When Does Church/Religion Cross Over to Being a Cult?

Where is the line in the sand?

When you do stupid shit for no sane reason. Like those followers from that cult Heaven's Gate. Remember them? Motherfuckers thought a comet was coming to take them away to the afterlife or something to take a effect and they all committed suicide in order to latch on to the comet. People like that.

When it crosses the line of seeking to inspire to seeking to control and manipulate the thoughts of their followers with its philosophy.

I'd say when they just become whacked. xD (So whacked that they start doing real crazy stuff.)

When they give (total) control of their lives over to that group and stop thinking for themselves.

When any form of individual thinking is discouraged.

Why the hell do women believe these leaders when they tell them that is God's will for them to have sex with all the "church's" women, minors included? I don't know how people get so brainwashed.

It's a matter of perspective.

A) If you are an atheist, then EVERY religion is a cult, or might as well be.

B) If you are one of the mainstream monotheistic religions (Jewish, Christian, Muslim, etc), then every other religion is a cult (because there is only ONE God).

C) If you are part of a religious denomination based on Christianity (Mormon, Jehovah's Witness, Christian Science, etc) but different from mainstream Christians then you are part of a cult as far as mainstream Christians are concerned, but only "non-Christian" religious people are part of a cult as far as you are concerned.

D) If you belong to another common but non-monotheistic religion not based on the God of Abraham (Bhuddist, Hindu, etc) then you are a cult as far as those religions go, but no different than any other religion as far as most Atheists go.

E) If you are part of some new age faith or some religion based on paganism (Wicca, Satanism, Scientology, etc) then most other religions would consider you part of a cult and about half of atheists would single your religion out as being a cult.

F) And if you belong to a small, local, unpopular group based off a local persons spiritual/philosophical views, and that person claims to be a messenger of God, then you are part of a cult as far as everyone else is concerned (except your fellow members)

When they try to stamp out independent thought, shun anyone who disagrees with any of their views and convince their parishioners to not have contact with anyone who isn't of their beliefs.

To some extent, I think most religions are cultish. But some are worst than others.