What is the difference between a philosophy, a religion, and a cult?

I’ve heard Buddhism referred to as a philosophy.
Christianity, Islam, and Judaism referred to as a religion.
Mormonism and Scientology referred to as cults.
Atheism and agnosticism referred to as non-belief
They all have beliefs about the afterlife whether it be certainty of Jesus as God or certainty there is nothing or certainty of reincarnation.

No hate here. Just sharing of opinions. Thank you.

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111 Responses to “What is the difference between a philosophy, a religion, and a cult?”

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  2. Jack Milli Says:

    I prefer to use beliefs for all.
    It is very personal belief.

    Human have a freedom to choose his/her own belief. No compulsory at all.

  3. bo k Says:

    Philosophy is a logical presentation or discussion.
    Religion is a practice where people worship creators.
    Cult is a small group of people sharing strange belief and practices.

  4. Insanity Ranch Says:

    First, I’d like to say that your emphasis on faith (as a defining characteristic of religion) is only true if you take Christianity as a model for what a religion is. It’s no accident that most atheists and agnostics define themselves in contrast to Christianity, thus insisting that the central distinction is faith vs. non-faith.

    Me, I’m a Buddhist, and I consider it a religion, not a philosophy, even though I don’t actually have any special faith in Buddhist mythology. Here’s what my Buddhism consists of.

    1. I do sitting meditation every day, in order to become steady and minimally reactive to the day-to-day ups and downs of life. (Not to mention, less reactive to the everyday friction with other human beings.)

    2. I do mindfulness practice every day, many times a day, in order to feel the underlying joyfulness of simple existence.

    3. I do metta exercises every day at various points, in order to make my actions and even thoughts both ethical and compassionate, to the greatest degree possible.

    Notice that Buddhism is something I DO, in fact, an entire system of things I do. The three legs of my practice are not really separate; they work together in support of my goal of being a particular sort of person. Philosophy, as far as I know, doesn’t offer that sort of integrated behavioral, goal-oriented approach, but religions generally do.

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