Why is Christianity legal?

This is a SERIOUS question, and I am NOT trolling...

I want to know why Christianity, Judaism, well EVERY religion is socially acceptable, but "cults" are evil, wrong and insane? Religion and cults are the same thing. There's a heir achy, you must only belong to that one society, no false gods, blindly agree with every sentiment. Can anyone explain the difference between a cult and a religion?

I think that the only difference is the number of people following that particular belief system.

A cult is usually demonic.....They worship out of fear instead of love

those religions have been around for thousands of years, and cults only become "evil" when they start breaking the law.

I don't see your point. Cults are legal too.

I don't know which of your many questions to answer, but I don't think cults are illegal.

What do you expect to do? "cleanse the world of religious people"? Remind me why that idea was never a good one.
Well I'd have to say that most cults include mass suicide and I don't think there's been any of those with Christianity and Judaism...

Cults are entirely legal. Christianity is legal because of the first amendment. You can't tell someone what they believe. You can believe whatever you want, but based on the actions you commit on others based on those beliefs, restrictions might be enforced. But those restrictions aren't on the actual beliefs, just on the degree to which they impinge on the rights of your peers.

There are many cults. Some are "below the radar" and present no real threat, so they are basically ignored.

Christianity is legal because we are a nation of laws in the U.S. and our founding fathers stated quite bluntly that Congress shall "pass no law" that would "restrict the free exercise of religion" so this is a constitutionally protected right. It also applies to all faiths, so long as they don't break another law in following theirs. A noted exception would be "honor killings" by Muslims. A man was tried and convicted of killing his own daughter over that one.

I belong to a non-denominational church where the Bible is preached, believed, and followed. If I decided that I'd rather attend another church, no one would track me down and shoot me for being a blasphemer. So, the "cult status" doesn't apply in this case, nor in the greater part of Christendom.

Do some research.

They're the exact same thing, just different connotations.

All individuals have a right to congregate and worship, or not worship, as they best see fit. In that sense, any religion or cult is permitted. "Cult status" is imparted in the minds of people and the media, not the government. People are free to believe and worship whatever they wish, just like any other church.

Part of the freedom of religion means that the government turns a blind eye to your religion when examining your legal status:

-I don't have a religion, and if I break a law, I'll be punished, not because I'm an atheist, but because I broke the law.
-If a person in a mainstream religion breaks the same law, he would be punished, not because of his beliefs, but because he broke that law.
-If a person in what we might consider a cult breaks a law, he would be punished just like everybody else, not because he's in a cult, but because he broke the law.

Although each of us might use a different defense tactic, in the end, all three of us would be afforded the same rights and privileges of any accused citizen--that's guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment--and ultimately receive the same penalty.

Because the religions are above the law. That is the reason they are allowed to collect money from their flocks and not pay taxes. Even though they can not come up with any evidence that the gods or devils that they made up actually exist. They are getting preferential treatment from all governments because of the idiocy of the people! tag

You know, that is a really good question. I am fairly certain that it has to do with our constitution. The constitution specifically forbids the government from interfering with religion or religious practices. Our country was founded on the idea of freedom of religion. It was a direct response to the government mandated religion of England.

However, with that said, it is also unconstitutional to require US Citizens to have a Driver's Licence. It is unconstitutional to have a tax on wages and call it an income tax. Wages are not income as defined by the tax code and the constitution specifically forbids a direct tax on the wages of citizens.

Since the Government is not following the constitution of the United Stated anyway, why not end religion? I have no idea? Perhaps they will get around to it some day.

Well to be fair, cults aren't illegal either.

depends on the cult to me. But both are perfectly legal in the USA as long as no illegal activity is taking place.

Honey, I have yet to hear my priest tell me to go drink the kook-aid.
Cults are brain washing, often dangerous, and end in psychic or at their extreme, actual death.
In the Episcopal church we are encouraged to think, not blindly adhere to anything. You sound like you know a lot about Catholicism, which encourages such adherence.

Because David Cameron is a spineless lackey who hasn't got the guts to stand up to the Archbishop of Canterbury and tell him where to stick it. (Which is still slightly more likely than the Pope apologizing .....)

The difference between a religion and a cult is simply numbers.