The difference between a religion and a cult is scale, that’s all.
There’s a famous quote in sociolinguistics: “A language is a dialect with an army and navy.” I think the same thing applies here. A religion is just a cult with an army and a navy, because then they can enforce it onto others.
Yes, I think scale is typically what determines strength of control upon individuals. Cults are smaller and thus any charismatic cult leader can exert greater control on his small flock. The larger your religion gets though, the less likely the leader himself can micromanage and exert control, thus leading to the delegation of responsibilities and power.
“No, bro, trust me, the omnipotent and omniscient creator and ruler of the Universe cares deeply about what happens on a ball of rock comprising a rounding error of a rounding error of a rounding error of fifty more rounding errors of that Universe as it specifically pertains to a species of hairless ape having gay sex, eating shellfish and owls, mixing fabrics, grabbing their husbands’ genitals, and building unsafe roofs. ‘Did I miss my clozapine injection?’ Why do you ask?”
Nah, I’m vegan, and I don’t know how I would get my protein without eating owls. Necessary sacrifices sometimes need to be made.
Blind faith is nothing but a socially acceptable mental illness.
Not so sure about that. Like populism in politics, religion gives you simple answers and justifications for complex situations and easily comprehensible explanations for complex phenomenoms.
In a world that is getting harder and harder to grasp, people get lost in the big picture. Things like globalization, climate change, foreign affairs, our financial system etc. are all hard to understand for a big chunk if not the entirety of the population.
Dictators, monarchs as well as religion all provide easy guidance: Do X. Don’t do Y. You are the good guys, people who are/do/think Z are the baddies.
No individual thinking required. No boring facts, no discussions, just faith/loyalty/patriotism that counters every argument and allows you to feel superior and put the blame on someone else.
I think in situations of high social inequality or disruptive events (war, famine, financial crisis, pandamic), there will always be a high demand for religion and political extemism.
I honestly believe that theists that do not need their faith as escape from reality, eg. that aren’t in war or poverty, are to some degree mentally disabled.
