They're not a cult

http://www.baptiststandard.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=10998&Itemid=53

Lee Higgins argues that experts say the Hutaree militia group are a cult:
“When militia expert Jack Kay first ran across a MySpace page for the Michigan-based Hutaree militia six months ago, he thought it was just another group wrapping itself in God and country. But following raids on the Hutaree militia by federal authorities in three states, Kay said the group went beyond that initial assessment.
“Everything I’ve read about them and on their website establish, to me, that they are a cult,” said Kay, provost and executive vice president of academic affairs at Eastern Michigan University.”

The first objection to this is that the so-called expert has no academic background in the study of cults.

“They are true believers. They feel they are on a divine mission. They are willing to be martyrs. It goes beyond patriotism and gets into groupthink.”

I fail to see how this is any different from extremists in any major religion. Then again, this is the problem with the negative definition of cults. They are typically based on generalizations that have the potential to cast mainstream groups as cults.

A more correct definition for a cult would be, “A new religious movement that has not gained acceptance within the larger society.” Following that definition it’s difficult to see how the Hutaree can be classified as a cult. Sure they believed they were preparing to do battle against the Anti-Christ and were willing to kill police officers to do so. However, all the evidence we have suggests that their beliefs’ were motivated by Biblical Scripture without any re-interpretations that could define them as a new religious movement.

A Christian terrorist organization would be the most accurate definition.