It seems that many people on this board get a certain amount of glee calling the Jehovah's Witness faith a "cult." Especially former Jehovah's Witnesses. And though it's true in a number of senses, we must be conscious of the fact that the early Christians were considered by nearly everyone in Roman and Jewish society as a cult. It's true that modern cults do strange things like cut off members from their families and friends and force them into a society in which they can be easily controlled, even to eating innutritious foods, but do the Jehovah's Witnesses really meet this criteria? If so, how? Do elders urge members to break off familial relations with non-member families?
If JWs are a cult, I'd like to hear how they qualify as such.