I think a cult does more harm to the individual but they hold very little effect on society as a whole
religions cause huge wars, effects politics and the state, repress people and can also do harm to the individual

I realize there are some benefits it gives people hope and strength and a stability in their life but the people who benefit the most are those in high power

obviously if you believe in a religion you will think there are far more benefits

Aw now i see what you mean. I was totally just thinking of it in terms of a single person! I guess i agree with you then - it's just that cults scare me =S

well i think the media and religions try and scare us of cults and tell us terrifying tales of them and some cults are really harmful and highly dangerous but some are also completely harmless

actually i'm changing my answer to just religion instead of the neither

I've got to agree that a cult can do more harm to an individual then to society as a whole like religion can and has done.

But they can also benieft a person depending on the situation.

For this pick you didn't distinguish the fact that a 'religion' and a 'cult' are not mutually exclusive. A religion can be a cult; a cult may be a religious one. Often times, cults do follow a theological philosophy, and many cults are extreme versions of different religions. The tie-in is too strong to differentiate between the two in my opinion.
Generally speaking, I have say that a cult is more harmful as cults are usually more extreme and therefore more likely to become harmful. The amount of cults is also not at all in proportion to the amount of religious people, so of course cults cannot have had the same consequences on society. If the two were in proportion there would be no question that cults as they are generally more extreme would cause more harm.
Both can have benefits, but I won't get into that.

true good point
but then again i also didn't bring sects and denominations in to it either as I thought the discussion might get a bit heavy and complicated for some people.....or is that just really patronising? but i always want everyone to join in

you argue that maybe one that cross in to religion and cults are the most harmful then as they effect society and the individual

Except the Buffy Cult which is a boon to all mankind.

depends on the cult

Yeah.Cults are just scary to me....

religions to me are harmless as well as cults which are just weird. if any questions feel free to ask

a religion is a cult which is socialy accepted

I think they are really the same thing!

from my point of view cults r dangerous and miltocgal no they're not! Religion id deeper and much more meaningful

To (for the most part) quote To Kill a Mocking Bird: "A bible in a man's hand is more dangerous then a drink in a man's hand"

They can both be harmful or helpful depending on the situation also its hard to draw a line between a religion and a cult since most religions were considered a cult when they were first formed

Religion is not harmful at all! I don't know about cults, I guess they could cause harm.

We've seen proof of that :(

It really depends on the PEOPLE who are in the religion or cult. Christianity itself didn't start the inquisition, holy wars, or witch hunts, the people did. No organization or belief itself can be harmful, but the people within it can.

I agree with Nevermore, I know that from past Christian history you could be killed for being Catholic, it's the terrible truth about how a good religion can be changed by the people who practice it :/

The only difference between a religion and a cult is the 'size' i.e. the number of followers, the influence on politics etc.
I ave always thought that religions (or cults) do more harm than good.

Cults, most definitely.

Cults are about control, whereas religion is a way of life. Massive difference.