religious cult vs cult

religious cult and cult both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
religious cult	Yes	No	No	No
cult	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, religious cult and cult are synonyms defined as:

Other synonyms of religious cult include cultus.

religious cult (noun)	cult (noun)
a system of religious beliefs and rituals	a system of religious beliefs and rituals
	an interest followed with exaggerated zeal
	a religion or sect that is generally considered to be unorthodox, extremist, or false
	followers of an exclusive system of beliefs and practices
	followers of an unorthodox, extremist, or false religion or sect who often live outside of conventional society under the direction of a charismatic leader