There are supposingly over 1000 or more religious organizations around the world. Would you say that most of them are cults? Would voodoo be a cult or just a fantasy that people enjoy?

I have a fantasy game going if you like to escape reality. It is not voodoo don't worry. More like dragons and knights involved. lol

I would like to hear your thoughts on why we have soo many cults and religions and if voodoo is a religion or not?

Every religion can be considered a cult in some way shape or form. Even the mainstream religions. So yes most if not all of them are cults. Voodoo I actually believe is more of an idea. I know people practice it like a religion but I think of it as more of an action than a religion.

I am interested in why this is your second plug for your fantasy game, in a manner surely you think is clever and subdued. Am I stupid? Hmmm......

its a cult

Oh trying to gather people to play the game. I have done it before and Mike said it is okay as long as I follow the guidelines.

I ask random questions to enhance interest and I surely am interested in knowing everyones opinions.

Your belief is your relief, people can and do choose whom and how they worship.

Why bring up admin? Awfully defensive.

So do you believe voodoo is a cult or a religion?

Religions differ from cults in the amount of control they exercise upon the members.

A cult attempts to cut you off from other information and other people and they will attempt to dictate and control members to an excess.

A religion borders on a cult when it begins to isolate its members from the rest of society such as the Jim Jones scenario. (It started as a religion.)

There is a sliding scale of control and freedom where the difference is found somewhere along that scale.

Some cults will simply brainwash people into believing that if they leave the cult bad things will happen to them.

Christianity could even be considered a cult in that it teaches that if you don't profess to believe in their savior, you will not be saved and may end up in Hell.

This tactic is carried to the extreme in some cults. The Jim Jones cult isolated members, and held them hostage with weapons.

JB

I think that in most of America, voodoo is a cult. By definition. But that does not mean it is everywhere.

Personally I don't care about the game, but the question fascinates me.

Religion is such a broad term that it allows individuals to be flexible with the meaning. But in its essence, religion is a set of codes and rules that governs a persons life. Most people forget that religion DOESN'T HAVE TO BE SPIRITUAL. However, it happens to be the connotation mainstream society applies to it.

An atheist may not believe in a spiritual deity, but he will believe in science, logic, philosophy, even karma. And if out of his exposure to science and logic, he develops a set of principles and values that dictates how he relates to this world and the people in it, that's his religion.

What I am trying to say is that voodoo is a religion because people have been shaped by its rituals beliefs, traditions, and practices for centuries and its followers relate to this world according to its dictates. Just like any other religion.

Thank you for a great answer. I learned alot

Thank you for the great answer. I learned alot.

Don't worry about the game! Just for those who want to escape reality sometimes. You did like my trivia questions a few days ago though! ha ha

That is very true> I live in Miami so we have many from Haiti who believe voodoo is a religion.

Yeah, that was great, even though I got it wrong!!

I believe there is one aspect of the cult vs religion you failed to mention and that is by definition, a cult asks you to place your faith, trust, and belief in a human or humans above God or his Word.

How else can a cult exercise control unless he exalts himself as equal to or above the Almighty? History has revealed attempts to do this with titles like The Last Messenger or Prophet or His Holiness.
Religion says to believe in God only, but according to these rules, or these principles.

Voodoo is a sect of Paganism, it focuses on the dark side of religion. NOT EVIL, NOT BAD. Dark.

I know a few people who practice it, I do not, it is not of my preference, but of the ones that do they are fairly stable individuals, one actually is retired from the United Nations.

to me it has much more dogma than I care for, but for some they find their spirituality in the dogma.

Christianity does this also. They ask you to believe a book written by humans, (they claim inspired by God) and they ask you to believe that a man (human) named Jesus is God made flesh.

That is no different than the Cult Eckankar who claims that their leader is also the representation of God made flesh. It is a lie.

Since there is no religion that can prove God even exists, they are all asking you to believe them, and they are humans.

JB

Please review the definition of cult. This is a definition that varies from societies and within communities of those societies. A cult is a practice of belief or lifestyle that is outside the accepted norms for the society or community in which it exists. A deviation from the norm, so to speak.

A deviation from the norm is not the definition of a cult.

That invites a generalization. People will call anything a cult that does not conform to the major belief system of the society or if it is a small group.

For example, Christians may tend to call anything that does not conform to Christianity, a cult especially if it is a smaller group.

Larger groups, like Islam or Judaism are call a religion simply because of their size.

Cults exert control. They are control freaks. The more control, the more it qualifies as a cult.

JB