@TempermentalAnomaly@lemmy.world
Post #1510606
2026-02-03 16:38 UTC
I really enjoy your comments. You’re even handed, considerate, and informative so I think you’ll take this push back well.
The word cult is a slippery term that is generally a perjorative morphing to the intentions of both writer and reader. A more neutral term would be the preferred academic term of “new religious movement” while highlight specific harmful behaviors that might make it either immoral, illegal, or culturally distasteful.
I hope that you see the value in being more specific with the term.
Replies (1)
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@Cowbee@lemmy.ml 2026-02-03 16:46
I hear your critique, but I do mean it in a negative way, due to beliefs such as the Falun Gong claiming “race-mixing severs connection to the gods,” or believing modern science was created by aliens to take over human bodies. They have been persecuted not for being a new religious movement, but for their dangerous, far-right views and subversion. Does that justify using the word “cult?”