What if you had to move somewhere and pay a lot of money every year in order to have a better life? What if you had to use pieces of paper to get someone to do something? This might be a cult but it also describes moving to America.
Cults have a bad rep. No one wants to be a member and everyone wants to rescue people from them. But what makes a cult a cult is it's reputation. If everyone belongs to a cult, it's no longer a cult.
There's an interesting question: What is something that you know isn't true, but believing is good for you?
https://twitter.com/jonnym1ller/status/1682450443627028480
If enough people believe in a cult, it's useful for you to also believe in it.
Alternatively, even if almost everyone believes that something is a cult doesn't mean that everything associated with it is wrong. There could be useful lessons hidden below the taint.