I agree with this but I don't think it refutes anything that GP was trying to say. I've spent a few years in Japan and religion really does have a bad rap here

I agree with this but I don't think it refutes anything that GP was trying to say. I've spent a few years in Japan and religion really does have a bad rap here. My experience is that if you talk about large religious organizations, people will assume "cult" until proven otherwise. I wouldn't be surprised if Aum Shinrikyo and other extreme (but not representative) groups is one of the driving factors behind that common skepticism.