Utopian Cults

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For many years, cults have been a subject of great controversy. A cult is a group of people that are bound together by an appreciation of the same thing, person, ideal, etc. Usually these groups keep close because of religious reasons, but their beliefs are almost always considered strange by outsiders. Cults are similar to clans or congregations, but are usually referred to as sects.

There are many different categories that a cult could be sorted into. Apocalyptic, Utopian, Spiritualistic, Satanic, and Witchcraft/Voodoo cults are just some of the more basic types. While an Apocalyptic cult would focus on the end of the world, a Utopian cult would center more on a perfect land, or in other words a heaven on Earth. Spiritualistic cults often obsess on the Bible’s teachings while Satanic, worshiping the devil, do the exact opposite. Finally, a Witchcraft or Voodoo cult would direct all of their attention to sacred rituals and ceremonies of that nature.

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.

Utopian cults, as mentioned before, are groups of people searching for per...

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...on November 18, 1978, 912 corpses were found. It has been 31 years since this tragedy occurred and today, the Peoples Temple is known to be the most recognized cult of all time. The People’s Temple was one of many lethal cults along with Branch Davidians which was led by David Koresh and Heaven’s Gate proving that many cults are hazardous. Cults will always be a very controversial subject.

Works Cited
Streissguth, Thomas. Charismatic Cult Leaders. Minneapolis: The Oliver Press, Incorporated, 1995.

Zeinert, Karen. Cults. Springfield: Enslow Publishers, 1997.

Dolan, Sean. Everything You Need to Know About Cults. New York: Rosen Pub. Group, 2000.

Cult. March 8, 2010.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cult

Jim Jones. March 8, 2010.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Jones

Top Ten Crazy Cults. 2010.

http://www.livescience.com/strangenews/top-10-crazy-cults-1.html

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