The answer depends on how you are using or misusing the different definitions of "cult" since it has more than one meaning.
Is Catholicism a cult when using the definition of 1: formal religious veneration : worship
Or 2: a system of religious beliefs and ritual; also : its body of adherents as defined by the Webster Dictionary, then Yes, all organized religions fit that definition as well.
However if you are applying the other dictionary definitions of 3: a religion regarded as unorthodox or spurious; also : its body of adherents.Or, 4: a system for the cure of disease based on dogma set forth by its promulgator <health cults>. Or 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. Then NO that does not apply to Catholicism.
Cults also usually center around a mortal person, require the follower to separate themselves from families and friends, and often confiscate the individual s assets and limit their exposure to the outside world. None of these conditions exist in Catholicism.
No. However, there are groups in the Catholic church that separate themselves and believe different things. The Fatima Centre really promote the Rosary only and focus on Mary. But not all Catholics believe the same thing. This church does have a bible daily reading plan and they do believe it is priority over Rosary and other teachings, but what each individual does affects the Church. If you really search this you will see how many different 'little cults' are going on in every church, spreading all kinds of false teachings and devotions and worship icons, saints and statues over bible and Christ. Each church has it's responsibility to stop this! Read Jude and Revelations 1.
by definition of many, jesus was a cult. even in his own day, the religious leaders condemned him of every sinful act they could find wrong with him, yet the scriptures conclude that he was without blame and without sin. remember the religious leader? he led the charges of blasphemy, and he defended the leader of the zealots, the jews believed the messiah would deliver Israel out of the hands of the oppression of the Romans. maybe, this religious leader had a covenant with Barrabus! and he was trying to build himself up as the savior/messiah. but ultimately Jesus himself was the messiah, and he was the one that was resurrected, not the false leader. so, whats the moral of the story, take your pick ! religious leaders are wrong more often than not, unless they are chosen and ordained by God. what people call sin is not always THE SIN. and a cult to one people is the same people being called a cult too.
i personally believe this pope is not a true Vicar of Christ. and what he says, seems to be more like what the antichrist would say and do. so even if most of all catholics are not cultic people they still believe in jesus, and thats what they will be judged for as the rest of the world will be judged too.
Every religion begins as a cult, and graduates to a religion when it obtains enough followers. Roman catholicism began as a cult, but is now a religion with millions of followers.
MATTHEW 18:20 "For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them."
The English word "church" is derived from the Greek word kyriakon, which means something belonging to the Lord.
"`Church' in the New Testament, however, renders Greek ekklesia, which mostly designates a local congregation of Christians and never a building.
Long after the crucifixion the ROMANs hijacked Chrsitianity and renamed it the Holy ROMAN Catholic Church. Not in the Holy lands but entirely in ITALY!
Then they hijacked pagan methods of worship against what the bible teaches!
Thou shall have no other gods! Exodus 20:2-3, Exodus 23:13, Exodus 23:24, Exodus 23:32, Exodus 34:14.
Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments. (Exodus 20:4-6)
So it matters not whether Mary and the Saints are worshipped as gods, idols, intermediaries or anything else it still goes against God's direct orders!
their doctrine is not biblical for sure. It is based on keeping the 10 commandments following the other teachings from who knows where... confession on saturday in order to take communion on sunday...confession to a human priest keeping the holy days of obligation... a bunch of unbiblical hocus pocus...Jesus taught the truth... YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN... not a word about the traditions that make the word of none effect that the RC church teaches... thankfully there are some parishes that teach you must accept Jesus however the follow through is not their as the "traditions" are unbiblical..
No, it's an adjective. Anything that is "a cult" is, by necessity, a noun.
Also, don't confuse the definitions of "cult" and "occult." The noun "cult," by definition, refers to any system of religious worship. The adjective and noun "occult," by definition, describes any heterodoxy of secretive religious orders that invoke pagan mysticism and the heretically supernatural.
Often times, when you think you hear someone say, in a documentary for example, something like, "The Manson Family was a cult," they are actually saying, "The Manson Family was occult." Because "occult" and "a cult" are homophones, people confuse them and become mistaken in thinking that "cult" means "occult," but it doesn't.
Answers & Comments
Thank you for your question.
The answer depends on how you are using or misusing the different definitions of "cult" since it has more than one meaning.
Is Catholicism a cult when using the definition of 1: formal religious veneration : worship
Or 2: a system of religious beliefs and ritual; also : its body of adherents as defined by the Webster Dictionary, then Yes, all organized religions fit that definition as well.
However if you are applying the other dictionary definitions of 3: a religion regarded as unorthodox or spurious; also : its body of adherents.Or, 4: a system for the cure of disease based on dogma set forth by its promulgator <health cults>. Or 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. Then NO that does not apply to Catholicism.
Cults also usually center around a mortal person, require the follower to separate themselves from families and friends, and often confiscate the individual s assets and limit their exposure to the outside world. None of these conditions exist in Catholicism.
No. However, there are groups in the Catholic church that separate themselves and believe different things. The Fatima Centre really promote the Rosary only and focus on Mary. But not all Catholics believe the same thing. This church does have a bible daily reading plan and they do believe it is priority over Rosary and other teachings, but what each individual does affects the Church. If you really search this you will see how many different 'little cults' are going on in every church, spreading all kinds of false teachings and devotions and worship icons, saints and statues over bible and Christ. Each church has it's responsibility to stop this! Read Jude and Revelations 1.
by definition of many, jesus was a cult. even in his own day, the religious leaders condemned him of every sinful act they could find wrong with him, yet the scriptures conclude that he was without blame and without sin. remember the religious leader? he led the charges of blasphemy, and he defended the leader of the zealots, the jews believed the messiah would deliver Israel out of the hands of the oppression of the Romans. maybe, this religious leader had a covenant with Barrabus! and he was trying to build himself up as the savior/messiah. but ultimately Jesus himself was the messiah, and he was the one that was resurrected, not the false leader. so, whats the moral of the story, take your pick ! religious leaders are wrong more often than not, unless they are chosen and ordained by God. what people call sin is not always THE SIN. and a cult to one people is the same people being called a cult too.
i personally believe this pope is not a true Vicar of Christ. and what he says, seems to be more like what the antichrist would say and do. so even if most of all catholics are not cultic people they still believe in jesus, and thats what they will be judged for as the rest of the world will be judged too.
Every religion begins as a cult, and graduates to a religion when it obtains enough followers. Roman catholicism began as a cult, but is now a religion with millions of followers.
A cult who's patronage by Roman Emporer Constantine set it up to Weald total control over Europes people.
The Protestant Churches have done very well in the Papic wake.
Catholic is not a cult.
atheist
No but it can hardly be Chrsitian!
Christian churches existed at the time of Christ!
MATTHEW 18:20 "For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them."
The English word "church" is derived from the Greek word kyriakon, which means something belonging to the Lord.
"`Church' in the New Testament, however, renders Greek ekklesia, which mostly designates a local congregation of Christians and never a building.
Long after the crucifixion the ROMANs hijacked Chrsitianity and renamed it the Holy ROMAN Catholic Church. Not in the Holy lands but entirely in ITALY!
Then they hijacked pagan methods of worship against what the bible teaches!
Thou shall have no other gods! Exodus 20:2-3, Exodus 23:13, Exodus 23:24, Exodus 23:32, Exodus 34:14.
Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments. (Exodus 20:4-6)
So it matters not whether Mary and the Saints are worshipped as gods, idols, intermediaries or anything else it still goes against God's direct orders!
Cult means religion in the sociological sense, that is where the word came from.
If you're asking if it's a mind-control or destructive cult, no it does not fit the criteria:
http://www.prem-rawat-talk.org/forum/uploads/CultC...
their doctrine is not biblical for sure. It is based on keeping the 10 commandments following the other teachings from who knows where... confession on saturday in order to take communion on sunday...confession to a human priest keeping the holy days of obligation... a bunch of unbiblical hocus pocus...Jesus taught the truth... YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN... not a word about the traditions that make the word of none effect that the RC church teaches... thankfully there are some parishes that teach you must accept Jesus however the follow through is not their as the "traditions" are unbiblical..
No, it's an adjective. Anything that is "a cult" is, by necessity, a noun.
Also, don't confuse the definitions of "cult" and "occult." The noun "cult," by definition, refers to any system of religious worship. The adjective and noun "occult," by definition, describes any heterodoxy of secretive religious orders that invoke pagan mysticism and the heretically supernatural.
Often times, when you think you hear someone say, in a documentary for example, something like, "The Manson Family was a cult," they are actually saying, "The Manson Family was occult." Because "occult" and "a cult" are homophones, people confuse them and become mistaken in thinking that "cult" means "occult," but it doesn't.