Fundamentalism and Cults

I have a very conflicted feeling about using the term cult, as evangelicalism frequently uses the term in a pejorative sense against legitimate "religions" such as Buddhism, Islam, etc. And I agree with those who argue that most religions are just cults that have gained legitimacy. But I do think that the traditional notion of cults has some merit. That being the case, to what extent does evangelical and\or fundamentalist indoctrination mirror that of cults. I think a lot depends on what part of evangelicalism you are raised in. One thing that concerns me about Mercy is its Charismatic leanings. The Charismatic movement has been responsible for some of the world's most dangerous cults, particularly the Children of God movement, which practiced child sex and "flirty fishing" (religious proselytization through sex). While I do not think Charismatic churches are by definition cultish, I think their reliance on emotion rather than intellect makes them more prone to cult-like behavior than Catholic, Orthodox, or Reformed\Calvinist churches, that have their own intellectual traditions. Mainstream evangelicalism, by and large, may promote cults of personality that disappear (Ted Haggard for instance), but these seldom extend beyond that. But fundamentalism (I here differentiate between fundamentalism and evangelicalism) can produce cults. Westboro Baptist or those crazy kooks who influenced Andrea Yates are prime examples of Protestant fundamentalist cults. I think many fundamentalist groups operate on the margin of culthood, using tactics like forced isolation, reading of only fundamentalist materials, limiting of contact with outsiders or the unsaved, etc. as ways of insuring the dominance of their belief system in their children and converts.
I feel the version of evangelicalism I got (occassionally tinged with Reformed Presbyterianism and fundamentalism) was mild enough to not be considered cult-like. But I do believe elements of my education could have been manipulated to serve cultish ends, given the right leader. That is what perhaps makes me most worried about Mercy. It's not that people defend Mercy so much as they glorify Nancy Alcorn as a minor deity. That, to me, is dangerous, and is why I will continue protesting against Mercy, Freedom Village, and other coercive evangelical, fundamentalist, and Charismatic organizations