• Uriel238 [all pronouns]@lemmy.blahaj.zone
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      6
      ·
      edit-2
      1 year ago

      It’s 39,000+change denominations including all the dangerous cults but not including non-denominational churches, who are typically too small and localized to be part of a ministry, but some are big enough but pretend to be small and non-denominational so as not to draw too much attention (because US law enforcement really doesn’t want another Waco or Jonestown)

      Some of these are actually extinct like the Shakers – nope, we still have one Shaker village –

      === RESPONSE REPAIR IN PROGRESS ===

      † In 23rd century parlance, when we say cult we usually mean an NRM (New Religious Movement) that is dangerous. There are plenty of NRMs that are not dangerous (that get cult status anyway and harassed by US law enforcement) and there are plenty of old religions (more than a century-plus) that are dangerous, but not regarded as cults.

      • max@feddit.nl
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        4
        ·
        1 year ago

        I was actually making a tongue-in-cheek reply to the comment above yours, but damn. Interesting stuff, thanks for sharing!

        • Uriel238 [all pronouns]@lemmy.blahaj.zone
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          4
          ·
          edit-2
          1 year ago

          You’re welcome!

          Jonestown happened when I was a kid, so when Waco happened, I did some rabbit-hole dives into cult phenomena how they entrap people, so I’ll nerd out about it from time to time.

          And don’t get me started on Far Cry 5 and its failure to actually look at how cults work. (Of course Ubisoft was afraid of losing business from getting called out by the rising Christian nationalist movement in the US.)