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ATeutonicKnight
Guest
Why do people say the Catholic Church is the cult? I have been Catholic all my life and I have found no traces of anything cult-related. Where did they get this dubious claim from?
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Oneofthewomen
Guest
Who is saying this?
I have to say in my 40+ years I have never heard the Catholic Church referred to as a “cult”.
I have to say in my 40+ years I have never heard the Catholic Church referred to as a “cult”.
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DJK100
Guest
Because they don’t know what a cult is and there accusation stems from ignorance and straight up bigotry.
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ASimon
Guest
FWIW, here is Merriam-Webster’s definition:
Definition of CULT
1
: formal religious veneration : worship
2
: a system of religious beliefs and ritual; also : its body of adherents
3
: a religion regarded as unorthodox or spurious; also : its body of adherents
4
: a system for the cure of disease based on dogma set forth by its promulgator
5
a : great devotion to a person, idea, object, movement, or work (as a film or book); especially : such devotion regarded as a literary or intellectual fad b : the object of such devotion c : a usually small group of people characterized by such devotion
merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cult
Some folks obviously think there’s enough here to merit a fair comparison.
Definition of CULT
1
: formal religious veneration : worship
2
: a system of religious beliefs and ritual; also : its body of adherents
3
: a religion regarded as unorthodox or spurious; also : its body of adherents
4
: a system for the cure of disease based on dogma set forth by its promulgator
5
a : great devotion to a person, idea, object, movement, or work (as a film or book); especially : such devotion regarded as a literary or intellectual fad b : the object of such devotion c : a usually small group of people characterized by such devotion
merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cult
Some folks obviously think there’s enough here to merit a fair comparison.
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ProVobis
Guest
What’s a cult? Sounds derogatory.
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Cristiano
Guest
I think that the problem arises from the understanding of the present common usage of the word “cult” and adopting it instead of the proper usage of the word “cult” coming from the Latin. Just look at the present common usage of the word mistress and its original meaning, you will see that in the last 50 years there is a major departure from what it meant in the previous 300 years.
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achmafooma
Guest
There are a couple things about the Catholic Church that might appear ‘cult-like’ to an outsider who doesn’t understand them in their proper context.
- We claim that the only way to salvation is through the Church. Of course, many non-Catholics don’t understand that this doesn’t mean that non-Catholic Christians, or even non-Christians, are automatically going to hell…but regardless, it can appear cult-like and exclusionary when not well explained. Many cults try to scare people into following them with claims like this - “We have the key to salvation, and everybody else is doomed!”
- We are led by a single individual (the Pope), and claim that he has Divine protection and insight. Things like the doctrine of Papal infallibility can strike some non-Catholics as cult-like, or as putting a man in the position of God. Many cults are led by a single, powerful leader who garners deep devotion among his followers, which bears at least a passing resemblance to our veneration of the Holy Father.
.God bless!
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ProVobis
Guest
FWIW, “colere” is the same word used to venerate Mary.
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philial
Guest
The term cult is also used within the Church itself to describe, say, devotion to a certain saint.
But in general terms, a cult may be considered as being a closed society, suspicious of outsiders, that isolates itself from mainstream activities, and frequently used emotional / psycological methods to maintain a hold on its members. People from dysfunctional backgrounds are especially suseptible to this last point, and are often on the receiving end of overwelming amounts of “love and attention”.
It’s pernicious, and has to be condemned.
The Church itself is not a cult (or else we would not be faced with a falling away in such numbers), but groups within the Church can behave like cults - accusing people of rejecting God by not being part of the group! I came across this in the Charismatic renewal, now & again, for example.
And while, I guess, it may appears cultic when the Church states that outside of itself there is no salvation, since the Church has not placed boundries on itself it remains anti-cultic in its openness.
But in general terms, a cult may be considered as being a closed society, suspicious of outsiders, that isolates itself from mainstream activities, and frequently used emotional / psycological methods to maintain a hold on its members. People from dysfunctional backgrounds are especially suseptible to this last point, and are often on the receiving end of overwelming amounts of “love and attention”.
It’s pernicious, and has to be condemned.
The Church itself is not a cult (or else we would not be faced with a falling away in such numbers), but groups within the Church can behave like cults - accusing people of rejecting God by not being part of the group! I came across this in the Charismatic renewal, now & again, for example.
And while, I guess, it may appears cultic when the Church states that outside of itself there is no salvation, since the Church has not placed boundries on itself it remains anti-cultic in its openness.
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TrueLight
Guest
I haven’t heard anyone called the Catholic Church a cult either.
When people speak of cults, they usually mean Jonestown and David Koresh;s Waco.
Basically an irrational group with a Messiah like leader, where the members are brainwashed and stopped from interacting with others.
Okay, I am not the dictionary, but you get what I mean.
When people speak of cults, they usually mean Jonestown and David Koresh;s Waco.
Basically an irrational group with a Messiah like leader, where the members are brainwashed and stopped from interacting with others.
Okay, I am not the dictionary, but you get what I mean.
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ATeutonicKnight
Guest
Then you obviously have not debated with half as many Protestants as I.Who is saying this?
I have to say in my 40+ years I have never heard the Catholic Church referred to as a “cult”.
There are some great answers here so I won’t bother to explain. This answer says it the best though:
Of course the Church isn’t a cult…it’s the Church founded by Jesus Christ! But lots of non-Catholics (speaking as a former Protestant myself) have some pretty twisted and inaccurate views of Catholic teaching and practice. The similarities between Catholicism and cults are only skin-deep, if they exist at all, and once you dig deeper they are very, very different things. But there’s a lot of anti-Catholic ignorance and bigotry out there, even among Christians
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ATeutonicKnight
Guest
Ha. I have debated with enough Protestants to hear the Church being called quite a number of things. The whore of Babylon, a cult, I have even heard a person say that only the mentally ill would want to join the Church. I’ve met quite a few anti-Catholics on Youtube, and I used to be quite the debater in my day so I was always ready to let slip the dogs of war.
This brings up another question of mine though: Why is the Church called the whore of Babylon?
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ardis3958
Guest
No surprise here, but it depends on definition of “cult”.
Anti-Catholic Christians tend to use some variation on the following:
- Has one leader with all the power.
- Teachings of the leader or of the cult administration taken as unquestioned truth.
- Coercion of members.
- Christ is not the center.
- Works-righteousness.
- Cults split families.
because…- We’re headed by an all-powerful pope who equates himself to God,
- we say the magisterium is infallible,
- our celibate bishops dictate what we can and cannot do in the privacy of our own bedrooms,
- we worship Mary as a goddess instead of Jesus,
- we teach you can purchase your salvation by buying indulgences,
- and when you take vows to become a priest/religious you sever family ties.
Problem is a couple of those details may be inaccurate…What probably happened is they started with organizations that are definitely cults and then went looking for coincidences between real cults and the Catholic Church.
Another definition which I think is better comes from cultwatch.com:
So in a way, “cult” is a relative term, and sometimes people settle on a third definition that goes something like “a religion is a cult that has become respectable”, and Mormonism is given as a typical example.
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ProVobis
Guest
Derogatory terms against the Church are worldwide. However, this particular case is not a problem outside of Anglosphere, so nothing to worry about.
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Carlan
Guest
NO! The Catholic Church is not a cult.
The test concerning the thousands of religious practices out there is the QUESTION, “Who is the leader of your Church /Religion?”
If the answer is other than Jesus Christ it is a cult.
Peace, Carlan
The test concerning the thousands of religious practices out there is the QUESTION, “Who is the leader of your Church /Religion?”
If the answer is other than Jesus Christ it is a cult.
Peace, Carlan
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TrueLight
Guest
Wikipedia has some information on that.
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ATeutonicKnight
Guest
This is interesting, but really sad. I wish Protestants would get a clue. They have ignorance that is impossible to get through. Then again, they think the same about us.
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BGR_15
Guest
I’ve heard someone describe it as a cult. I know this is wrong because cults are:
a.Difficult to get into
b.Difficult to get out of
c.Secretive
Catholic Church:
a.No
b.No (why would you though?)
c.No, it’s open to all. I’ve found all the information on the church’s views and beliefs online, so RCIA, for me, is pretty much a review.
The Catholic church is not a cult. :twocents:
a.Difficult to get into
b.Difficult to get out of
c.Secretive
Catholic Church:
a.No
b.No (why would you though?)
c.No, it’s open to all. I’ve found all the information on the church’s views and beliefs online, so RCIA, for me, is pretty much a review.
The Catholic church is not a cult. :twocents:
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bz5
Guest
As someone alluded to and I heard a priest on the radio say, the word ‘cult’ is in its original sense is neutral. But of course, what people mean today is usually a group of the brainwashed and other negative things. Of the people who “bash” other religions, they so often go after the Catholic church rather than fellow Protestants who also don’t agree with them on many doctrines. So why does the Catholic church fall under so much scorn? I think it’s because, whether they admit it to themselves or not, they see that the only church in continual existence from the apostolic times, teaching the doctrines the church still teaches, is clearly the Catholic church, and they feel a need to justify why they are not in it.
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CountrySteve
Guest
hey i used too be the same i remember at work about a year ago i got in a argument with a Catholic and i said praying to Saints was wrong and was a anit-catholic now im Catholic lol and im stubborn as a mull and i never change my mind so the RCC has too be of God lolThis is interesting, but really sad. I wish Protestants would get a clue. They have ignorance that is impossible to get through. Then again, they think the same about us.
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