* Communal living
* Sacred texts & knowledge
* Doomsday predictions
* Guru/prophet lives on the largesse of followers
It's rich for a group that claims to reason based on priors to completely ignore that they possess all the major defining characteristics of a cult.
1. Apocalyptic world view.
2. Charismatic and/or exploitative leader.
3. Insularity.
4. Esoteric jargon.
5. Lack of transparency or accountability (often about finances or governance).
6. Communal living arrangements.
7. Sexual mores outside social norms, especially around the leader.
8. Schismatic offshoots.
9. Outsized appeal and/or outreach to the socially vulnerable.