Are Jehovah's Witnesses a Sect or a Cult?

The word 'cult' generally has a negative connotation. It is for this reason that people who hate Jehovah's Witnesses use this word to try and denigrate them. And uninformed people simply repeat what they have been told.

Many relatively recent, memorable cults follow a living human leader, and often their adherents live in groups apart from the rest of society.

But Jehovah's Witnesses base all of their beliefs, their standards for conduct, and organizational procedures on the Bible.

The link below leads to an article that highlights these differences:
Secret Societies—How Great the Threat? Secrecy in the Name of the Lord

"True religion in no way practices secretiveness. Worshipers of the true God have been instructed not to hide their identity or to obscure their purpose as Jehovah's Witnesses."

Note these comments from Reasoning From the Scriptures, p.202, when considering the question, "Are Jehovah's Witnesses a Sect or a Cult?":

"Some define sect to mean a group that has broken away from an established religion. Others apply the term to a group that follows a particular human leader or teacher. The term is usually used in a derogatory way. Jehovah's Witnesses are not an offshoot of some church but include persons from all walks of life and from many religious backgrounds. They do not look to any human, but rather to Jesus Christ, as their leader.

"A cult is a religion that is said to be unorthodox or that emphasizes devotion according to prescribed ritual. Many cults follow a living human leader, and often their adherents live in groups apart from the rest of society. The standard for what is orthodox, however, should be God's Word, and Jehovah's Witnesses strictly adhere to the Bible. Their worship is a way of life, not a ritual devotion. They neither follow a human nor isolate themselves from the rest of society. They live and work in the midst of other people."