What is a cult? I’ve always thought it described a group of people with extremist ideas — of totally off the wall beliefs. Plus I’ve always thought cults sprung up from religion gone off the rails.
But how wide can we throw the lasso around this word “cult”?
The word cult comes from the Latin cultus, meaning “care, cultivation, worship,” derived from the verb colere (“to cultivate or worship”). It entered English via the French culte in the early 17th century, initially referring to religious worship or homage. By the 19th century, it began to describe groups with unconventional or fringe beliefs, often with a pejorative tone. The modern sense, emphasizing zealous devotion or harmful group dynamics, solidified in the 20th century.
“To cultivate” opens up an interesting method of gaining members of a group. When you cultivate plants, you can often take a clipping from a larger plant, dip it in some rooting hormone and put it into a pot of soil. I did this with a number of my mom’s roses — I was surprised at how easily you can cultivate a rose clipping and get it to grow and produce the same beautiful rose. I guess in the plant world we call this propagating.
The word propagate comes from the Latin propagare, meaning “to spread, extend, or multiply,” especially in the context of plants or offspring. It’s formed from pro- (“forward” or “forth”) and -pagare, related to pangere (“to fasten or plant”). The term originally described biological reproduction or cultivation, like spreading plants by layering or breeding animals.
It entered English in the 15th century, initially retaining its agricultural sense (e.g., propagating plants). By the 16th century, it expanded to mean spreading ideas, beliefs, or information, as in “propagating knowledge.” The modern sense, including both biological and abstract meanings (e.g., spreading rumors or ideologies), solidified by the 17th century. The related term “propaganda” (from the Latin propaganda fide, “spreading the faith”) further shaped its connotation of disseminating ideas, often with intent.
Almost any group of people that have been served up propaganda and been cultivated — belong to a cult. Most the time people don’t even know or realize that they belong to a cult. That’s how clever and insidious this can become. One day you wake up and ask yourself — what do I believe?
