TLDR - what’s the question mark in the following scale
Cult(-1)……………….Religion(0)……………….???(+1)
Long version (a.k.a my stupid mind’s question that is keeping me awake):
My understanding of cult is a group of people with an absurd or even possibly nefarious belief system. Like something negative.
By that definition I would put religion in the middle (though a majority of it leans towards the cult side). A group of people that is very serious about what they believe in, no matter how illogical it is.
So with this understanding what would you call the positive side ? A group of people coming together to have a tradition and belief system just for the fun of it ? Is there such thing ?
It’s all terminology and labels.
Do you belong to a theology? No? Then you’re an atheist. But that label has a stigma, so some opt for a different label.
Are you gnostic? No? Then you’re agnostic. No one talks about gnosticism out of religeon or philosophy, so they know what you mean. But the subjects of gnosticism and theism are two different things.
But it also feels oversimplified when I put it that way, since these things a less black and white and fall more on a spectrum.
That said, do you play golf? No? Then you may also be an a-golfer, an a-tee-ist.
Which label you chose may be based on how much the stigma bothers you or how much of a troll you are.