Comment by TheOtherHobbes

That's pretty much it. The beliefs are just a cover story.

Outside of those, the cult dynamics are cut-paste, and always involve an entitled narcissistic cult leader acquiring as much attention/praise, sex, money, and power as possible from the abuse and exploitation of followers.

Most religion works like this. Most alternative spirituality works like this Most finance works like this. Most corporate culture works like this. Most politics works like this.

Most science works like this. (It shouldn't, but the number of abused and exploited PhD students and post-docs is very much not zero.)

The only variables are the differing proportions of attention/praise, sex, money, and power available to leaders, and the amount of abuse that can be delivered to those lower down and/or outside the hierarchy.

The hierarchy and the realities of exploitation and abuse are a constant.

If you removed this dynamic from contemporary culture there wouldn't be a lot left.

Fortunately quite a lot of good things happen in spite of it. But a lot more would happen if it wasn't foundational.