5 ms·
A good indication of a cult is that there is a shopping list of specific core beliefs (say 20) you are expected to believe. And you believe 19 of them but on th
by lazyeye 4y ago
A good indication of a cult is that there is a shopping list of specific core beliefs (say 20) you are expected to believe. And you believe 19 of them but on the 20th you have a slightly different view.
If this causes you to be banished and ostracised, then it's probably a cult.
JK Rowling would be an example of this.
- etchalon 4y ago"I completely agree with the core tenants of Buddhism, but I think I should be able to eat babies."
- lazyeye 4y agoThis is the kind of answer you'd expect from the member of a cult.
- whatshisface 4y agoThat's adding one (making a positive should-statement) not removing one.
- etchalon 4y agohttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_precepts https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_precepts
- latency-guy2 4y agoI was in the process of making a longer comment, but I think I will leave it at this one: Non-Violence or 'Ahmisa' being a core tenant of Buddhism (and many other religions), is the one I would pick as a more apt comparison. I don't think it is reasonable to commit no violence, especially if you consider all life precious - even if you restrict to only humans. Not all people think the same, in fact some people are far more willing to enact violence to reach their goals. Is protecting yourself and your community not included in the definition of 'violence'? If 'Ahmisa' is to be understood as, yes all forms of violence are sinful - then I outright reject that idea. You must be willing to protect other people, and you must be willing to enforce, and further able to enforce that. I don't think I have to enumerate all the ways history has proven that violence in the protection of others (and self) was/is necessary.
- etchalon 4y agoI'm not arguing for or against any specific precept. I'm not a Buddhist. My analogy was meant to out point that the argument, "I believe everything you believe, except for this one thing" is sophomoric, as the number of things we agree on matters less than the weight of what we disagree on – and vice versa.
- lazyeye 4y agoAnd of course we always assign a very, very heavy weight to anyone not adhering to the narrow railroad tracks of our particular ideology. Cult-like. Honestly, the people here so desperate to find an argument for rigid ideological adherence just kind of prove my point.
- themaninthedark 4y agoTechnically, he said eat babies, not kill them. So if the baby is already dead, ie SIDS. You would not be violating any of the precepts but you would still be getting funny looks.
- throwawaylinux 4y ago"Everybody's own personal definitions are to be tolerated and accepted, unless their personal definitions are of the devil."
- goodpoint 4y ago*tenets
- michaelmrose 4y agoA cult isn't a diffuse set of through processes and standards generally held in common to different degrees by different parties. That is very nearly the opposite of a cult. If you see a word with negative connotations and you desire to throw it at the houses as if it were a stray rock it may be a sign you aren't reasoning clearly. If someone was a hard core advocate for equality and justice where black and Hispanic people were concerned but held an irrational bigoted views about Jewish people their fellow advocates would count their bigotry more significant than their tolerance. You are naturally free to have your own positions on the topics raised but there is absolutely nothing logically inconsistent with the position that what they regard as bigotry being cause for concern and reaction even if as you say she and they agree on 19 other topics.
- anotherman554 4y ago"I believe in the core teachings of Christianity and the truth of every sentence of the bible but have a "slightly different view" in that I am Jesus Christ, reborn."