Inquiry 4 Reflective Essay

773 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Essay on studying cults

I decided that for my Inquiry 4 I would be creating a website, a remix of my Inquiry 3 project, on cults. For this, I created my own cult. This was done by studying previous cults, using satire in my writing to elaborate the similarities of cults and what people perceive in cults, and using Heavens Gate (a cult from the 90s) still active website, as reference for my own. This was definitely challenging for me, as I am not tech savvy, and really helped me tap into my creative side when writing a blog for the website. In this website, there is also a store, where there are products generally associated with cults, and a small description that is associated with each product, again using satire. Through the systematic use of text, pictures, color, and tabs, I believe I have been successful in creating an ironic cult website. Inquiry 4 has been full of …show more content…

On the first page of the website, I even mentioned that the beliefs of the group “include complete authoritarianism, of one leader that is pathologically narcissistic, [using] tools similar to that of brainwashing, and search for common ground that is based on quest for religious connection” outwardly stating the dangers of the cult. Though the text was supportive and a key tool used in the website, it was not the only tool used, photos and visual supports were also used. The cult I created was based on space “overlords” a common theme in many cults, therefore the photos were also based on space. The color scheme was cool, relaxed, and made the website work in unity, supportive of the beliefs of the cult. The relaxed color scheme is to bring in more people to view the site. The text is slightly more suggestive of joining the

Show More
Related

  • The Covenant, the Sword and the Arm of the Lord

    1170 Words  | 3 Pages

    became one of the "most violent white supremacist centers of the 1980s" (Phelps). Members lived

    Read More

  • Skull And Bones Conspiracy Research Paper

    949 Words  | 2 Pages

    Skull and Bones like many other groups have been alleged to want world control. This is one reason they are associated with the Illuminati. This is just an alleged claim with little proof other than some members have gone into important government positions.

    Read More

  • The Heaven's Gate Cult

    511 Words  | 2 Pages

    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”.

    Read More

  • wrw

    891 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Cult Mentality and How People Become Involved in Religious and Secular Cults

    1569 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Sociological Perspectives on Cult Leaders

    1039 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • The Church of Scientology: Religion Or Cult?

    1787 Words  | 4 Pages

    ...re due to its confidentiality. With such information, the debate on whether Scientology is a religion or a cult could soon come to a close.

    Read More

  • The Danger of the FLDS

    917 Words  | 2 Pages

    Cults are dangerous institutions that have existed for many years, corrupting and reforming the minds of innocent people into believing outrageous doctrines that eventually result in disaster. Horrifying cases involving men such as Charles Manson, Jim Jones and David Koresh have bewildered people and raise the question: how could individuals be easily susceptible to the teachings of these men, so influenced that masses go as far as to commit the unthinkable? Individuals who are in a vulnerable position in search for an identity are attracted to cults because they offer a sense of belonging. In addition, isolation from society contributes to the functioning of a cult for it creates an atmosphere where submissiveness and obedience runs high. These two factors seem to hold true for one of the most notorious cults currently established in the United States and Canada. The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints or, FLDS, is an international polygamist sect that incorporates belonging and isolation along with a dangerous mentality that have resulted in the abuse of women and children in the name of God.

    Read More

  • Jonestown

    2195 Words  | 5 Pages

    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).

    Read More

  • Heavens Gate

    1307 Words  | 3 Pages

    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, are the only ways a recruit would ever accept such an outlandish set of beliefs.

    Read More

  • Why this Article is Wrong

    1787 Words  | 4 Pages

    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...

    Read More

  • What is a Cult?

    1226 Words  | 3 Pages

    “A cult is a group of religious and dedicated members directed toward a particular belief or figure” (Thriving Cults). Cults are often misjudged and mistreated because what they believe in is strange or different than what the rest of the world believe in. Lesser known cults are often persecuted for what a few evil and corrupted cults did, but they never stop and look and see if the cult is a truly peaceful group. People in cults are often persecuted for being devoted to the cause of the cult they joined. “Certain people lack the inner resources and inner abilities to fully understand the world going on around them. They do not enjoy feeling lost, feeling abandoned, or hopeless” (Church of Reality). “They have no real conception of themselves and a weak and uncertain sense of self-identity or self worth” (Campus Cults). Sometimes we feel that we lose the purpose of living and we need something to fall back to. “Naturally, we follow the advice of people or groups who seem to ...

    Read More

  • Blurred Boundaries: Religion vs. Cult

    1155 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • What is the Appeal of Doomsday Cults?

    805 Words  | 2 Pages

    In conclusion, cults draw members through exploitation of vulnerable people, the promise of prosperity and the comradeship and pseudo-purpose that the organization gives to its members. Even in cases where living conditions are horrible and suicide drills are a regular occurrence, people are willing to endure such hardships in order to reap these benefits that they could not otherwise find in society. These three draws, which appeal to basic human needs, also give reason to why the members of such cults can be enticed to commit such atrocities and find cults appealing.

    Read More

  • Analysis of John Saliba´s Understanding New Religious Movements

    800 Words  | 2 Pages

    The word “cult” has a very negative connotation in modern society as a result of it being applied to several religious groups that have violated basic moral or societal rules. It is regularly applied by the media to groups that are considered to be “deviant, dangerous or corrupt” (1). “The Theological use of the word “cult” is most evident in Christian Evangelical literature.” (2) Here, a cult is described by Walter Ralston Martin as “a group, religious in nature which surrounds a leader or a group of teaching which either denies or misinterprets essential Biblical doctrine.”(2) Another definition by Charles Braden is “those religious groups that differ significantly from those religious groups that are regarded as the normative expression of religion in our total culture.” And “a group of people gathered about a specific person or person’s misinterpretation of the Bible.”(2). Two very vague definitions that could apply to just about any faith that doesn’t align with what the...

    Read More

More about Inquiry 4 Reflective Essay

Open Document