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Quoted directly from Sociology: A down-to-earth approach, by Henslin et al.

"Cults sometimes make instant headlines around the world...Cults, however, are not necessarily weird, and few practice 'brainwashing' or bizzarre rituals. In fact, all religions begin as cults.

Cults often begin with the appearance of a charismatic leader, an individual who inspires people because he or she seems to have extraordinary qualities. Finding something highly appealing about the individual, people feel drawn to both the person and the message.

A cult, then, is simply a new or different religion, with few followers, whose teaching and practices put it at odds with the dominant culture and religion.

Every cult meets with rejection from society. Its message is considered bizarre, its approach to life, strange. Its members antagonize the majority, who are convinced that they have a monopoly on the truth. The new message may contain revelation, visions, vists from God and angels, some form of enlightenment, or seeing the true way to God. The cult demands intense commitment, and its followers, confronting a hostile world, pull into a tight circle, separating themselves from nonbelievers.

Most cults fail. Not many people believe the new message, and the cult fades into obscurity. Some, however, suceed and make history. Over time, large numbers of people may come to accept the message, and become followers of the religion. If this happens, the new religion changes from a cult to a sect."

As cults are the start of religion, I wish them dead, as I think religion is the worst corruption of the human mind possible.

I always thought that shamanism is the first stage of religion, at least in history...

Christianity was a cult for a while. It was like, 300 ad before anyone thought it could ever be a real world religion.

Hmmm....no... Not really.

The Bible was written in 130 A.D. or so. I'd place the mark of it around that time.

i forget the exact #, but to offically be a religon, you have to have a certain number of followers. until then, your a cult

Of course each religion starts out as a cult... What a cult is, is merely a sligh drivation from a religion. For instance, let us trace the semetic religions. Jews are the root of both Islam and Christianity. Of of Christanity spirals the hundreds of subgroups Including Catholisism, The Episcopelians, Mormons, Jehova's Witness's, Baptists... etc. For Islam, there are the Hard line fanatics (who by now are indeed acult rather than a true religion as they had originaly started... Ironicaly) then there are the Sunni's and the Shi'ites. Eventually these mini divisions grow, and spawn cults of thier own. However... Once again, I am not a big fan of the Dogma's of any religion or cult.