Cults: Questions and Answers Q. What is a Cult? The term cult is
applied to a wide range of groups. There are historical cults,
such as the cult of Isis, non-western cults studied by
anthropologists, such as the Melanesian cargo cults, and a host
of contemporary cults that have caught the publics’ attention
during the past fifteen years. Webster’s Third New International
Dictionary (unabridged, 1966) provides several definitions of
cult, among which are; A religion regarded as unorthodox or
spurious... a minority religious group holding beliefs regarded
as unorthodox or spurious... A system for the cure of disease
based on the dogma, tenets, or principles set forth by its
promulgator to the exclusion of scientific experience or
demonstration... A great or excessive devotion or dedication to
some person, idea, or thing... a. the object of such devotion...
b. a body of persons characterized by such devotion, for
example, “America’s growing cult of home These broad definitions
do not accurately reflect the conce