National Public Radio is running a Parcast podcast series titled Cults (click).

Jack is right in one sense - one current definition of "cult" is "a group that believes something the speaker doesn't believe," but I think that's a cynical definition. The idea of "cult" is an interesting phenomenon.

I'd venture to describe is as a group of people bound together by an irrational belief, often resulting in bizarre or antisocial behavior. In general, cults seem to be groups of people following an authority figure, and adhering blindly to the leader's teachings and practices.

The podcast series gives some interesting examples.

-Joe-