“Any church or group which claims exclusivity, in that you have to go through them to get to God, is absolutely a cult.”
Well, they have to meet a couple more standards to qualify under the usual definition of a cult, like coercing people to break off contact with their families, or shunning non-members. If they only meet some of the standards, I would just say they are “cult-like”.
Uh, have you read the comments around here directed to non-catholics? From catholics? Oh,it’s bigger than cult-like. Talk about “shunning non-members..” and as far as breaking off contact with their families...No need to, their entire families, going back 10,000 years ARE members.
Some of the other characteristics is putting their teachings above the Word of God. Depending on extra-Biblical revelation.
I don’t think that any group has to have ALL the characteristics to be classified as a cult.