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Effects of Religion in Society
The effects of religion
the effects of religion on society
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Fine lines proceed to subsequently blur the separation between a religion and a cult. Throughout history, the label cult has consistently succeeded in disparaging numerous religions including Christianity. To bring a standstill to the confusion amidst all personages, the narrow slash between these two matters need to be entirely divulged and established. Distinctions separating a religion and a cult are elucidated primarily by their treatment of individuals and relations. Variances can be seen through examples of behaviors, the “Moonies” cult, and the works of the Christian religion. Eliyahu Federman, civil rights militant and penman, describes his conception of how a cult and a religion contrast. He states, “Any religious community can …show more content…
Using this example, one can also see what it is like to be just a religion, not a cult, when being compared to the Christian Religion and all its churches. According Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the formal definition of Christianity is the religion thats foundation is set on the person and lessons of Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus of Nazareth, in summary, went his life helping others and spreading the words of the Gospel. Nowhere in the Bible or in Jesus’s teachings did kidnapping, force, or abuse become encouraged. In fact, the religion revolves around free will and setting ones life to help others. Some examples can be seen throughout the book of Matthew. “Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you” (Matthew 5:42). “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay” (Matthew 10:8). “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me” (Matthew 25: 42). The book of Matthew is only one of many that states Christian believers jobs are to help and assist others, even if these others are not believers themselves. Most predominately, the Bible shows that violence, ostracizing, judging, and …show more content…
Christianity is a religion, but the “Moonies" is a cult in regards to such criteria. Based off the technicalities represented by Eliyahu Federman, a religion can become a cult, but a cult is not a religion. Furthermore, David Adler describes how mistreatment of people through physical, verbal, and mental abuse can turn a set of beliefs into an out of control cult quickly. Adler continues to show how Christianity is different from cults, most specifically Sun Myung Moon, in how Christian beliefs do not go against the free will of all people. The blurred line between the two can be seen to all in a crispy and clear light. Now, many may see their mistakes in confusing the two and see how the term cult can offend a numerous amount of
There are numerous different kinds of social groups in the world, but clearly not all of them are cults. So what makes a cult a cult? [So where is the distinction?] Where is the metaphorical line drawn and what has to be done to cross it? Cult psychological experts Joseph Salande and David Perkins say the differences between a cult and a group are the methods of control and the negative effects on its members (Salande and Perkins 382). They define cults as “groups that often exploit members psychologically
According to Oxford Living Dictionary the word “cult” is defined as a relatively small group of people having religious beliefs or practices regarded by others as strange or as imposing excessive control over members. Although, it might be more commonly known as Separatists, who are consumed by a certain belief, and the leader is someone who believes he or she is chosen by God or some other deity to lead those who are to follow him or her. In 1993 a standoff went viral, many lost their lives. Members and the leader of the Branch Davidians held their beliefs with them to death.
Cults are becoming more and more of an issue for Jews every day. Many cults are beginning to target Jews. They say you can believe in Jesus yet remain a Jew, or many other things like that. It is important for people to educate themselves of these cults and their recruiting techniques so that they will not be taken advantage of by these cults. Cults now are very different than they were in ancient times though. The Jews, rather than being targeted by cults, were themselves a cult. In fact they were one of the first documented cults.
Woody, W. D. (2009). Use of cult in the teaching of psychology of religion and spirituality. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, 1(4), 218-232. doi:10.1037/a0016730
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...
In order for cults to continue to exist they persuade people to join, at any cost. In trying to persuade people, leaders use both physically and emotionally techniques. Margaret Thaler Singer is a clinical psychologist and professor of the Department of Psychology at the University of California, Berkeley. She has been a cult researcher and teacher for fifty years. According to Dr. Singer’s investigations, members of cults are often subjected to unhealthy persuasion techniques.
One of the things he writes is that the person doesn’t know that they are going into a cult. “The first rule of recruitment, […] is that...
...Gate, one cannot be quick to judge a deviant religious group and inhibit their practices simply because they oppose mainstream religious beliefs. While several groups do engage in violent, harmful, and involuntary practices that warrant the involvement of the government, others possess practices that mainstream society may not agree with, but infringement on their right to practice would be unlawful. It is important to identify the difference between illegal, harmful practices and practices that defy mainstream society before any efforts to inhibit cult groups ensue. The term “cult” carries immense stereotypes and negative connotations which often result in the quick infringement of the religious rights of these groups. Therefore, it is crucial to objectively approach the situations of each group in order to avoid unlawful discrimination of any one group.
Cults are by no means new phenomena; they have been around since before the beginning of written history. Some of the earliest cults were recorded by the ancient Mesopotamian, Greek and Egyptian civilizations. There were also early Christian cults, such as the Essenes and the Gnostics. There are also the examples of modern cults, such as The Children of God, Heaven’s Gate and the Branch Davidians. In addition to cults, there are also modern new age organizations and movements. These groups tread a fine line between being an authentic religious organization and have some of the same characteristics of being a cult. In these types of organizations; it is often di...
Cults entice people whom by nature want to belong to a group and make it hard for them to leave by altering their thought processes. Those in the psychology field have defined what makes up a cult, have determined what draws individuals in and have recognized the effects that a cult can have on
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.
The Branch Davidians, The People’s Temple, and Children of God are generally recognized to fall under the admittedly fuzzy term, “cult.” The beliefs of each group have little in common, but in other ways the groups are quite similar. When compared to a mainstream religious group such as Catholicism, it becomes clear why they are considered cults. Their beliefs about God may not be inherently stranger, but their internal policies are sinister. A group can be labeled a cult not by examining its beliefs but by examining the way the members are treated, and how they treat themselves and their leader.
In fact, many scholars and scholarly works nolonger use the word cult when referencing a group that could be considered a religion not of the norm, therefore, would be considered a cult, (Olson, 2006). Instead academics are looking for alternative words to use such as, “alternative religious movements … marginal religious movements … new religious movements,” (Olson, 2006), and others. A study done by Olson shows that members of the public have given the word cult a negative meaning. Therefore, any group that is labelled as a cult is seen as something that is dangerous and different and people would be uncomfortable with neighbours joining cult groups, (Olson, 2006). Olson’s study found that the term New Religious Movement is percieved in a more positive manner than a group labelled as a Cult, (Olson, 2006). Therefore, the use of the word cult in the media may not be fair, because there are obviously these preconceptions about what a cult does and whether a cult is good or bad, when labelling a group as a cult the media is setting them up to be disliked by the general
Although cults have become a very common practice in our society, not many people actually know what a cult is. A cult is a group that demonstrates an excessive dedication to an idea, person or thing. Cults will conduct manipulative and persuasive behavior to advance the goals of the leader (Langone). There are many different types of cults, but they usually fall into four categories: Religious, Commercial, Self Help and Counselling or Political. Many people mistake religions as cults, but that is not the case. Religious cults are cults that center around a belief system as many common religions do, but they are categorized as a cult because of their practices and mind control. Common religions do not practice these techniques. Commercial cults are those that are interested in gaining money. These cults use their scare tactics and mind control techniques to get members to give them money and even work for them. Self Help and Counselling cults are centered around a business that has programs designed to help people by counselling them. By taking their courses, members are told they will become better people. This of course is not the case and these cults are inte...
Power and abuse go hand in hand. This is shown throughout history in leaders who have a large or small following. When this statement is made, many people automatically think of dictators, such as Hitler or Kim Jong Un. However, leaders such as doctors, teachers, and even presidents use and abuse their power over their followers. One group of power-abusers people rarely think of, though, are cult leaders. Cult leaders throughout history gain followers in many ways, and their rise to power is almost always tied closely to the abuse of power they exert. By gaining a wider and bigger audience filled with people as wicked as they are, cult leaders can easily get away with abusing their power,