Religion: Socially Accepted Cult With Prolonged Brainwashing & Imposition

Objective

The objective of this article is to critically assess the following topics:

• Religious Indoctrination & Imposition on Children

• “Religion” as a socially accepted “Cult”

• Negative Connotation associated with the word “Cult”

Note: The objective of this article is not to discourage or shame people practicing any religion, but rather, to provide a new perspective on the same, and address the concern of imposition of religious beliefs on children.

Religion: Brainwashing & Imposition

For most people, the sad reality is that the religion they choose to practice is merely imposed upon them through careful, and often well-meaning, brainwashing and indoctrination in their formative years.

Think about it, what made us choose the religion we practice, and why were we inclined toward it? Did we have adequate information, or a strong agreement or even an inkling towards the beliefs outlined in the religion we practiced, or the deity we worshipped, or was it imposed upon us (with no malicious intent) by none other than our only only support system, people who were major influence ****in our life, and that is, our family members?

Credits: JourneyFree

“’Their’ beliefs? The ‘beliefs’ of four-year-old children? Did it not occur to this spokesperson that children who are too young to realize the importance of ‘their’ beliefs might also be too young to possess those same beliefs in the first place? How can the ‘beliefs’ of a four-year-old child be ‘important’ to her if she doesn’t even know what her beliefs are?”

Credits: Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason & Science

“Research suggests that parents have a large impact on their children’s religious behaviors. For example, there is considerable overlap between how often teens and their parents attend religious worship services.”

Credits: Pew Research Center

My stint with religion

Let me explain this with an example. In my formative years, I identified as a ‘Hindu’, and practiced ‘Hinduism’, not because I resonated with the beliefs, but rather, because my parents were also ‘Hindus’. Throughout my childhood, I had a ton of exposure to temples, pandits, and so on. My parents made me fold my hands to pray in front of their deity of choice (my mother was a firm believer in Ganesha), and made sure I could recite the Hanuman Chalisa by heart.

I was, but, a mere child. I didn’t know any better, and frankly, nor did I have a choice in the matter. I had to do as my parents told me to. I had to be in those poojas, aartis, and god knows what not. I was told tales, and tales of the escapades of Lord Ganesha, the Mahabharat, Ramayan, and whatnot.

I was told to believe that since I’m born into a ‘Hindu’ Family, I must, well, of course, be a Hindu, and practice ‘Hinduism’. It was a compulsion, an imposition. I did not have a say in the matter, and nor did I think too much of it.

Religion is a Cult

As I’ve gotten older, I‘ve started to realize that religion is akin to a cult. Here’s how.

Religious groups are glorified cults, and most importantly, the reason we do not immediately consider them a cult per se is because they are accepted by society.

On the other hand, cults, when they are not accepted by society, are ridiculed, and the members are ostracized. But when a cult becomes too big, and has been around for too long, it turns into a religion. Case-in-point Hinduism, Christianity, Jainism, Buddhism. All of these started with an all-knowing, sagacious, enlightened leader.

Origin

Story of ‘Buddhism’
Buddhism's story begins with Siddhartha Gautama, a prince who renounced his luxurious life to find enlightenment. He became the Buddha after years of meditation and ascetic practices, eventually teaching others how to achieve nirvana, a state beyond suffering. Buddhism spread from India, influencing many cultures and giving rise to various schools of thought.

Story of ‘Christianity’
Christianity began with Jesus of Nazareth in 1st-century Judea, who was believed by his followers to be the Messiah. After his crucifixion and resurrection, his teachings spread rapidly, initially within the Roman Empire, and later across the globe. Christianity became the world's largest religion, encompassing diverse traditions and beliefs centered around the life, teachings, and death of Jesus Christ.

Story of ‘The Peoples Temple’
The Reverend James Jones was a charismatic young man of 24 when he founded the Peoples Temple in Indianapolis in 1955. He preached racial equality, and, amazingly, more than half the Peoples Temple members were of racial minorities—a level of diversity almost unheard of in the 1950s. The church quickly grew to more than 900 members. Jones preached social awareness, too, and the church soon ran a homeless shelter, soup kitchen, food bank, and job placement service. City leaders honored Jones by appointing him to the Indianapolis Human Rights Commission.

I have a question for you, dear reader. Do you notice any difference, because I certainly do not, and I’m being very honest. I genuinely do not notice any difference.

Aha, now I see it. While the story of ‘Buddhism’ and ‘Christianity’ are often referred to as laying the foundation for ‘Buddhism’ and ‘Christianity’ respectively as a religion, the story of ‘The Peoples Temple’ is the story of an extreme, and dangerous cult.

Fun Fact: All religions started as a cult. Christianity famously so.

“Christianity was just one cult amongst many, but unlike the cults of Rome, Christianity demanded exclusive allegiance from its followers. It was this intolerance of other gods, and its secrecy, which rattled the Roman authorities and led to repeated persecutions of Christians. Christians were forced to meet and worship in secret.”

Credits: BBC

What’s the perceived difference between “Religion” and “Cult”?

Before we delve into the colloquial differences people state to differentiate the two words, let us understand what the mentioned words truly mean, according to the dictionary.

What does the word ‘Religion’ actually mean?

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/religion

What does the word ‘Cult’ actually mean?

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cult

Colloquial Differences

What are the colloquial differences that people put forward, and how are they, actually, just similarities, rather than differences?

1. Negative Connotation & Unconventional

“Just using the word ‘cult’ brings a lot of baggage. It’s just fascinating to see that this word has such a stigma, even though its meaning is not as concrete as one might think.”

Credits: TUFTs Now, TUFTS University

“The word ‘cult’ often holds a negative connotation and is reserved for the unconventional religions we disapprove of.”

Credits: Bigthink.com

“Negative connotation…’unconventional’ religions”

Hmm, doesn’t that support the narrative that I’m advocating for? Religion is a ‘socially-accepted’ cult, with usually more followers (hence why they’re socially accepted). Connotation is based on perception, or popular belief, which changes over time due to factors like normalisation, romanticizing, etc.

Even the way Merriam-Webster puts it is “a religion regarded as ‘unorthodox’”.

2. Time Factor (Longevity)

“If one factor can determine the difference between a cult and a religion, according to Tavor, it would be time. Scientology is now recognized by the state as a religion, with tax-exempt status. Mormonism was considered such a deviant form of heterodoxy its founder was lynched. Now the Mormon Church has more than 14 million members worldwide.

Credits: Penn Today, UPenn

“All religions start as cults. To become a religion, a cult must long outsurvive its founder.”

Credits: Blog, University of New England

3. (Lack of) Individual Autonomy

While the stereotypical image of a cult presented in pop culture and the media resonates with the point that cults lack individual autonomy, when you look at the actual meaning of the word “cult” and shift focus from the outliers and sensationalized examples, then this point starts being as relevant as Hinduism preaching for cows not to be killed and beef not consumed.

4. (Exploit) Spiritual Needs

So does religion. Every religion thrives on blind faith, and this blind faith is the source of revenue for any religion. People’s “spirituality” and need for something to believe in, a higher being, to have “faith”, is constantly exploited to get donations, and offerings which further support the religious body.

5. Lack of Faith

The word faith is defined as “strong belief in the doctrines of a religion, based on spiritual conviction rather than proof”, and yes, my dear, the word “cult” entails a group of people with a similar belief system in a concept, principle, or entity.

6. Preying on Youth & Indoctrination

“Cults are also well-renowned for preying on the weak, young and naive.”

Credits: Vellichor Literary

A simple rebuttal to this point would be to refer to the actual meaning of what a cult is, rather than, once again, the sensationalized, and skewed image which is painted in Netflix series, and pop-culture.

Cult and the negative connotation associated

Source: Getty Images

Images like these glorify, and fuel the perception of the word “cult” always having a negative connotation, and honestly, it baffles me. I don’t understand why?

Although, to play devil’s advocate, there is a fair amount of rationale for why the public sentiments towards cults are pretty negative, and that is due to notoriety brought upon by cults like Jonestown, Heaven’s Gate, and so on.

Notorious cults:

• Jonestown (People’s Temple): Led by Jim Jones, this apocalyptic cult relocated to Guyana to avoid U.S. scrutiny. In 1978, over 900 followers, including children, died in a mass murder-suicide by cyanide-laced punch.

• Branch Davidians: A militant offshoot of the Seventh-day Adventists, the group stockpiled weapons under leader David Koresh. In 1993, a 51-day standoff with the FBI ended in a fiery siege, killing 76 people, including Koresh and many children.

• Heaven’s Gate: Believing that a spacecraft trailing the Hale-Bopp comet would save them, this cult's 39 members committed coordinated suicide in 1997. They saw death as an “exit” to a higher evolutionary level.

• Aum Shinrikyo: This Japanese doomsday cult, led by Shoko Asahara, combined Buddhist and apocalyptic beliefs. In 1995, they carried out a deadly sarin gas attack in the Tokyo subway, killing 13 and injuring thousands.

• The Manson Family: Led by Charles Manson, this cult used LSD, mind control, and apocalyptic race war theories to justify a series of brutal murders in 1969, including actress Sharon Tate. Manson envisioned a world reborn through chaos.

• Children of God (later The Family International): Known for exploiting children and encouraging sexual abuse under the guise of “God’s love,” this cult used disturbing practices like "flirty fishing" (using sex to recruit members) throughout the '70s and '80s.

• Order of the Solar Temple: A secretive cult obsessed with Templar mysticism and doomsday prophecies, its leaders orchestrated mass murder-suicides across Europe and Canada in the 1990s. Over 70 members died in ritualistic killings meant to “ascend to Sirius.”

But in the grand scheme of things, imposing a negative connotation on a term as broad as “cult” based on a few outliers is not fair at all. By this logic, even religion should have a negative connotation due to the heinous and “ungodly” acts committed, no?

Heinous acts by religious groups

Christianity

• Spanish Inquisition (1478–1834): The Church sanctioned torture, forced conversions, and executions targeting Jews, Muslims, and “heretics.” Public burnings and systematic repression became state policy. [1]

• Clergy Sexual Abuse Scandals: Across the U.S., Ireland, and beyond, thousands of children were raped and abused by priests. The Church often covered up decades of systemic abuse to protect its image. [2]

Hinduism

• Sati (until 19th century): A now-outlawed ritual in which widows were expected—or sometimes forced—to burn themselves alive on their husband's funeral pyre. It was justified through patriarchal religious interpretations. [3]

• Temple Devadasi System (until 20th century): Girls were “married” to deities and then sexually exploited by priests and elites under a sacred guise. Though outlawed, vestiges still exist in rural areas. [4]

Islam

• ISIS and Violent Jihadism: Radical groups like ISIS have used distorted interpretations of Islam to justify mass executions, rape (especially of Yazidi women), and slavery, including forced child soldiers. [5]

How can we completely write off the atrocities committed in the name of “religion”, while labelling “cults” to be the epitome of insanity, and the embodiment of draconian principles? That makes no sense.

Conclusion

The purpose of this article was not to comment on whether practicing a particular religion, or being an atheist, is bad or good, but rather, to once again, provide a new perspective on the words “cult” and “religion”, and how there really isn’t a sharp distinction (or any) between the two words. Along with this, I intend to question and challenge the negative connotation the word “cult” has in our minds.

To conclude though, we can address the topic adequately through the following formula: Religion = Cult + (Time Factor + Size Variable)

Interesting Reads

• https://bigthink.com/thinking/are-religions-simply-cults-that-have-gone-mainstream/

• https://aeon.co/essays/theres-no-sharp-distinction-between-cult-and-regular-religion

• https://www.researchgate.net/publication/347730395_Separating_religion_from_cult_An_analysis_of_cult-like_organizations

• https://www.researchgate.net/publication/369070941_Religion_and_Cult_Elements_Integration_in_Marketing_Activities_Guide

Citations

[1] The Inquisitions. (n.d.). https://christianhegemony.org/the-inquisitions

[2] BBC News. (2021, October 5). Catholic Church child sexual abuse scandal. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-44209971

[3] Alam, A. A., & Sengupta, S. (2024). Sati: A journey from implementation to abolishment. SSRN Electronic Journal. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4691814

[4] Anand, A. (2024). Temple prostitution in India -An exploitative practice in the name of religion. SSRN Electronic Journal. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4887242

[5] The Islamic State (Terrorist Organization). (n.d.). RAND. https://www.rand.org/topics/the-islamic-state-terrorist-organization.html