It is not uncommon to hear of families lamenting the loss of a young person to a group they think might have become a cult. But what are cults today?

No longer simply religious extremist groups, cults can also be secular, identity-based, or political groups that aim or claim to do good. The Jim Jones Cult began as a movement that fused Marxism and Christianity and provided homes for homeless Black people in American inner cities. And yet, Jonestown in Guyana in 1978 resulted in a suicide pact of 909 people.