THERE IS MUCH confusion about the term "cult." Its basic meaning is simply the worship of a deity or the rituals of that worship. Historically it has been used to refer to unorthodox or unconventional groups whose beliefs are different from the traditional religions of the society in which they exist.

Because many people believe that their religion is the one true faith, they may call any other religion a cult, meaning the group holds mistaken or heretical beliefs. Thus the term is a subjective one. Often it is used in a derogatory way to demean the members of another group. In today's world, where no one religion dominates a culture and many religious traditions exist side by side in a country or a city, it is even less clear what groups should be called cults.

The use of the term as...