In my opinion a group begins to become a cult when they start trying to isolate their members from people who aren't in the group/cult.
Although, I think the technical definition has something to do with having an ideology very far outside the mainstream.
I'm less sure as to why I tend to use this definition. Perhaps it is because social isolation is a very clear cut definition, as opposed to some of the more complex and subjective social undertones that one may use. (What is mainstream culture and thus what is opposed to it). It also prevents me from leaning too heavily on my, admittedly strong, opinions about desirable social behavior.
the level of devotion to a person or an ideal. Cult is origionally comes from the word cultus (adoration) or the verb colo (to worship) for which the passive perfect participle (cultum - "having been worshipped"). colo/cultum is interesting as one of the definitions can be "to cultivate". This leads to an interesting point that cultum could be taken to be "having been cultivated" where it is the personality or the ideal is cultivated in the followers and it's the way of handling followers that we use to label as a cult.
That is very interesting and makes me wonder what I was thinking upstate: something is a cult by a person's relation to it. There are people who "cultify" professional sports, and so on.
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branchandroot
(no subject)
Date: 2006-08-26 02:31 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-08-26 02:41 am (UTC)Although, I think the technical definition has something to do with having an ideology very far outside the mainstream.
I'm less sure as to why I tend to use this definition. Perhaps it is because social isolation is a very clear cut definition, as opposed to some of the more complex and subjective social undertones that one may use. (What is mainstream culture and thus what is opposed to it). It also prevents me from leaning too heavily on my, admittedly strong, opinions about desirable social behavior.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-08-26 04:09 am (UTC)To the entire world, Christianity is a cult.
To Christians, Catholics are a cult.
To Catholics, the Lumen Dei are a cult.
That is, of course, just one intepretation of "cult".
(no subject)
Date: 2006-08-26 12:22 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-08-26 04:12 am (UTC)Eve & Co.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-08-26 06:33 am (UTC)That, and the wild sex communes.
Seriously, I don't know the exact definition offhand, but I do have one in a text book that I can look up if you like.
(no subject)
linguistics lesson!
Date: 2006-08-26 08:15 am (UTC)Re: linguistics lesson!
Date: 2006-08-28 01:27 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-08-26 12:01 pm (UTC)