By Fr. Shenan J. Boquet, Human Life International - “Cult” is a word that has negative connotations. It suggests a group of wide-eyed, fanatical followers of a dangerous belief system created by a cult leader. However, the Latin word cultus has a much broader meaning. Originally, the term had a close connection to farming. It referred to the process of fostering or promoting growth. Here, you can think of the word “cultivate,” which comes from the same root. In the same way that a famer cultivates a field, so also a culture cultivates a people.