Leadership is a trait in human nature that has been known to inspire others to follow or in some cases, has been misused to assimilate manipulation. This specific trait intrigues me because of its ability to encourage individuals to perform a certain way however, not all authoritative figures are positive per se; for example, the role of leadership concerning organizations of large groups such as cults. Cults are defined as “new religious movements” however, the goal in most cults is to obey a certain individual that is seen as the leader. The role of leadership regarding cults has the ability to fall on a spectrum that ranks from positive to negative. Some example of cults who fall onto the spectrum are those of The Salvation Army, The Church of Scientology, and the infamous Ku Klux Klan. …show more content…
The Salvation Army’s mission, other than sharing their beliefs, is that of helping others in need by becoming a charitable group. The leadership provided by the current leader, Andre Cox plays a positive role in this cult because it encourages the members of The Salvation Army to aid the homeless, provide natural disaster relief and run charitable shops. As seen by their goals, the leadership that Cox has bestowed upon the cult is that of following their religious beliefs all while providing means of “education, the relief of poverty and other charitable objects beneficial to society or the community of mankind as a whole”. This is why The Salvation Army falls under the positive area of spectrum concerning
Undoubtedly, Leaders can be further broken down into quite a few ways. Leadership roles are not for everyone and can be difficult to obtain. Some people do not want to be a Leader even if he or she has the leadership skills. Being a Leader can be an intimidating role and add a lot of pressure to his or her life. When one takes on a Leader’s position, he or she can become big headed and take advantage of his or her leadership. Rebellious Leaders will lead people into dangerous situations like drug addictions and being placed in jail. Christian Leaders, or disciples, can bring people to Christ, and tha...
Mystery cults greatly influenced the development of Pythagoreanism as Pythagoreans adopted many of their traditions, behaviors and beliefs. Pythagoras, the founder of the Pythagoreans, established a school in which he developed and taught these adopted cultural behaviors and beliefs. "The nature of daily living in the school, both its moral and its intellectual disciplines, can perhaps best be understood as an intellectualized development from earlier mystery cults such as the Eleusinian" (Wheelwright 201). The Pythagoreans and the mystery cults were not identical, but they shared many similar beliefs on subjects such as the soul, transmigration and reincarnation, and they practiced many of the traditions of initiation, ritual and secrecy. Pythagoreans combined the mystery cults' views on these subjects with philosophical thought as a foundation to develop their own unique beliefs.
For many years, cult leaders always had a psychological hold on their followers' minds. Whether it was to kill other people or to kill themselves, they did it without question. Some cult leaders used fear, violence and guilt as a means of a weapon to control the minds of their followers. Other cult leaders used persuasive and spiritual speeches that made their followers believe they were doing good and fulfilling God's plan. Because cult leaders are powerful through psychological offenses, the people that belong to their cults are brainwashed into doing things they wouldn't normally do in their right state of mind.
Leadership is an important element in the functioning of group interactions toward an organized goal. Leadership has been defined in many different ways by sociologists and social psychologists alike, numbering too many to discuss here. The most common element found in these definitions is "that leadership involves a process of influence between a leader and followers to attain group, organizational, or societal goals" (Hollander, 1985). In small group interactions, leadership is usually an assigned status, with the "followers" designating, both consciously and subconsciously, someone as a leader. This is a person who, according to the group members, is believed to have those characteristics which are most suited to accomplish the task and objectives of the group (Bales and Slater, 1955). Much of the available early research that I was able to attain focused on leadership and the concept of leadership in terms of political situations. When viewed from a political standpoint, the study of leadership pertains to the analysis of relationships between those who possess power and those who don't possess power (power will be discussed in det...
The SSPX was the only church anyone ever needed, elitist and polarized from society. With that status they were able to justify everything that they did. All members would be constantly pressured to volunteer and bring in new members. Those that did this were exalted and hailed as heroes. There was no life outside of the church.
The Salvation Army prides itself in continuously offering needs based programs or service to communities that fall below the poverty line. The Salvation Army has a wide array of strengths including: 1) Professional networking; a channel through which ideas, resources and services can be exchanged between Salvation Army and other non-profit organizations 2) Global notoriety; the Salvation Army is a world-wide organization, sustained primarily through government funds and public donations 3) Longevity; a demonstrated history of success. This history of longevity affords them a positive, solid reputation in participating communities (The Salvation Army USA, 2018).
...evant to the achievements performed by the Salvation Army. People who seek help through the Salvation Army may develop a better outlook about their lives, as well as feel a since of hope. In turn, donations and goals accomplished by and through the Salvation Army foundation give the administrators confidence that their programs are working. Social networking has allowed these organizations to have campaigns for fundraising they are associate within communities and other non-profit organizations.
Cults can be bad influences in several different ways. This article is about real facts of why cults make society a much worse place. Cults can result in crimes, torture, and forbidden worship.
Introduction According to the Oxford Dictionary, a leader is defined as “the person who leads or commands a group, organization, or country” (Oxford Dictionaries, 2013). Though there is a definition for what a leader is, people still have different ideas about what a leader should be and how he or she should act. There has never been a concrete idea of what a leader is; the only thing we know is that this person is the one in charge of the unit. We look at characteristics of those people we see as leaders and use those attributes to compare other people to see if they are able to be as good as, or even better than, those aforementioned leaders. We have to keep in mind that in different situations, leaders must do different tasks which indicates the need for different qualities.
Leadership describes a characteristic that often helps others that need guidance. A true leader exemplifies strong initiative and notably different from others. A leader starts something new for people to try out instead of old traditions. Being a good leader helps prevent bad things from happening. If a person conducts themselves as a follower that person places themselves at risk of participating in the wrong thing. Followers cause harm to many people in Shirley Jackson’s “Lottery”, the villagers follow their leaders by practicing the same old traditions that cause harm or even death. People need leaders instead of followers. Followers potentially get hurt by following the wrong leadership.
A cult is defined as a social group or a social movement under one charismatic leader. It maintains a belief system, which includes a transformation of a group member. Members of the group have a high level of commitment to the leader, members, and beliefs (Lalich). An additional definition to consider is from the American Journal of Psychotherapy:
To come to the Salvation Army for help means you are in need of assistance from others to be rid of your sin and consequences. The people who work in the army, such as Barbara, believe that through prayer, good deed, and the work of god that you can be saved from all troubles. Consequently, the motto of the Salvation Army is “Blood and Fire”. The blood is intended to symbolize the blood from Jesus Christ
Society strives to feel a sense of belonging. We want to be a part of something that shares the same beliefs as us. We spend our time trying to place ourselves in a group to satisfy these needs, whether it is in a hobby club, a group of friends, or religion. Some people go to more extreme measures and find this in what we call a cult. According to Henslin, a cult is a new or different religion whose teachings and practices put it at odds with the dominant culture and religion. (2013:405) Cults are often identified with the ideas of mass murder, deviant behaviors, unusual beliefs, and extremely devoted members. Cults are also highly known for their leaders. The leaders of cults usually are the ones that portray the image for the entire group. Successful cults take a strong-minded and, according to Max Weber, charismatic leader.
The Salvation Army is well known around the world as a charity to help people living in poverty. Less known about The Salvation Army is that its original purpose was to become a form of religion. William Booth, the founder of The Salvation Army did not want the purpose of The Salvation Army to stray too far from the idea that all people are free to worship Christ. It was because Booth believed that the most efficient way to reach people living in poverty was to offer them food, clothing, and shelter while preaching to them. Booth was a very religious person from a very young age, more so after his family had lost their money and William had to work to get money for his family. Booth's understanding of life in poverty and his love for God would reflect in his life after he became a preacher. Soon after Booth had gotten his first full time preaching job, he met the love of his life and his partner in creating a faith, Catherine Mumford, who was also a very religious individual. He would also meet George S. Railton, who believed that God was more important than any worldly possessions. Railton would later become Booth's first lieutenant and a huge factor in the way the Salvation Army was run during the first years. --- William Booth believed that every person deserved to know Jesus regardless of their social class and that he should save everyone from Atheism.
Leadership is trait that is extremely important in any society. Leadership is known as the way people attempting to make a difference in a situation. However, I believe that it is better said to be a way of influencing others actions. Leadership is usually connected to a great leader that affected his or her followers in a dynamic way. Throughout the semester for my leadership class, I have expanded the knowledge in numerous ways. I now have fully understanding of the purpose and process of leadership to a society. Being a leader one must maintain an image of being the role model. I believe that this is leader should be who is someone who has the ability to influence, encourage, listen, and nurture. They are able to inspire, stimulate, persuade, shape, and have an effect on others.