How Can You Tell The Difference Between A Cult And A Religion?

"Cults, generally speaking, are a lot like pornography: you know them when you see them. ... Less easy, though, is identifying why. Knee-jerk reactions make for poor sociology, and ... often (just as with pornography), what we choose to see as a cult tells us as much about ourselves as about what we're looking at." Tara Isabella Burton looks at numerous examples and considers where it's appropriate to draw the line.