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 ?
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.
I’ve been through a couple of 12step programs. Some are most deff cult like.
So, there were others that weren’t?
A couple. By and large though, I’ve found more that were cultish than weren’t. Some are so cultish that the ones they “support” try to avoid them.
Oh good lord no.
Those are almost universally built on religion, and most are very cult-like. If that’s your take on them, I suspect you haven’t had more than a superficial interaction with them.