That’s the pejorative usage. There is also:
“Cult also commonly refers to highly devoted groups, as in:
Cult, a cohesive group of people devoted to beliefs or practices that the surrounding culture or society considers to be outside the mainstream
Cult of personality, a political leader and his following, voluntary or otherwise
Destructive cult, a group which exploits and destroys its members or even non-members
Suicide cult, a group which practices mass self-destruction, as occurred at Jonestown
Political cult, a political group which shows cult-like features”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cults_of_personality
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cult_following
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cult_%28religious_practice%29
That’s the pejorative usage. There is also:
“Cult also commonly refers to highly devoted groups, as in:
Cult, a cohesive group of people devoted to beliefs or practices that the surrounding culture or society considers to be outside the mainstream
Cult of personality, a political leader and his following, voluntary or otherwise
Destructive cult, a group which exploits and destroys its members or even non-members
Suicide cult, a group which practices mass self-destruction, as occurred at Jonestown
Political cult, a political group which shows cult-like features”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cults_of_personality
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cult_following
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cult_%28religious_practice%29