The word cult has different meanings when used academically and colloquially [1]. The academic meaning has more to do with analyzing shared-culture groups by

The word cult has different meanings when used academically and colloquially [1]. The academic meaning has more to do with analyzing shared-culture groups by identifying clusters of material culture and beliefs. I.e. the cult of Apollo, or the cult of St. Nicholas. Cult in the sense used in this article is in the modern sense of a group of people heavily controlled by a charismatic leader via a belief system. Some academic "cults" certainly fit the definition of modern colloquial "cults", but not all. Some are just religious/cultural clusters. 1. https://www.jstor.org/stable/3511972#:~:text=...a%20cult%20is%20usually,and%20individualistically%20oriented%2C%20and%20deriv%2D https://www.jstor.org/stable/3511972#:~:text=...a%20cult%20i...