The Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity The word cult, as defined by Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary denotes “a usually small circle of persons united by devotion or allegiance to an artistic or intellectual movement or figure.” According to this interpretation, all religious groups can be classified as having this characteristic. However, due largely in part to stereotypes portrayed in the media, much of society perceives the word cult as definable by “a close-knit, unorthodox religious movement in which members, or potential members are enticed by means of deception and indoctrination.” It is in accordance with this explanation that one can separately distinguish the hundreds of religious groups fitting this description, from the much larger number of orthodox religions, or religions deemed conventional. The act of stereotyping religions as cults has been in existence since the beginning of organized religion. Jesus and his followers, while on earth, were even viewed by many as a cult members. In the 1960’s and early 70’s however, cults suddenly began to get larger and became spectacles through the media. In 1978, the first widespread fascination with modern cults occurred as a result of the mass suicide in Jonestown. One such religion that fits society’s definition particularly well is the Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity, more commonly known as the Unification Church. This group was founded by Rev. Sun Myung Moon in 1954, and is based upon the doctrines taught by Rev. Moon. According to the beliefs of the religion, Sun Myung Moon was told by God that he was the second messiah, sent to Earth to complete Jesus’ “unfinished work”. The membe... ... middle of paper ... ...and have the purpose of indoctrinating the teachings of the church into the new members’ mind. They are encouraged to show complete devotion to the UC by contributing to the group as much as they can. As full-time moonies, the members are expected to: offer all possessions to the church, become a full time cash raiser for the group, remain celibate, remove all doubts and criticisms or Moon, follow your local leader without question, be told when and who to marry, be told when to have sex with the spouse, be told when you can have children, Only step into rooms using the right foot first, only clean yourself with the left hand after using the bathroom, follow the rule that states a wife may only walk or stand on a husband’s left side, donate up to 50 percent of your salary to the church (if you are a leader), and relocate to whichever location you are assigned to.
A cult society is an organization that basically disguises itself as a religion. In a cult, they normally perform rituals. There are usually many people in these societies. In Jim Jones’s cult, there were at least one thousand people in this community.
For many decades, the cult phenomenon has fascinated the masses. A cult is an organization with deviant beliefs and practices, and is characterized by the apparent life-time membership of its participants. It seems to be very popular among troubled teenagers and adults. The psychology behind why some people are more susceptible to the charms and the lure of being in a cult is not very widely researched or understood. Many people are concerned with cultist behavior and the effect that they have on the individuals involved, believing that they have been “brainwashed” into this lifestyle. This paper deals with cult mentality and how people become involved in certain religious and secular cults. It will explore the personality traits of current and ex-cult members as well as look at case studies of members of particular cults. The format of this paper will first look at some preexisting dispositions, the psychological effects while in the cult, and any short term or long term effects upon leaving the cult, as well as some treatment options.
#2) All prominent religions, from Buddhism to Sikhism, have branched into multiple communities. Although these sects have very few followers, they are still considered to be a religion , and not a cult since they have branched off of these prominent religions. Similarly, even though Westboro Baptist Church does
Bainbridge, William Sims. Stark, Rodney. “Scientology: To Be Perfectly Clear.” Sociological Analysis. 41. 2. 1980: 128-135. JSTOR. Web. 10 Nov. 2013
Cults consist mostly of middleclass Caucasian male youths, who are usually Christian or Jewish (Nelson 2006). Most are insecure people trying to find a sense of identity and security through the d...
For years, there have been problems surrounding the definition of the term 'cult'. The literal and traditional meanings of the word cult, which are more fully explored at the entry Cult (religion), come from the Latin cultus, meaning "care" or "adoration," as "a system of religious belief or ritual; or: the body of adherents to same." In French or Spanish, culte or culto simply means "worship" or "religious attendance"; therefore an association cultuelle is an association whose goal is to organize religious worship and practices. The word for "cult" in the popular English meaning is secte (French) or secta (Spanish). In formal English use, and in non-English European terms, the cognates of the English word "cult" are neutral, and refer mainly to divisions within a single faith, a case where English speakers might use the word "sect". Hence Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy and Protestantism are cults within Christianity. However, in common usage, "cult" has a very negative connotation, and is generally applied to a group in order to criticize it. Understandably, most groups, if not all, that are called "cults" deny this term. Some groups called "cults" by some critics may consider themselves not to be "cults", but may consider some other groups to be "cults". Although anti-cult activists and scholars did not agree on precise criteria that new religions should meet to be considered "cults," two of the definitions formulated by anti-cult activists are: Cults are groups that often exploit members psychologically and/or financially, typically by making members comply with leadership's demands through certain types of psychological manipulation, popularly called mind control, and through the inculcation of d...
Cults have existed throughout history since the beginning of time. A cult is defined in Webster’s dictionary as a “system of religious worship with a devoted attachment to a person, principle, etc.” Over the past thirty years numerous religious cults have caused “ tens of thousands to abandon their families, friends, education’s, and careers to follow the teaching of a leader they will never meet”(Beck 78).
These two groups merged in 1961 to form the current denomination known as Unitarian Universalism. Fashioned at a point in time where many sought alternatives to organized religion, Unitarian Universalism filled an important role for those who found traditional faith systems bound to outdated doctrines that ignored true spirituality, and which lacked an awareness of social issues. In order to understand the history of Unitarian Universalism, it is necessary to explore both halves of the formative
In conclusion, the entire aura of the Heaven’s Gate cult seems like something straight out of a late night TV movie. Like most millennialist groups, members held a firm belief in an oncoming apocalypse and that only an elect few would achieve salvation. The spread of their doctrine on the Internet brought about widespread concern over the power of the web. The argument has subsided, however, with the passage of time. I, for one, find the supposed link between the Internet and cult activities rather absurd. Extreme gullibility and brainwashing, I believe, would be the only ways a recruit would ever accept such an outlandish set of beliefs.
A ‘new religion’ is hard to define because scholars have not come up with a true definition of what a religion is. There are many different definitions of religion and what elements a practice must have in order to be defined as a religion. Along with new religions come sects and cults. Sects are movements where the people strayed away from the primary religion in order to create a new form that was seen to be “purer form of the faith,” according to A Concise Introduction to World Religion (Oxtoby Segal 573) These sects would normally be stricter than the primary religion and try to set themselves apart. These sects do not normally last long and they end up dying out and turning into the primary religion again. A cult was just another word for “worship” or at times “religion,” however today the term is normally always viewed in a negative manner. Today a cult is viewed as a group that attempts to brainwash its believers, which is not the case. It is no longer easy to differentiate the different between cults and sects. According to the textbook cults share many traits, like “Cults typically claim to have some special knowledge or insight, or revealed through contact with spirits. Their practice often includes rituals designed to promote ecstatic experiences, and they tend to focus more on individual spiritual experience than institutional organization.” (Oxtoby Segal 573) The most common attribute of different cults would be the leader that is a very powerful person to its followers. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also known as Mormonism is a popular ‘new religion.’
The cult was mainly composed of men and women both. All members had crew cuts and were between the ages of 26 and 72. Although many members lived together in a mansion in California, they came from all parts of the country. Many were from California, but members also came from Arizona, Colorado, Texas, Florida, New Mexico, Minnesota, Utah, Ohio, and Florida. There were approximatly 39 members who lived in the 1.3 million dollar Rancho Santa Fe mansion. They operated a web site for their cult called “Higher Source”.
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.
According to Merriam-Webster, religion is based on “an organized system of beliefs, ceremonies, and rules used to worship a god or a group of gods” (“Religion”). In every part of the world there is a struggle between individual religions that are trying to institutionalize their “system of beliefs” on each other, and within those individual religions there is also a struggle of sects that claims that their teaching should be the basis for that religion, not the teachings that is presented by other believers of the same religion. These religious sect later go on to create religious organizations. The first thing these religious organizations try to propagate to their followers is that anyone that are not a follower of their doctrines is corrupt and needs a divine deliverance from themselves. This deliverance cannot be given to the individual in another religious organization, it has to come from them. One of the biggest organization that has openly declared themselves as the divine judgers of men from God is th...
Scientology was founded in 1952 by L. Ron Hubbard. The Church of Scientology has been known to use manipulations such as isolation and lawsuit to keep members in line. Many consider the Church of Scientology to be a church and not a cult because it is recognized by the IRS, but numerous countries refuse to recognize it as a church including, the United Kingdom, Greece, Canada, Germany, and France. Reverend Sun Myung Moon founded the Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity in 1954. After 7 years in the church his followers were told they could choose their marriage partners and he became famous for his mass marriage ceremonies. In 1970s, Moon renamed the cult the Unification Church and relocated it to New York City. The cult still exists even though Moon died in 2010.
Hoekema, Anthony . The Four Major Cults . Ann Arbor, Michigan : Cushing-Malloy , 1963. 1-87, 373-388. Print.