Westboro Baptist Church Research (Khadeeja & Muskaan)
Comebacks;
#1) Every religion has practices that may seem harsh to others who don’t belong to that faith. Hinduism’s caste system, and Islam’s fasting period might seem unfair to you and me, but they are actually very important in both religions. Therefore, Westboro Baptist Church’s “harsh practices” are simply part of their beliefs, and cannot be judged to be cult practices by us.
#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
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Rather, similar to all religions, it is difficult to leave Westboro Baptist Church as one’s family members would not be pleased that their child is ignoring their teachings to do something else.
#4) If your definition of brainwashing is that Westboro Baptist Church preaches their beliefs to their followers, then you are right. However, this does not prove that Westboro Baptist Church is a cult since all mainstream religions pass their ideology down generations.
#5) What Fred Phelps does or says cannot be used to prove that Westboro Baptist Church is a cult, and not a religion. Westboro Baptist Church follows the Five Points of Calvinism and Bible which do not encourage abuse. Additionally, all religions have individuals who don’t follow their religion word for word, but this does not prove their religion to be a cult.
#6) Westboro Baptist Church is a sect of Baptist Christianity, and Baptists believe find it extremely important to share God’s message and method of salvation. Therefore, it is unfair to say that Westboro Baptist Church forces their beliefs on others since they are only following their religious
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And some sects of the mainstream religions you have mentioned, such as Al Qaeda for Islam, believe that hate-filled messages are the best way to promote their message. If despite all of this, these communities believe that they are part of a religion, then surely Westboro Baptist church is a religion as well.
#9) I beg to differ since all religions are not truly tolerant of each other. While Muslims disagree with Hinduism’s worship of idols, Christians are against Islam’s Sharia Law. The only difference between these mainstream religions and Westboro Baptist Church is that Westboro Baptist Church expresses their opinions openly, while other religions do not. Nonetheless, Westboro Baptist Church’s expressful nature should not be a criteria utilized to determine whether it is a religion or not.
#10) I beg to differ since all religions are not truly tolerant of individuals. While Orthodox Christains are reluctant of LGBTQ individuals, Hindus are against remarriage and divorce. The only difference between these mainstream religions and Westboro Baptist Church is that Westboro Baptist Church expresses their opinions openly, while other religions do not. Nonetheless, Westboro Baptist Church’s expressful nature should not be a criteria utilized to determine whether it is a religion or
In order to get to know about the Westboro Baptist Church, a person needs to know a little about who they are, where they came from, and what they represent. The Westboro Baptist Church was created in 1955 by a man named Fred Phelps, in Topeka Kansas, and is considered to follow old school Baptist beliefs (God, 2011). The Westboro membership numbers less than 100 who profess to all of the teachings of the Bible, and preach against every type of sin (God). Uncommonly, the church has no known affiliation to with any other Baptist churches (Parks, 2010). The Westboro members have been known to picket at least six events a day, such as: soldier's funerals, celebrity funerals, homosexual functions, etc. (Parks, 2010).
They are forcing people to come together under regimented beliefs and social structures, while teaching them to abandon their own identity and opinions. The sole focus of this community is to create generations upon generations who are replicas of one another. It is a community that functions amidst uniformity. Jesus Camp is a tell tale documentary that depicts such clear cut standards. It is showcasing the brunt of such rigid standards and how they translate into the lives of innocent children. They are being stripped away from their innocence and molded into a disciple of the religion. These children are being cognitively disabled of all righteousness and integrity they bestow. A community without boundaries, one that functions on the basis of prolonging the disparity of the evangelical
Cults Each year, hundreds of North Americans join one of the increasing, estimated 3000 unorthodox religions that exist across North America. The increasing number of cults, to date in North America, is due to the fact that cults are a social movement that attempts to help people cope with their perceived problems with social interaction. Cult recruiters target those who perceive themselves as different from the rest of society, and give these individuals the sense of belonging that they crave. Cult literature lures potential cult members by appealing to their desperate need to socially fit in. Cults provide a controlled family environment that appeals to potential cult members because it is a removal from the exterior society.
1. Consider the scenario involving Pseudo-religions. Do you think that someone who claims to believe in a particular religion but who is not living up to the teachings of that religion is pseudo-religious or a hypocrite?
Throughout history, standing up for one's rights has been a big part of America’s growth in regards to: women’s rights, segregation, taxation, religion...etc. However, with the expansion of America over the last few hundred years, Americans have gone from respecting others’ point-of-views to being offended when those point-of-views that differ are shared. “We often hear it said that ‘if your religious beliefs work for you, that’s great, but don’t impose them on others’”. Because of this dilemma, words such as; “judgmental”, “hypocritical”, and “intolerant” are all accusations that are placed onto Christians because of their moral standing on subjects that differ from public opinion. More often than not, Americans overlook the positive impact of the public influence of Christians. This concept of intolerance is something that is highly frowned upon in the America that we live in today. Intolerance is defined as, “Not willing to allow or accept something; not willing to allow some people to have equal freedom or other social rights; or unwilling to grant equal freedom of expression, especially in religious matters”. People within America today have confused the concept of being intolerant with keeping someone accountable to their actions, or fighting against a wrong for the betterment of a larger society. As you examine the history of America and see the countless people who have been advocates of the Christian faith, it is apparent that the lines have been blurred between standing up for what you believe in and being intolerant to the viewpoints and opinions of others.
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...
Merriam Webster’s Collegiate dictionary defines cult as: 1 : formal religious veneration : Worship. 2 : a system of religious beliefs and ritual; also : its body of adherents. 3 : a religion regarded as unorthodox or spurious; also : its body of adherents. 4 : a system for the cure of disease based on dogma set forth by its promulgator <health cults>. 5 a : great devotion to a person, idea, object, movement, or work (as a film or book); especially : such devotion regarded as a literary or intellectual fad b : a usually small group of people characterized by such devotion.
The sociological studies on cults and those who join them have found “that many of the converts are young people, often without strong family ties, who are unsuccessful in dealing with life’s problems and are seeking instant solutions supplied by others” (U.S. News and World Report 23).
Viewing the textbook there are many approaches to the word “religion”. The basic meaning of religion is “The belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods.” According to Stephen Prothero he states “That those who preach the oneness of religion are being disrespectful of the profound, and in his view irreconcilable, differences between religious traditions. This is somewhat correct. We do look at traditions and religious acts the same way. We feel as if you act upon a tradition of faith then it could appear as a religious act. The descriptive approach that the textbook mentions is that our faith would be more understood and token seriously if we as humans knew the differences between the two. We also
However, they still have the freedom to follow such religious guidelines as long as they do not harm or otherwise harass others. In order to live a quality of life where you are not treated differently based on race, religion, gender, ethnic origin, etc. is up to the everyday citizens. By treating others with respect, they will treat you the same. So, this responsibility can also be easily transformed into a
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...
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...
Information about Cults Definition of Cults A cult is to some extent a group that strays from the standard teachings of the historic Christian faith being resulting from the Bible and established through the earliest ecumenical doctrines. These groups reject or misrepresent important Christian doctrines such as the Trinity, the deity of Christ, and salvation by grace through faith only. Some cults that would be identified in this classification are Jehovah’s Witnesses, Christian Science, the Mormons, the Unity School of Christianity and the Way International. (Hanegraaff, 2009)3
“Forms of organization, and the way they relate to the broader social context, are also part of religion, the sociological expression of religion” (MPMF, p. 10). When most of us think of religion we tend to think of the churches and temples, etc. that we know of. There is a whole side to religion that is about how it is organized. Some groups are democratic in their nature while other groups have more of an authority structure.