What's the Difference Between Cults and Religion?: Crash Course Religions #3

What is a cult? How are cults different from religions? And why do many religious scholars say we shouldn’t even use that label? In this episode of Crash Course Religions, we’ll learn why the line between cults and religions is much fuzzier than it seems.

Introduction: Is This a Cult? 00:00
From Cult to Religion 00:36
Brainwashing 03:03
Qualities of Cults 04:04
Ditching the "Cult" Label 05:40
Harms of the "Cult" Label 07:29
Review & Credits 08:50

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[aarphi]

All of us watching our charismatic leader John Green using a broadcasting system to spread the word to its fervent followers, complete with its own catchy music, jargon, and even symbols (challenge coins). We’re here for it! 😂

[SoloUnUsuario-tyev]

I'll admit, The devil's advocate saying "It's Called X Now" really Got me xD

[timothyhansen]

Former Latter Day Saint here. First of all, while I have quite a few personal bones to pick with the church of my youth, I actually really appreciate the way the Mormon movement's origins were handled here. You obviously didn't have time to go into any kind of detail, but with what little time you did have you managed to hammer home that there's a whole lot of history and complexity behind your short overview of the faith. The LDS church, and the various subcultures that orbit it, are in desperate need of this kind of mature, understanding discourse. It's something I want to help change, something that I'm frequently trying to encourage in my own way. It speaks volumes to me about how you're likely approaching this whole series.

Thanks John, and thanks to the rest of the Crash Course team. You're a good in the world.

[marshwitched]

John, I know you’ve been crazy worried about this series but goddamn was this a good episode of Crash Course. This is the kind of nuanced and compassionate thinking that I come here for!!

[templeknight]

“The only difference between a cult and a religion is the amount of real estate they own.“
-Frank Zappa

[geofatic]

In French, the word "culte" literally just means "worship." The word that's used instead is "secte", which is a word without a negative connotation in English.

[weirdlanguageguy]

As a former member of the LDS Church but still a Mormon, I completely agree. Any group of people, religious or not, can display harmful or cult-like behavior regardless of its label or age, and using such a loaded term as “cult” only serves to marginalize and denigrate one community as inherently evil while implicitly absolving one’s one from any potential wrongdoing.

Thank you so much for making this series to address such a relevant topic in all of our lives!

[BabylonSista]

Thank you for mentioning the MOVE bombing! It's an incredibly important part of recent American history--and a reminder the term "cult" is relative.

[Beryllahawk]

As someone who's met a lot of religions and gone away from them all - I can't quite articulate how much I appreciated that single line about people who are spiritual but not religious. That kind of very individual, introspective spiritual practice means a lot to me, and I've lost count of the times that folks have given me side-eye and asked if I'm in a cult. It's to the point that I simply choose to smile, nod, and say nothing if religion comes into the conversation. I live in the Deep South: it's FAR SAFER to be silent and let them assume you're just like them.
Which makes me very sad, because isn't this supposed to be the land of tolerance?

[kristacallen]

As a previous Mormon, I was elated to see crash course religion. The title of this video made me hope LDS would be mentioned. Amazing work with these videos.

[mouse]

I heard the phrase "high control group" to be more useful in signalling harm.

[brbrbrbreannad]

Anyone who’s ever been in a marching band with a charismatic band director knows that some of the associations people typically make with cults can describe non-religious subcultural groups, too.

[meghanmcgowan]

I'm truly impressed with how much nuance this video managed to pack into 10 minutes. I wasn't expecting the angle it took, but I'm surprised how much I agree with it. It's good to see that neither the harm caused by smaller religious movements nor the harm caused by more mainstream ones was ignored. Like John and Hank often say, it's a complex issue, and it deserves to be understood complexly!

[oxilite]

I've always applied the rule that if a group tries to isolate you from other people in your life, then it's a cult. I also don't think the two are mutually exclusive. A religion can be a cult.

[RandomAnonamo]

There is only one real difference between a cult and a religion is mainstream acceptance.

[mikerich]

The way that I see it, using the word "cult" to describe groups shouldn't be binary. It isn't "yes" or "no, " but more of a spectrum of how culty the group is. How culty a group is can be determined by utilizing the BITE model to analyze how much the group controls its members. More control over the members makes the group more culty. Especially so if there are rules or customs that make it difficult for members to leave the group.

[BrianRussTVC]

The fact that John owns a red Adidas tracksuit makes this video so cool

[edwardgrimes]

So is the Devil’s advocate the new me from high school or open letter?

[corsaircaruso]

“I have a dental procedure I would prefer to this conversation.“ 💀

[yamyam]

Thank you for the kind discussion, it really meant a lot!