The Cultic Truth

According to one author, most people assume that all cults have religious bases; however, this is not always true. Although most cults are, in fact, religiously based one would be wise to remember that such cults distort the message they claim to practice. Some cults will go as far as to invent an entire belief system to further their cause (How Cults Work). In an essay, B.A. Robinson quotes Leo Pfeffer, “…if you believe in it, it is a religion or perhaps ‘the’ religion; and if you do not care one way or another about it, it is a sect; but if you fear and hate it, it is a cult” (Cite). This opinion is often evident when a minority or relatively is discussed by uninformed individuals (Source 5). It is important for one to remember that nobody willingly joins a cult; he or she is actively recruited using highly effective coercion methods one may refer to as “mind control” (Source 14). A person can look for many warning signs to determine if a group is a cult. If someone finds he belongs to a cult and decides to leave, he should be aware of the fact recovery will take time if he have been involved a long time. While most religious groups believe some variety of apocalyptic theories, some groups known, as doomsday cults will take this view to the next level (cite).

Recruiters use highly effective psychological coercion techniques such as “love bombing,” a process in which the recruited is over whelmed by people who instantly love and accept the new member. Not only is this an effective recruiting technique but, it is also a great controlling mechanism, because this love is immediately revoked if a member breaks a rule of does something to displease someone in authority. It is becoming more and more popular for recruiters to target...

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...ne examines such tragedies as Jamestown and the Davidian Waco massacre in 1993, one can safely conclude this to be an accurate definition. Some cults such as Heaven’s Gate have experienced member suicides; where as the Branch Davidian's have been victims of mass murder performed by cultic leaders. Cults like Aum Shinkyo have been involved in mass murders targeting outsiders.

It is a commonly held belief that cults are like gangs, a group of people interested in nothing more than committing crimes, whether it be vandalism or even murder. There could not be3 anything further from the truth; there is very little cult-related crime. The main sources of such beliefs are isolated, yet devastating incidents such as the Manson Family Murders, which have attached a stigma to the word cult. The most accurate and recommended usage of the word is to describe doomsday cults.