Gate cult

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: …groups that often exploit members psychologically and/or financially, typically by making members comply with leadership’s demands through certain types

Religious Cults - A Threat to Society? On November 18, 1978, in a cleared-out patch of the Guyanese jungle, Reverend Jim Jones ordered the 911 members of his flock to kill themselves by drinking a cyanide potion, and they did. It seems cultists were brainwashed by this megalomaniac Jones, who had named their jungle village after himself and held them as virtual slaves, if not living zombies. Jones himself was found dead. He'd shot himself in the head, or someone else had shot him. Is it plausible

A cult is a group of sadistic people that harm and take advantage of young, innocent people that are ripped away from their families and into a cold, dangerous world. There are many questions as to are cults really harmful. Cult leaders have many persuasive ways to trick you into believing their beliefs and their twisted ways of life. One common way that cult groups usually do is they pick out the most innocent and lonely victim. Then they make you feel comfortable and welcome and raise you on a

THE JONESTOWN CULT Mass suicides are infrequent yet notable events that have occurred throughout the course of human history. The forty-nine Japanese Ronan, or Russian villagers burning themselves during the Russian Church’s Great Schism, are terrible reminders of the lengths humans will go to in order to remain faithful to a deeply held ideology (Coleman 46). Notably, in both of these examples and in the case of the Jonestown massacre, the suicides occurred within the context of a culture, sub-culture

As E.M. Forster once said, “One person with passion is better than forty merely interested people.” The quote indicates that while many may care, or at least seem to care, one with a burning passion is highly sought after. This especially rings true in leadership, as everyone has the ability to lead, but the ones who are passionate make the best and most efficient leaders. Since passionate leaders make the best leaders, a leader should gain their power by such means as opposed to through a thirst

As a layman, sects and cults may not seem all that different. Both are marginal groups and do not conform to society’s ‘typical’ views of religion. Their classification as ‘new religious movements’ then are based solely on their staying on the outskirts of the ‘norm’. Two groups that I will be focusing on specifically are Opus Dei and the Colonia Dignidad. Both are seen as extreme and strict, and I believe they belong to the same group as one another. Opus Dei seeks to return to the ‘roots’ of Catholicism

unquestioning faith in a single person. For decades, cults have been rising up from the minds of a few, people that seem to think of themselves as a greater being. The question remains, is there anything that can, or should, be done to prevent the growth of cults? It is difficult to condemn all cults as being inherently evil, when doing so would be prejudice against someone’s religious beliefs. The Church of Scientology, one of the world’s largest cults, has officially been declared a religion by Britain’s

think of cults, we think of a charismatic group that differ from known beliefs. The characteristics of such cult groups include exhibiting strong cohesion, the support of the specific belief system they follow which appears strange to people who aren’t a part of this organization, the influences towards their behavior and recognizing leaders as being charismatic. Various cults have beliefs that could be considered a deranged disorder and many could also share a psychotic disorder. Cult members participate

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

Bloody rituals and moonlit sacrifices define a cult. As long as religion exists there are cults. Initiation involves feats of courage and skill and often results in fatality. Once their initiation is complete they are an official member. Members advance in rank by following the regulations and being faithful to their deity. New recruits rank lowest and the highest ranking member is the priest or prophet, climbing through the ranks takes years. Judith Lorber the author of “Believing Is Seeing: Biology