How Did Christianity Get so Toxic?

[piece-itpete]

That God 'raped' Mary is ridiculous and insulting on its face, similar to the claims that God is guilty of child abuse because of the necessity of the cross. The Bible is one of the most ubiquitous books in the world - actually finding one and reading it is no difficult task.

If a cult is "a system of religious veneration and devotion directed toward a particular figure or object." - then I suppose if God himself is that 'particular figure or object', Christianity does fit. But this means ANY religion is a cult - why have two different words then?

Most Americans throughout our history would agree Christianity isn't a cult. Merriam Webster has as its first def as:
"1: a religion regarded as unorthodox or spurious (see SPURIOUS sense 2)
also : its body of adherents
the voodoo cult
a satanic cult"

A cult used to be considered in the western world as a religion that considers a source outside the Bible as 'gospel'. Hence, mainstream Christianity wouldn't be considered a cult - but the Mormons and Jehovahs Witnesses would be.

As a side note, Christian charities are among the largest charities in the world. And local Christian churches are super active in the worst neighborhoods.