I've been reading the back and forth replies and I see the lack to rationalize.

I recently went out for dinner at a restaurant. The food looked nothing like the pictures, the written description and what I received were very different the waitress had a forced smile (maybe life drama ) she was fake and phony putting on a different face than who she was. What a horrible experience after so many years of good experiences.

I therefore have decided that restaurants promote and describe one thing, but do something different, there staff is fake and phony.
I no longer believe restaurants do what they say, so I'm never going to restaurants agsin!!!!!

If this makes sense to you, then so should having a negative experience at church mean "all" churches.

God tells us to assemble together
God gives us examples throughout his word, how believers assembled and worshipped him.

God word tells us to "know" his word, so we can test what is taught.

Likeep a fire, when many logs are together they burn brightly, but take a log and set it off by itself and it smolders. When we are not in fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ, surrounded by worldly people, the evil one seeking to destroy can come in, oppress even christians. The reason we are to wear the armor of God, too put out the fiery darts!!! But you know this, you studied God's word, yet one church or even a dozen not conforming to God's word and you decide you know better than God, calling "Christians that gather, fellowship and worship in a church a cult.

Your ignorance of a cult. Do you understand the definition of a cult? I'll help you, "A group of people polarized around one man's interpretation of the bible, willingly accepting interpretation out of context.
Cults can agree with the Christian word of God 90%, it's the other 10% that sends them to Hell (corruption of the gospel /Salvation.

If you want to find flawed people -Go to Church
If you want to find hypocrites -Go to church
If you want to find sinners -Go to Church

The word of God/Theology needs to be solid, and the people going to learn/fellowship/worship- they are flawed, sinners, and even hypocrisy, since God transforms us, we christians still hang onto some not so Christ like traits going through maturing in Christ, and we are "All" sinners, that means we sin and do what we should not do. It is not until we are with Jesus in our new bodies after this life that we will sin no more.
So it also seems you are unwilling to forgive others of their sins, or sins against you, having an unrealistic expectation of perfection amount christians. The more we fellowship /Worship together, the more Christ like we become, the more loving, the more mature

Your issues are not with "Christian religion ", but understanding God's word.

I wish you the best and at Judgment it's you solo before God. Did you "ever" sincerely give your life to Jesus, or did you repeat words taught and read the bible? That's the only question you will ever have to have the right answer to, your eternal life depends on it.

I suggest reading. Josh McDowell "Evidence that demands a verdict " and then ask yourself if the evidence to believe in what Jesus taught is or is not justified.

My best to you and yours

In throwing ALL Christians into your personal "basket of deplorables", you are committing a logical fallacy known as a hasty generalization.

Our faith is tested daily, and false accusations against us is high on the list. The Bible is loaded with them. Some of the best men and women throughout the Bible, and throughout the history of Christianity, were falsely accused, and above them all was Jesus. The greater one's faith, the more severely it will be tested. A faith that cannot be tested, cannot be trusted, a faith that fails the tests is not real.

"These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold." 1 Peter 1:7

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Ephesians 6: 12

Apostasy is not uncommon among all religions, so what is the real reason that you published your personal sob story on an internet forum? What do you hope to gain from doing this?

One more time, I only related that experience because it gave me the opportunity to see the world in an unprejudiced light for the first time. It did not form my opinion on anything except that some members of the church were assholes... but I already knew that. I looked for other congregations and eventually asked to be reinstated in my original church. I attended there for an additional several years until I joined the Marine Corps.

My decision to abandon the faith was the result of many years of investigation and consideration and the ultimate failure to find a cohesive argument supporting retaining it.

Thank you for you effort to help me understand what a cult is. Let me return the courtesy;

Definition of cult from Merriam Webster
1
:formal religious veneration :worship
2
:a system of religious beliefs and ritual; also :its body of adherents the cult of Apollo
3
:a religion regarded as unorthodox or spurious (see spurious 2); also :its body of adherents the voodoo cult a satanic cult
4
:a system for the cure of disease based on dogma set forth by its promulgator health cults
5
a :great devotion to a person, idea, object, movement, or work (such as a film or book) criticizing how the media promotes the cult of celebrity; especially :such devotion regarded as a literary or intellectual fad
b :the object of such devotion
c :a usually small group of people characterized by such devotion the singer's cult of fans The film has a cult following.

Note that definitions 1 and 2 apply to all religions and number 5a applies directly to Christians, great devotion to a person/Jesus, an idea/salvation, object/the cross, movement/Christianity, or work/the Bible. The term is descriptive, not always pejorative.

Understanding the Bible has never been a problem for me. What it says is the problem. We can go into detail if you would like but that is not the point of this thread.

As for your 'only question', yes, I did. I can only refer you to First Corinthians 13:11.