I don't give a shit about what religion you believe in, big or small, monotheistic or polytheistic. You have the personal right to believe in whatever bullshit you want to believe in; that should be none of my business as long as you don't force it upon others or justify bigotry with it.

There are many definitions of cults, including some that only apply "unorthodox" religious or philosophical beliefs. And some more broad definitions, like (from Wiktionary)

"The veneration, devotion, and religious rites given to a deity (especially in a historical polytheistic context), or (in a Christian context) to a saint."

and especially

"A group of people having an obsession with or intense admiration for a particular activity, idea, person, or thing."

And I think these definitions fit for all religions, unorthodox or not. All religions are cults, and I am not saying that derogatorily. All religions are equally valid (or invalid) because all of them rely on beliefs without evidence, just different ones. And one set of dogma is hardly any better or worse than any other set of dogma. Just don't force yours on others and keep to yourself, and I am fine with any set of dogma.

[–] exocrinous@lemm.ee 1 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

Ah, okay. I misunderstood you because you used the word cult in a very sweeping way right after I said it was a slur. I understand you now.

I would make the contention that at least one religion exists and has evidence: The worship of money. Money isn't real, it's a social construct given power and made part of our reality by our belief in it. It's mystical. Many people spend their entire lives worshipping it. They want it, they venerate it, and they seek wisdom from the people who have it. The worship of money is misguided, and unwise, and it fundamentally mistakes the point of life. But it is evidence-based. People worship money because they see its material power over the world and respect it as the giver of life, love, and happiness. That sounds like a religion to me, and there's no empirical proof which can dismiss these claims about money that are the core belief system of Mammon.