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Effects of culture on society
Effects of culture on society
Effects of culture on society
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Cults can be bad influences in several different ways. This article is about real facts of why cults make society a much worse place. Cult- a system of religious veneration and devotion directed toward a particular figure or object. There are different cults all across the world. All different cults have distinctly different beliefs and devotions. For instance, there are some cults that are formed to follow a particular real life figure, and some cults that are formed to follow (or worship) a spiritual being,that might be part of a certain organized religion. There have been many horrible crimes that have been committed by suspected members of certain cults. There have been crime cases such as , murder, kidnapping, assault, and sexual-assault. It has also been reported that there have been terrorist attacks leading to certain cults that made death threats in the past. In the days following the subway gas attack on March 20, 1995, as suspicion fell on the Aum, most people outside of Japan learned for the first time of this rather obscure Japanese religious sect. To most, their criminal actions of March 20th were out of character for a religious group. Yet, a closer review of the Aum's history show that this group's character had a common thread of criminality leading back to almost the date it was legally chartered. They include murder, attempted murder, kidnappings and burglaries. These incidents, most of which only became known to the outside world in the aftermath of the Tokyo attack, have led many to conclude that Japanese authorities should not have been surprised by either the subway attack or its perpetrators. This section of the Staff statement will briefly chronicle the most serious of the criminal acts of the Aum... ... middle of paper ... ...ich as you know is Medical Neglect. Satanic cults are known to be one of the most darkest cults in the world. There have been reports of Satanic worship across the nation. It is not entirely known of what kind of activity goes on in most Satanic cults, but there are quite a few crimes that have been committed that lead to Satanic worshipers such as, kidnapping, rape, and murder. It also has been reported that people are being kidnapped for so called “religious purposes”. Many believe that people that are kidnapped, are then put into “sacrificial ceremonies” and some believe that they are then “brainwashed” into joining the cult, but it is not a real fact that these events really happened. There have been many court trials over suspected Satanic cult members that have committed major crimes in the past.
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
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.
#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
What is religion? Each person’s definition of religion is different. Each person’s faith is different. This is a question that has been asked for centuries, and regardless of the answer given there is no right or wrong answer. Religion can be defined as a group of people who have shared beliefs who feel their life has purpose or meaning. This feeling or belief that their life has meaning can come from outside of themselves, as well as within. Taking this one step further, these shared beliefs put into action in the form of worship, can be easily identified because they happen regularly. It can be said the Primal religions were in fact not religions. Some may argue Confucianism is not a religion. Others may say Taoism is not a religion. However, one argument can be made. All three of these “religions” share “features.” Huston Smith, author of World’s Religions, says “six features of religion appear so regularly as to suggest that their seeds are in the human makeup.” These six features discussed in World’s Religions are as follows: authority, ritual, explanation, tradition, grace, and mystery (World’s, Page 67). First is authority, Smith argues religion is so complex that people will need assistance or guidance from those held in a higher light, or of a higher authority. Next is ritual, which can be happy (a wedding) or sad (a funeral), rituals are shared between people of the same religion in many forms as a sign of common beliefs. Following rituals, some explanation is required. Many of a religion’s followers ask for explanations, some ask, “What is my purpose in life?” Others may ask, “Who is God?” Depending on one’s religion, the questions or
Contrary to popular belief, Jehovah Witnesses are not a cult. They are merely an organization who have made a dedication to God and whose primary interest is in other people's welfare. They believe the Bible. to be the Word of God, and that it also is astonishingly historically. accurate.
The attraction of Satan worship can be seen as the derivative of basic evil in the human condition, the desire for rebellion and the desire for conspiracy. Since these aspects apply equally to all of the characters in the story, it logically follows that none of the members of society at large are unaffected. It appears that this seemingly isolated occurrence of Satanism is a condition of the human existence: perhaps the yan to a Christian yin. In that case, there is nowhere to hide from the all-pervasive influence of evil, not even within the confines of the human mind.
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).
Next, Satanism is misunderstood for many reasons these include: the way in which the media portrays it, false accounts of Satanic Ritual Abuse, and people who claim Satanc status without knowing what exactly Satanism is. There have been numerous accounts where the media exaggerates certain cases. For example in Hammond, Louisiana there was a man named Pastor Louis Lamonica Jr. He was pastor of the local church in town, he also happened to be a psychopath and a rapist. The media claimed the man was a Satanist because he had raped children in a church when in fact he thought that was what God wanted of him. The Pastor was not alone in these horrid crimes his accomplices included, his wife Robin, Austin Trey Bernard, and Austin’s wife Nicole Bernard. The group raped numerous babies and supposedly slaughter animals in the name of Satan however, there is no evidence proving the latter ever occurred. The only reason the case got misinterpreted as a case of Satanic Ritual Abuse was that Lammonica described the youth room where they committed such terrible crimes as black and as everyone knows The Church of Satan runs out of The Black House. This case became so publicized that it even got an episode of HBO’s True Detective made about it. Of course, in the show it was far more gruesome and demonic than the real event which did not involve the devil or Satanism in any form. It was just an average psychotic Pastor who will spend the rest of his years in jail which is far from unseen within the Church of God. Another example of the media over exaggerating Satanism and turning it into a cult is the incident in Johannesburg, South Africa where a girl was murdered. The victim was only seventeen and she was murdered by her fellow classmates. Th...
A cult is defined as a social group or a social movement under one charismatic leader. It maintains a belief system, which includes a transformation of a group member. Members of the group have a high level of commitment to the leader, members, and beliefs (Lalich). An additional definition to consider is from the American Journal of Psychotherapy:
“A brutal form of abuse of children consisting of physical, sexual, and psychological abuse, and involving the use of rituals. Ritual does not mean satanic. However, most survivors state that they were ritually abused as part of satanic worship for the purpose of indoctrinating them into satanic beliefs and practices. Ritual abuse rarely consists of a single episode. It usually involves repeated abuse over an extended period of time (Wallace, 2008).”
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.
Typically, when someone thinks of religion, they think about worship of a higher power, compassion for all living things, and a general love of the world. Satanism, while a religion, does not fit these conventions. The faith holds no belief in a higher power, is rather selfish in nature, and paints a bleak picture of the world and its workings. In addition, Satanism has controversy riddled history dating back to the seventeenth century. Due to the religion’s unconventional nature, it is often looked down upon and its principles and values are ridiculed. To better understand a faith like Satanism, it helps to look at it alongside a more familiar and commonly understood religion like Christianity.
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...
Cults are most commonly known and practiced as a system of religious worship and devotion directed toward a particular figure or object. Cults represent a worldwide epidemic of ideological totalism and fundamentalism. Typically cults target and recruit young adolescences, who are generally confused, curious, and looking for a place to belong and somewhere where they feel important. The naive and vulnerable youth are less likely to see through the cults layers of deceit. However not all youth are endangered from being recruited into a cult, only the ones who are easily persuaded and managed are the ones that are drawn and brought into a cult. Once accepted into a cult, the use of milieu control; control of all communication- slowly starts to separate members from the “outside”. This process is maintained through an intense group process, making the person spend as much time with their cult and as little time and communication with the “outside”. By increasingly inviting and making the people go to a sequence of events, seminars, lectures and encounters, making leaving a cult extremel...