Are cults and sects bad for society?

cults will use violence if you disagree in their beliefs, for example the ku-klux clan

Answer #2:

The biggest danger from cults, in my view, is that they believe they have some absolute truth that can't be questioned. They prevent their members from investigating alternative answers, and use pressure (positive and negative) to keep them within the fold. Anyone really interested in the truth encourages people to question, examine, develop; but the cults always erect a barrier - often geographical, by having a 'hideaway' where they all go to live, sometimes social, by restricting the time available to consort with non-members, or even emotional, by actively devaluing any person. group or activity that fails to conform to cult rules, and/or treating hesitant (or enquiring) members in a way calculated to cause the person to abandon their interest in non-cult matters. They are a poison in society because, in these ways, and whatever positive things they may otherwise do or believe, they devalue the individual and crush the human spirit.