The term "cult" is used so loosely today and people will deem any group, system or ideology they disagree with as a cult, but in reality a cult has

to meet a set of very specific characteristics. How would you rightly and objectively define a cult and what main characteristics would you ascribe to it? I didn't know what group to put this under, so I just chose culture and race. In the word Culture is cult. CULTure is your operating system and when you go visit another culture, what do you feel? Culture shock, because it's different from the culture you're in. You see, that is using cult loosely and incorrectly.

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trollslayer · 46-50, M

There is an issue of scale. I think by definition, a cult needs to be a minority in a society. Otherwise, other things (such as major religions or national popularism) could fit the various definitions. I think this is the main argument against scientology being a cult - it's a little too widespread and its members do function in normal society. In that sense, it is more of just a corrupt controlling religion (no different than most religions, just smaller).

I am guessing you are more specifically referring to the MAGA movement as a "cult". In that case, I think people calling it a cult are more specifically focusing on Trump himself as a leader and ultimate authority - whatever Trump says, goes. In terms of politics, that hasn't typically been the norm for the United States. I think the cult definition applies to MAGA pretty well in that regard, but fails in areas of scale and because it is mainstream and the majority in many areas of the USA. Probably more applicable to compare MAGA to other nationalist movements in history than to a true cult like "heaven's gate" or the Branch Davidians.