Groups that have been labeled “cults” constitute a highly diverse set, both organizationally and doctrinally. The only feature that unites them is that they have in some way been involved in a public controversy. In fact, many small and otherwise innocuous minority religions have been drawn into the cult wars as the result of specific conflicts that have no intrinsic relationship with the wider anti-cult crusade.

For individuals or groups involved in certain kinds of struggles with members of minority religions, the cult stereotype represents a potent ideological resource which—if they are successful in making the label stick—marshals public opinion against their opponent, potentially tipping the balance of power in their favor. Situations in which this strategy can work are not restricted to the kinds of conflicts that are picked up by the news media. For example, the stigma of the cult stereotype has been effectively deployed in child custody cases, in which one parent's membership in a minority religion is portrayed as indicative of her or his unworthiness as a parent.

Relevant social-psychological research also indicates that once a stereotype has been accepted, it structures our perceptions so that we tend to notice information that conforms to our image of the stereotyped group, and to neglect or forget other kinds of information.