What Is a Cult?

When most people hear the word cult, they picture a group of fanatics living on a remote compound somewhere, waiting for aliens to arrive or stockpiling weapons for the end of the world.

The reality is usually far less obvious.

Most cults don’t look like cults.

They have normal-looking people, normal jobs, normal families, and normal lives. Cult members shop at the same stores, live in the same neighborhoods, and work alongside everyone else. Many cult members are intelligent, sincere, and genuinely believe they are part of something good.