America seems to be embarking upon a journey towards religious intolerance and the illegalization of religions.
Using the word 'cult' is pretty much a loaded word. I think you could make the argument that every religion is a cult.
I've seen this guy, protesting Scientology before, but everytime I see him and others like him, I have visions of Jewish people being lined up to get into cattle cars or witches being burned at the stake or even the massacre in Waco, Texas. (Yes, I think those people that were massacred were nuts, but it was still technically a massacre, just look up the definition of massacre.)
Here's a few definitions of the word, but before you read these understand that the debate over what a cult is and how you define the word cult and how you define what groups constitute a cult is contested in a way that is almost a cult itself. ;0
# adherents of an exclusive system of religious beliefs and practices
# fad: an interest followed with exaggerated zeal; "he always follows the latest fads"; "it was all the rage that season"
# a system of religious beliefs and rituals; "devoted to the cultus of the Blessed Virgin"
wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn
# In religion and sociology, a cult is a term designating a cohesive group of people (generally, but not exclusively a relatively small and recently founded religious movement) devoted to beliefs or practices that the surrounding culture or society considers to be outside the mainstream or ...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cult
# Cult is a novel by Warren Adler
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cult (novel)
# Cult is Apocalyptica's third album, released in 2000 with a special-edition released in 2001 containing an extra disc. This album also saw a small trend starting in their single releases, as both Hope and Path have a second version called Path vol.2 or Hope vol. ...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cult (album)
# In traditional usage, the cult of a religion, quite apart from its sacred writings ("scriptures"), its theology or myths, or the personal faith of its believers, is the totality of external religious practice and observance, the neglect of which is the definition of impiety. ...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cult (religious practice)
# used in this (limited popular) context only, "cult" refers to the organisation that develops around an abusive guru, and which enforces the abuser's authority, usually by means of an inner circle of lieutenants or close disciples who have taken on the abusive guru's dysfunctional sadomasochistic ...
www.kheper.net/topics/gurus/glossary.html
# A religious group that follows a particular theological system. In the context of Christianity, and in particular, CARM, it is a group that uses the Bible but distorts the doctrines that affect salvation sufficiently to cause salvation to be unattainable. ...
www.carm.org/dictionary/dic_c-d.htm
# The word cult is a derogatory term used to express disapproval or those who hold beliefs other than one's own. ...
www.godweb.org/dictionary/dic_c-d.htm
# Veneration ( or honoring ) of a saint expressed in public acts, local or universal, and formally approved by the Pope.
www.ichrusa.com/saintsalive/glossary.htm
# the rituals and observances of a particular religion, esp. those pertaining to a single deity.
www.teach-nology.com/worksheets/soc_studies/rome/v
# A religious group which denies the essential doctrines of Christianity. The term is usually reserved for groups founded after 1750.
www.dtl.org/trinity/misc/glossary.htm
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