A hung jury is better than a hanging.

Turns out that anti-cracking tech is widely applicable, if a bit expensive.

I feel the need to add some context here.

The patriarchal push to erase the pantheon started just before the Babylonian Exile under the reign of King Josiah. He ruled from 640 to 609 BCE.

His son Ellakim (or Jehoiakim) refused to pay tribute to the Neo-Babylonians which resulted in 60 years of slavery for some 7000 Judeans.

It was only in 539 BCE when the Neo-Babylonian Empire fell that they were allowed to go home.

The Judeans come home, but their temple has been sacked and most of their sacred texts burnt, so they rebuild and recreate.

This is when Noah and Moses were invented, a long with anything before Solomon, and even much of his life as well.

Mark Rober already did that.

Is the leader alive or not? Alive is likely a cult, dead is usually religion.

The next question is how isolated from friends and family or society at large are the members. More isolated is more likely to be a cult.

Other than that, there’s not much difference.

The usual setup is a cult is formed and then the second or third leader opens things up a bit and transitions it into just another religion… But sometimes a cult can be born from a religion as a small group breaks off to follow a charismatic leader.