Kingdom of Matthias

Kingdom of Matthias

As a United States American culture there are many possibilities for a

cult like Matthias to occur again, this is contributed by not only a

market-oriented American culture but also by tendencies that are

present in every society. We have rights and freedoms given to us by

our United States Constitution, including the freedom of speech and

the freedom of religion. These freedoms mean that anyone has the

right to speak publicly about their religious beliefs, and we as

citizens also have the right to believe what is being said and even

follow it if we choose to do so. This is how many different branches

of religions come about; some of these religions include Mormons and

Episcopalians. But when one person decides to take their individual

religion just one step to far, cults begin to form. Not all, but many

cults in the United States are religious oriented, such as the ones

lead by Jim Jones and David Koresh.

The Kingdom of Matthias: A Story of Sex and Salvation in 19th Century

America provides parallels to modern equivalents such as Jim Jones and

David Koresh, who were both were know to have lead religious cults.

Reverend Jim Jones and the People’s Temple was a mass suicide cult

that took the lives of 914 people. Jim Jones considered himself to be

the reincarnation of Jesus, Buddha, the Father Devine, as well as

other past religious leaders. “Jones said he visions of a nuclear

holocaust in which the towns of Ukiah, California, and Beloltonzonte,

Brazil will survive. With this is mind he relocated his 1st People’s

Temple to Ukiah to await the Armageddon” (www.owlnet.rice.edu). After

realizing it was n...

... middle of paper ...

...group? This is common in all societies

everywhere. A teacher one told me, “if all one ever sees is

injustice, how can one know justice?” I find that that statement

completely sums up a cult, because if you are only exposed to one

thing your whole life, you will never know that there is always

something different out there, another side of the story.

As shown again and again in daily society and literature such as The

Kingdom of Matthias: A Story of Sex and Salvation in the 19th Century,

individuals want a sense of belonging and this makes membership

important. They want to feel special. Acknowledging this, and

knowing the stories of Jim Jones and David Koresh, it can be said that

cults have occurred In the United States that are very similar to

Matthias, and it is very possible for them to occur again.