From the 1970s onward, sociologists found that applying the label “cult” to Jehovah’s Witnesses was too reductionist—a term freighted with negative baggage—and that converts typically made a deliberate, rational choice to join rather than undergoing sudden, coercive transformation. As a result, most scholars today refer to them as an NRM or sect rather than a cult.

Early Comparisons to Totalitarianism:   Mid-20th-century studies noted parallels between the movement’s centralized authority and totalitarian structures, but even those analysts stopped short of calling it a “cult” in the modern sense.

High-Control Features: While not a “cult” by strict academic usage, Jehovah’s Witnesses display many traits common to high-control or “cult-like” groups:

1. Authoritarian Leadership: Doctrines and policies are set exclusively by the Governing Body, and questioning its decisions can lead to reproof or expulsion.
2. Information Control: Members are discouraged from reading or discussing critical material about the organization; outside commentary is labeled “apostate.”
3. Exclusive Truth Claims: The organization teaches that only Jehovah’s Witnesses have the “truth,” and only they will survive Armageddon.
4. Shunning (Disfellowshipping): Former members and dissenters are formally “disfellowshipped” and often lose all contact with active family and friends.
5. Behavioral & Moral Control: Strict rules govern dress, social associations, medical decisions (e.g., refusal of blood transfusions), and personal morality.
6. Heavy Time/Financial Demands: Door-to-door ministry quotas, mandatory meetings, and frequent reminders of their responsibility to offer 'voluntary' donations represent significant time and financial commitments.