Well, your first two examples started sects of established religions. And they were also cults.
Scientology amounts to a religion in a sense, though it’s just a very large cult that barely fits the usual concept of religion.
But, yeah, if you buy into Jesus having done what’s said in the bible and/or believed by christians, dude was starting a sect at least. I’ve seen people debate if what he was teaching was really “just” a reformation of judaism, or an intentional schism intended to start something new-ish, but the story of the new testament is of a charismatic cult leader building a sect.
Regardless of one’s faith in said charismatic cult leader, he didn’t do much that Koresh didn’t try. Managed to do a bit better than koresh or jones in that there was no mass suicide (and waco was that to an extent).
Well, your first two examples started sects of established religions. And they were also cults.
Scientology amounts to a religion in a sense, though it’s just a very large cult that barely fits the usual concept of religion.
But, yeah, if you buy into Jesus having done what’s said in the bible and/or believed by christians, dude was starting a sect at least. I’ve seen people debate if what he was teaching was really “just” a reformation of judaism, or an intentional schism intended to start something new-ish, but the story of the new testament is of a charismatic cult leader building a sect.
Regardless of one’s faith in said charismatic cult leader, he didn’t do much that Koresh didn’t try. Managed to do a bit better than koresh or jones in that there was no mass suicide (and waco was that to an extent).