Muck Cults Analysis

The word “Cult” has not always had such a negative connotation attached to it. Many religions would’ve been considered cults when they first began. By the end of the 19th century many visionaries had revealed radically new religious systems, claiming immunity to the impurities of the old ones (Powers, 1997). These were no more than a group of people organizing themselves in worship and devotion for a person, object, or movement. They practiced rituals different to other “mainstream” religions, and were therefore considered cults.

There are many of us that can identify with the idea of “counter-culture.” Through all generations in all walks of life, there existed or will exist a trend that someone will negatively criticize, whether it be cool clothes or the popularity of the fidget spinner. In her work, The Cult You’re in, Kalle Lasn establishes her own definition of the term pop culture by comparing some simple everyday activities to those of cults, manifesting themselves into our routine through the similar manipulative rhetoric.

Ever since we were little, our parents, guardians, or even ourselves grew up to know the difference in between was would be considered peversive and what isn’t. Many people find it difficult to understand how people can be so devoted to a religion or something that can’t be scientifically proven, but the real question is how can a normal resident be allured by cults. A religious cult may be well known to us as a religious imposter who claims to lead the way to salvation and a lifespan of well being filled with blessings and free of the damnation a disease may bring, only because he or maybe even she may claim that he was sent from the heavens to the filthy earth. People who are believers in a omipitent kind believe this to be a ludicrous idea ,

From Jamestown, to Scientology, and even at one point Christianity, cults have helped to shape our way of viewing religion so much so that it is hard to imagine a life without them. Cults have a negative connotation in our modern world typically due to the violence that their members undertake in attempting to save their way of life or convert others. The question must be asked then; what would happen if a cult became a place of community rather than a place of religious intolerance? No longer would cults be seen in negative lights such as Jamestown and similar suicide cults, but instead be an intense bonding experience between like minded members of society. With interpersonal relationships so fragmented in our modern day, people could find immense benefit from face to face experiences with others, hence the need for a new type of cult to be created. While there are many reasons that Lynden Voth should form a cult, some of the most important include the creation of a nonviolent form of religion that would only play a small part in daily lives, the leadership potential from its founder, and the reformation and community atmosphere the cult would attempt to inspire.

A cult is a group of people with similar interests, and lead usually by a trusted leader. This leader will have to convince others into believing or provide a place where they can worship

Kalle Lasn, in the his essay shows the stereotype of the bigger population being in a cult without even knowing. In, The Cult You’re In, Kalle says that all people want the same dreams, and that they are not unique by wanting this dream. The dream he entails that everyone wants is, “ wealth, power, fame, plenty of sex, and exciting recreational opportunities.” Another piece of evidence Lasn uses to show that the general public is in a cult is, “so you scaled down your hopes of embarrassing riches to reasonable expectations of adequate comfort— the modest condo downtown, the Visa card, the Braun shaver, the one good Armani suit.” The author’s use of you in this case and throughout the entire easy shows that to the typical person this does happen.

Tragedy in an attempt towards romanticism. Disillusionment that triumphs over sanctuary. Solidarity somehow always finds a way to culminate in a stagnant disposition that shackles free thought.

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).

that cult leaders use to manipulate all comes down to psychology. Some use fear and guilt to

It’s not unknown that The Church of Scientology has been a contentious subject of conversation for decades. The controversial religion was originally discovered by a gentleman named L. Ron Hubbard in 1954 through the establishment of ideas in which he believed would act as an antidote to mental health concerns called Dianetics. After an unsuccessful attempt resulting in bankruptcy, Hubbard branched his ideas into the basis of a new found religion called Scientology ("The Beliefs and Teachings of Scientology”). To Hubbard’s advantage, Scientology expeditiously accelerated in growth, becoming one of the fastest expanding religions in the 20th century. Scientology pledged a “light at the end of the tunnel” to those wandering through dark times, and created a pathway to a faultless understanding of one’s true spiritual fulfillment through a system of self-knowledge in relation to one’s own life, community, and mankind. Due to the Scientology’s controversial beliefs, abnormal practices, and aberrant church-member relationships, the religion poses as a superlative model of church rebelling against society’s social norms.

The Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines cult as: "a religion regarded as unorthodox or spurious; also: its body of adherents." Indeed, any religion involving unconditional worship and unquestioning obedience to God could be labeled as a cult (using the derogatory suggestion of the word), since such a religion would have that high level of dependency, obedience, and unwavering compliance ascribed to cults by definition. Many mainstream religions still require their members to believe in God unquestioningly, to have faith that he is good and that what he does is good, to consider one's own wants and needs as unimportant while accepting the will of God as paramount. All of these are certainly characteristics commonly attributed to cults, but while it would not be unreasonable to apply this definition of a cult to any dogmatic religion that requires strict compliance with God's word and will as a condition of membership, the notion of applying the word "cult" to Christianity, Islam, Judaism, or any other major world religion today is considered absurd. There are those who make this very claim: that those who worship God fit the classic depiction of cult members in their dogmatism, unswerving

An American sociologist, Howard P. Becker expanded the church sect typology, characterizing cults as “lacking organization and emphasizing personal beliefs” (Swatos). Over time, this interpretation was added to, emphasizing cults’ deviation from predominant religious groups who “derived their inspiration from outside of the predominant religious culture, leading to a higher degree of tension between the group and more mainstream culture”

The language in this article shows that it was written for the general readership,and is understandable. To support his main points Shoemaker uses Bible quotes and verses to show the differences between cults and religions and cults and also information obtained from historians. However, Shoemaker’s article is biased towards the fact that cults are bad and harmful to society. Shoemaker makes a few points towards the idea that cults are bad on example is he says “Cult religion traffics in guilt and shame. It preys upon people with heavy guilt and shame and offers a false solution: total commitment to the cult” (Shoemaker). This quotation was in his third section of the article which was titled “Trafficking in Guilt and Shame”. In his seventh section which is “Breaking with the World” he refers to the idea that cults do not see the world as a creation made by God and that the world is corrupt. He says “Cult religion does not see the world as the good creation of God. The world is under the spell of the devil. It is unalterably corrupt. The world will always be against the true and righteous cult. Such a view aids and abets paranoid thinking. The cult sees itself as children of light living in the midst of children of darkness (everybody else)” (Shoemaker). Although Shoemaker is a tad biased in this article he does has information to back up his

Cults can be classified as destructive, considering the methods used and how membership affects individuals. According to the International Cultic Studies Association or ICSA, cults can be considered destructive to its members. Reports form former cult member’s reveals that they have trouble trusting others, problems forming and maintaining relationships, and feel disconnected with the world. In addition, former cult members report being diagnosed with depression and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD often having flashbacks of events that occurred while they were in the cult. Finally, it is important to mention that cults also cause injuries or death. Considering these reports cults can be classified as destructive because members may have a difficult time adjusting to life outside the cult, difficulties in living life

To empathize with those involved in destructive cults it is important to take into consideration the incidences of social unrest, economic adversity, political uncertainty (Glock, 1964, 26-29) and the breakdown of family relations that society as a whole can identify with. These events most often seem to lead people to seek comfort, security and easy answers, and can lead them to group led by an authoritarian type