Cults Essay

think of it as a Cult but, I ask the question “Could a religion actually be considered a cult?” A few religions that we have studied in class have actually been considered a cult at one point in history, either many years ago, or very recent. What intrigues me about this is: the definition and characteristics of a cult or religion, what groups/religions have been considered to be a cult, and why do we think that a cult is not considered a religious group. Some characteristics of a cult can be: that

Cults Cults are often seen as an alternative religion. “A cult is defined as a religious or secular group that employs unethical and extreme measures of manipulation to recruit, control and retain its members” (Study Resources). Most cults are started because someone doesn’t like the way the world is and want to create what they feel the perfect world is. Then this person strives to make others believe as they do so they will join. There are somewhere around 3,000 to 5,000 of these cults throughout

Former Members Perception of Cult Movement, is a study researched and done by Dr. Carmen Almendros, Dr. Jose A. Carrobles and Dr. Alvaro Rodriguez Carballeira. The research paper was published online under the ICSA ( International Cultic Studies Association), a non-profitable anti-cult organization, in 2007 in Volume six of the Cultic Studies Review. As the title of the study states, the research was used to find the perception of former cultic members before and during their involvement in the

Heritage Dictionary a cult is “1) a system or community of religious worship and ritual 2a) a devoted attachment to, or extravagant admiration for, a person, principle, etc., especially when regarded as a fad b) the object of such attachment 3) a group of followers;” (Aronoff, 2000). Some of the major features of cults as described by Whitsett et al. include family dynamics within cults, child abuse, health issues, and moral development. A common/devastating repercussion of cult participation is losing

Cults have become a phenomenon in our world today. Each year "hundreds of Canadians join some of the 3,000 unorthodox religions of one type or another" (Fernell, Branswell, 189) all across North America. Like every organization, club or even in the common work place there is usually a person who is a figure of authority or other wise know as a "leader" and with every leader there are always rules and objectives that each and every member has to do and follow. The common psychological

A cult has many different meanings. Our textbook defines a cult as a “group that is typically characterized by three things; the first being rituals and beliefs, showing devotion to a god or person, the second being a charismatic leader, and the third is isolation” (Myers, 2015). In general, when people think about cults the response is usually “why are people persuaded to leave everything behind and join a cult?” There are usually two views on cults. The first is that a cult is not different from

Cults Many people feel that cults are nothing more than a nontraditional religion, because of beliefs, organization, and interest. Cults are much more than just little religions. They are a dangerous, and in the United States there is little we can do about it. The term cult has many different meanings. According to Jan Groenveld, a cult researcher and author, Christians define a cult as anything that differs from traditional orthodox teachings, but the general definition is that, a

To understand the complexity of a cult a person must first understand the meaning of what that word truly defines. In a dictionary, you would find the meaning of the word as the system of religious worship or ritual. But if you take this definition literally then a Christian would be insulted. Just because a person follows God or a “god” does not mean they are in a cult. Nevertheless, the word “cult” has few different meanings. The structure of a cult has varied differences but the goal is the

     The word cult is defined as an alternative religion. Most cults are started because someone doesn’t like the way the world is, and feels that his/her church isn’t doing anything to make it better, so they leave and create what they believe to be the perfect religion. Then this person strives to make others believe as they do so they will join (Miller, 1991, p. 15). There are somewhere around 3,000 to 5,000 of these cults throughout the United States, but only 75 to 100

different types of water you can buy. You go pick one either because the picture is better or you seen the commercial the other day and you want it. During the length of this paper we will talk about two important writers, Kalle Lasn the writer of “The Cult

Switzerland, Canada and France. The first known instance was the murder of Tony Dutroit and his wife and son. Dutroit was a member of the cult, but spoke out against it upon realising its hypocrisy and deception and left. Soon after, he, his wife Nicky and son Emmanuel were the victims of a grisly murder in Morin Heights, Québec, committed by members of the cult. It was believed that this was upon Di Mambro’s orders, apparently on the basis that Emmanuel was the Antichrist and had come to stop Di

The Problem with Personality Cults What effects -- if any -- do cults of personalities have on a culture and society? When we think of cults, we usually tend to think of a group who all follow one specific belief or leader. According to Webster’s Dictionary, a cult of personality is a situation in which a public figure (such as a political leader) is deliberately presented to the people of a country as a great person who should be admired and loved. Of course, there are many problems that may arise

Many cults in the world exist some are good and others are unpleasant. Some of the cults join together to do good things such as meeting people and bonding with those of the same religions and expressions as yourself. There are also; bad cults that have killed many people and even some cults have killed even their own members although, there is not a lot of cults that have committed suicide to end their own cult like the Order of the Solar Temple had done. The Order of the Solar Temple was a great

There are different types of groups that you can branch off of your religion, there are sects and cults. A sect is a group of people with some different religious beliefs from the group larger to where they actually belong, like a Church. A Cult is usually a small group of people who have religious beliefs and practices observed by others as bizarre. A cult is founded by a powerful leader also known as a charismatic. Sects have a high degree of pressure with the surrounding society unlike churches

Cult development is fascinating phenomenon that occurs all around the world. Their membership growth is a complex interaction facilitated by conformity and manipulation. Cult membership can have a major impact on those who are involved. Leaving a cult can cause much distress for both the ex-member and their family. It is important to understand cult affiliation factors and the development of their membership in order to provide proper therapeutic intervention for those who leave cults. Cults tend

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

Cults have been around since the beginning of civilization and today there are thousands of cults around the world. Cults vary in ideas and beliefs, whether it be political, scientific, or focused on self- development. The majority of cults claim to have the answer to life’s biggest, toughest questions and, use this to their advantage. They target people with loneliness or, people who look to fill a void in their life. Cults across time have consistently shown that the power of manipulation can empower

of a cult. When looking at multiple sources or even making a quick search on the internet, many contradictory statements and definitions are brought about, most of them carrying a negative connotation. Upon hearing the word “cult,” one tends to associate it with satanic rituals, black magic, murder, and many other dark, mysterious things. In its simplest form, a cult seems to be a group of people with a charismatic leader. However, this definition is not complete. The definition of a cult can

definition of the word ‘cult’, it is only rarely used as a self-description and does not refer to any particular belief system. Since the 1920s, the word ‘cult’ has most commonly been used to designate a minority religious group whose beliefs and practices an outside observer views as dangerous or strange. There are different varieties of cults, the Moonies, the Children of God, Eckankar, the Hare Krishna, and Scientology are a few. Basically, there are two main types of cults, those with Christian

Cults have been around since the 1930’s and are becoming well known around the world. Although awareness has been spread out about the serious consequences joining a cult may have on a person’s life, individuals continue falling pray into cultic groups and remain an active part; the result of joining is decades being brainwashed into believing only the members hold the “truth”/enlighten by already brainwashed, devoted members and their “prophet”. The majorities of individuals in a cult live under