But there is a big difference between any belief or belief system and a cult.

Why would one want to "shake off" beliefs that are "reasonable sounding?"  I mean, isn't it just being closed minded to ignore everything you don't already believe?   The critical point it to be critical of them, not to avoid in any way entertaining them.

What a cult tries to keep you from doing is testing out the belief system (or in the case of the Rawat cult, even acknowledging that there IS a belief system), and that is inherently different than many other beliefs. 

I also just reject the idea that there is some ideal truth as to whether a belief is true or false; I think it's a lot more complicated than that and there are lots of nuances and gray areas. 

And they do change, and just because you hang around people who have similar beliefs doesn't mean they are not challenged.  I mean, just attend a Green Party meeting in the USA and see the vast, wide range of beliefs people have.

And political beliefs change all the time.  David Brooks (who I think is an idiot) is always talking about how the natural political lifecycle for middle class Americans is that they start as urban liberal Democrats, become suburban moderates, and then eventually settle in as exurban right wing Republicans.  Perhaps they see it in their own self-interest to make the change, but if those beliefs were part of a cult, self-interest wouldn't be a major consideration, as we all know from our own cult experiences.