Orthodox doesn't always mean Christian
I have found that it is possible for a person to be Orthodox, in the sense that they are baptized, chrismated, do penance, and receive communion, and yet not be Christian. Likewise, it seems possible for an organization to be an Orthodox Church, but not be a Christian community. This will seem controversial, but I think it’s so.
I have witnessed one atmosphere of hyper-correctness and emotional and physical abuse, with strong sociological characteristics of a cult. I have witnessed another atmosphere that was anti-clerical, anti-ethnic, vaguely neoconservative, and spent a lot of time plotting to manipulate their image to the bishop, and affect the reputations of various clergy based on what ‘camp’ they were in. I have witnessed another atmosphere working to integrate Orthodoxy with things that can never be integrated, collaborating with emissaries from gnostic groups and roving hyper-ecumenists. I have listened to clergy explain how they are working with people to oust monks and priests who have the ‘wrong’ attitudes, and are barriers to the union of a world-christianity, and the evolution of Orthodoxy into a cultural instrument. I have witnessed a community that is working quite consciously to de-asceticize Orthodoxy and build a kind of system of religious affiliation that is devoid of personal devotion but maintains control through a kind of corporate power structure. Some people are likely not to believe I’ve seen these things, or will question my interpretation of them; there’s little I can do about that. …
In the field of sociology, much really excellent work has been done on analyzing the polity of cult behavior. The analysis has proceeded quite helpfully across confessional boundaries, to think in terms of cult social behavior, cult attitudes (in terms of social psychology), cult social structures, etc. There have been many studies and many lists of earmarks of cults put out, and some points are controversial, while others have nearly universal agreement. “Nearly”, because of course some groups feel justifiably threatened by the analysis. The analysis can apply to an entire group, to a group within a group, to a mere congregation of something vast and universal, or to an entire confession. The sociological elements are key, not anything like “official” status, sanction, or membership. Your tax-exempt status has no relevance. Likewise it does not assume that all cult or cult-like groups will have all of the elements, so analysis is not intended to be comprehensive, but rather to look for a constellation of attitudes and behaviors that elicit a trend. Here are set of common elements culled from some of this analysis: …