When most hear the word cult, they imagine mass murderings and warn their children “don’t drink the kool-aid. However, a cult is defined only as a “religion or religious sect generally considered to be extremist or false, with its followers often living in an unconventional manner under the guidance of an authoritarian, charismatic leader”. These systems or communities rely on worship and ritual. There is no mention of violence or bloodshed in this definition. However, “destructive cults” are a whole other story and are often the ones making the news headlines. These destructive cults use unethical means as a way to control and manipulate to bring thought reform (defined as the systematic alteration of a person's mode of thinking). Ironically, these destructive cults give an illusion of self control and freedom to its members. It is estimated that five to seven million American’s have been in cults or cult-line groups according to the cult hotline, of course this is a hard number to properly caluclate. Very few are lucky enough to shake free of this vicious clutch. On October 25, 2013, three women (69-year-old Malaysian woman, a 57-year-old Irish woman, and the 30-year-old British woman.) from were about to escape 73-year-old Aravindan Balakrishnan and his 67-year-old wife Chanda’s wrath after 30 years. They were described as “deeply traumatized” after they suffered through the ordeal of abuse and isolation. What little freedoms they had led one of the victims to watch a movie on forced violence, which gave out the number of non-profit Freedom Charity, an organization that dedicated themselves to contacting the police after gaining the women’s trust. Later details of the story report that the three women were apart of a left wing... ... middle of paper ... ...s to become wrapped up in something so awful. It also shows how easily people can be manipulated in the masses due to a man's charisma and choice with words (may I remind you of another charismatic leader- Hitler). After this article, I doubt much will change. The mind of cult followers are often easily manipulated and fairly ignorant people, people that will not mind if things like freedom of thought and choice are discouraged. I’m sure these women will live better lives now that they’re free. However, they’re just a few of the hundred of thousands who are lost in the wicked grasp of cult culture, most unknowing that they have fallen into this cruel fate to begin with. From previous studies, one can only assume that in the place of the old cult, a new one will form and the history of the cult is doomed to repeat itself until people are educated and warned otherwise.
The members in a cult most usually follow the leader and not the ideas of the leader. They are there to make the leader happy and to make them happy they become a follower and practice the same beliefs as the leader. “Cults often originate with a charismatic leader, an individual who inspires people because he or she seems to have extraordinary gifts, qualities, or abilities.” (Henslin 2013:405) The leader of the group is usually seen as something more than human to the followers, such as a God or that they are connected to God in some way. The leader possesses the ability to give them salvation and save them from damnation. “People feel drawn to both the person and the message because they find something highly appealing about the individual-in some instances, almost a magnetic charm.” (Henslin 2013:405) Without the leader the members feel like there is no way they can be saved. They use conflict theory ...
...ion for women. Cult survivors often have to undergo intensive counselling sessions to deal with symptoms such as anxiety and depression. They also have to be guided to develop life skills such as assertiveness and stress management to enable them cope with the demands of life outside the cult.
According to dictionaries a cult is 1) a system of religious worship or ritual. 2) A religion or sect considered extremist of false. 3) Obsessive devotion to a person or principle. It is believed that every cult ties into some kind of religion, and religions all have a common basis of “a leap of faith”. Whether this so-called leap of faith is going to heaven or being reincarnated, or moving on to some other planet, depends on the beliefs of the cult itself.
Cults have existed for over 2.000 years and have appeared all over the world. However, California’s sizable voluminous population of immigrants, seeking identity and acceptance, combined with the immeasurable freedom California offers, makes The Golden State the “cult capital of the world.” According to Willa Appel, author of, Cults in America: Programmed for Paradise, “Cults seek to replace a lost community and a lost idealism,” (11). Cults provide ethnogenisis for the diverse population of immigrants in California without discrimination. Many cults offer a family structure (Appel 65). Th...
One aspect of this control is intimidation and threats. Cults will threaten members and their families to make sure they remain in control and make their leaders seem larger than life. A new recruit to the Church of Wells met with her family, after she left to join the group without any warning, and throughout the meeting she would always look to the church leader before saying anything (Smith 86). Cults also use isolation to manipulate members. One family described their daughter’s behavior when she first join the Church of Wells, “She seemed to withdraw from the world, dropping out of choir and quitting her job” (Smith 85). Cults have more control when their new recruits and other members are isolated from the rest of the world. If the members’ only source of information is the cult, they are less likely to question it. One cult that uses these harmful methods is The Children of God. This religious sect grew out of the 60’s counter culture and was founded in 1968 by David Berg (Zuckerman 108). Zuckerman states that “the children were kept very separate from the parents” and used to control the parents (Zuckerman 106). There is also a constant social pressure that comes with being in a cult. An escapee from The Children of God described the pressure, stating “you weren’t allowed to have imperfection. I had a little wart on my thumb, and I remember walking down this hallway-- a
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.
...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. Cult leaders used various ways of molding a follower's mind and brainwashing them to do things for them. Some cult leaders used punishments as a way of breaking the follower's that were resistant to their demands. Others used and perfected the art of persuasion. Either way, the mind of their followers or 'family' are in total control of the leader.
In conclusion, being a part of that cult has taught me a great deal. Now, I am able to understand people better and also much more aware of lies that society perpetrates. I believe that most any group will knowingly or unwittingly use cult techniques. Fr. Stanich has given me a great deal to think about. He was a classic narcissist and one of the vainest people I have ever known. But, I am now able to understand much more about persuasive rhetoric and the phony lies that are told to control people.
Nowadays when people hear the word “Cult” they immediately think of brainwashing, bombings, murders, and people who have turned away from our society. This is primarily because of what has happened with cults in the past. Cults like the Ant hill kids, the serpent handlers, the people’s temple, and one of the most famous, the Manson Family. Some, like the serpent handlers, had odd and dangerous rituals. Others, like the People’s Temple, ended with mass suicides. And then there are those like the Manson Family, who brutally murder innocent people. They all started out with a leader, who preaches their extreme beliefs to others. From this, a group of members is formed, and the cult is created. To lure people into their dark world, both violent and nonviolent cults often prey on people who are emotionally confused or distraught (Fennel, 1993). Linda James, a Montreal clinical psychologist, says that in some cases, cults become families for the vulnerable while offering to fulfill an individual's fantasies. Explains James: “They can offer wealth or the perfect relationship.'' (1993). The conceptualization of affiliation as brainwashing has been an influential theory of involvement in nontraditional religious ...
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.
Several reasons that people join cults are that they are seeking God, looking for eternal life, avoiding hell, or just to fit in. They usually do so during epidemics, wars, financial ruin, the end of a relationship, or the failure to achieve a goal. Cults have been a controversial subject for centuries. Critics argue that cults are dangerous and should be stopped while Christian leaders claim that cult members are putting their souls in danger by refusing to embrace Christianity. While many think that cults are very hazardous organizations, clan members themselves declare that they are harmless. They also say that they are being denied their constitutional right in not being able to worship as they please.
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).
Throughout our history, cults have become a prevalent part of our society. More and more cults are forming every day. Although not all of them are dangerous, some can perform practices that are toxic to their members. Cults use fear and control to gain more and more members. Once members join a cult, they are forced to perform the practices that the cult leaders require. It is through these practices that cult leaders convince their members to stay in the cult. Through mind control and scare tactics, cults have become a very powerful and dangerous part of our society.