The term "
cult" has a
technical meaning in the field of
religious studies.
It means devotion to a god or saint within a pantheon. Quite often, it is a phenomenon of a mainstream religion or culture.
Thus, one can speak of the cult of Virgin Mary in the Roman Catholic Church, or the cult of Apollo in ancient Greece. The cult member may be initiated into devotional mysteries of that god or saint, but does not necessarily deny the existence of others in the pantheon.