yourself with them


2) All posts must end with a '?'This is sort of like Jeopardy. Please phrase all post titles in the form of a proper question ending with ?


3) No spamPlease do not flood the community with nonsense. Actual suspected spammers will be banned on site. No astroturfing.


4) NSFW is okay, within reasonJust remember to tag posts with either a content warning or a [NSFW] tag. Overtly sexual posts are not allowed, please direct them to either [email protected] or [email protected]. NSFW comments should be restricted to posts tagged [NSFW].


5) This is not a support community.
It is not a place for 'how do I?', type questions. If you have any questions regarding the site itself or would like to report a community, please direct them to Lemmy.world Support or email [email protected]. For other questions check our partnered communities list, or use the search function.


6) No US Politics.
Please don't post about current US Politics. If you need to do this, try [email protected] or [email protected]


Reminder: The terms of service apply here too.

Partnered Communities:

Tech Support

No Stupid Questions

You Should Know

Reddit

Jokes

Ask Ouija


Logo design credit goes to: tubbadu


founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
 

TLDR - what’s the question mark in the following scale

Cult(-1)……………….Religion(0)……………….????(+1)

Long version (a.k.a my stupid mind’s question that is keeping me awake):

My understanding of cult is a group of people with an absurd or even possibly nefarious belief system. Like something negative.

By that definition I would put religion in the middle (though a majority of it leans towards the cult side). A group of people that is very serious about what they believe in, no matter how illogical it is.

So with this understanding what would you call the positive side ? A group of people coming together to have a tradition and belief system just for the fun of it ? Is there such thing ?

(page 2) 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 days ago

At the far end of the spectrum, with no judging and only help, is a food bank.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 days ago
[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 days ago (4 children)

12 Step Support groups.

No dues or fees; no full time leaders; you are a member if you say you are and no one can say you aren't.

I expect many downvotes.

load more comments (4 replies)
[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 days ago

A community in which everyone has equal power and acts in solidarity with one another

[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 days ago

Philosophy or science?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 4 days ago

Bowling league

[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 days ago
[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

There are different kinds of cults. Cult is a different thing from religion. It doesn't belong on the same axis. But we can continue the thought if we define it as religious cult.

The scale is about excessive binding, control, rituals, restrictions, belief systems. If the left is the extreme, then towards the right we have weaker restrictions upon the belief system. The belief becomes weaker, and the beliefs do not have to restrict other and own people's activities and beliefs.

Religion in the middle makes no sense. It should be the label on the scale. "Religious extremism" or similar. Maybe narrow, restrictive, totalitarian.

I don't know specific terminology for the right side. Maybe open or unrestrictive practice of religion.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 days ago

I would say philosophy.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 days ago

Belief , like the traditional cult of the ancestors in China, where you have no "priest" or "guru", it is just a bunch of people relying on elders to mimick the rituals, but in fact nobody remember it well, it is all disorganized, and nobody is really checking for "correctness" as much as checking if the commitment is done with intent. So the opposite of having a strong vertical domination by one person (cult) or an organized institution (religion) is a weak control of the rites by anyone (belief)

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 days ago

There are many definitions of cult. It can be a negative or dangerous religious group. A religious subset focused on a specific practice. Or a group with an eccentric leader focused on claiming they have the correct interpretation of canon.

Knowing you mean the first negative definition, then religion as the standard doesn’t make much sense. The positive of religion would simply be the benefit of religion, which is dependent on whichever religion is being discussed.

For Buddhism it would be spiritual development, enlightenment, and freedom.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 4 days ago
[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 days ago

book reading club?

load more comments
view more: ‹ prev next ›