NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Cult status

In religion and sociology, a cult is a cohesive group of people (often a relatively small and recently founded religious movement) devoted to beliefs or practices that the surrounding culture or society considers to be far outside the mainstream. Its separate status may come about either due to its novel belief system, because of its idiosyncratic practices or because it opposes the interests of the mainstream culture. Other non-religious groups may also display cult-like characteristics. Image File history File links Please see the file description page for further information. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Social interactions of people and their consequences are the subject of sociology studies. ...

In common usage, "cult" has a negative connotation, and is generally applied to a group by its opponents, for a variety of reasons. Understandably, most, if not all, groups that are called "cults" deny this label. It has been argued that no one yet has been able to define “cult” in a way that enables the term to identify only groups that have been claimed as problematic.

The literal and traditional meanings of the word cult is derived from the Latin cultus, meaning "care" or "adoration", as "a system of religious belief or ritual; or: the body of adherents to same"³². In English, it remains neutral and a technical term within this context to refer to the "cult of Artemis at Ephesus" and the "cult figures" that accompanied it, or to "the importance of the Ave Maria in the cult of the Virgin." This usage is more fully explored in the entry Cult (religious practice). Latin is an ancient Indo-European language. ... A ritual is a set of actions, performed mainly for their symbolic value, which is prescribed by a religion or by the traditions of sex A ritual may be performed at regular intervals, or on specific occasions, or at the discretion of individuals or communities. ... The Artemis of Versailles, a Roman copy of a Hellenistic marble sculpture, now at the Louvre Museum. ... Ephesus (Greek: ÎˆÏ†ÎµÏƒÎ¿Ï‚ see also List of traditional Greek place names, Turkish: Efes) was one of the great cities of the Ionian Greeks in Asia Minor, located in Lydia where the Cayster river flows into the Aegean Sea (in modern day Turkey). ... Blessed Virgin Mary A traditional Catholic picture sometimes displayed in homes. ... In traditional usage, the cult of a religion, quite apart from its sacred writings (scriptures), its theology or myths, or the personal faith of its believers, is the totality of external religious practice and observance, the neglect of which is the definition of impiety. ...

In non-English European terms, the cognates of the English word "cult" are neutral, and refer mainly to divisions within a single faith, a case where English speakers might use the word "sect", as in "Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy and Protestantism are sects (or denominations) within Christianity". In French or Spanish, culte or culto simply means "worship" or "religious attendance"; thus an association cultuelle is an association whose goal is to organize religious worship and practices. A sect is generally a small religious or political group that has branched off from a larger established group. ... The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... ... Protestantism is one of three primary branches of Christianity. ... Christianity is a monotheistic[1] religion centered on Jesus of Nazareth, and on his life and teachings as presented in the New Testament. ...

The word for "cult" in the popular English meaning is secte (French) or secta (Spanish). In German the usual word used for the English cult is Sekte, which also has other definitions. A similar case is the Russian word sekta.

Definitions

Dictionary definitions of "cult"

The Merriam-Webster online dictionary lists five different meanings of the word "cult"³².

Theological definition

In theology, particularly Catholic theology, cult is a liturgical term, from the Latin, colere, to devote care to a person or thing, that is, to venerate, worship). "Cult" is the root of the term "culture," or "the cumulative deposit of knowledge, experience, beliefs, values, attitudes, meanings, hierarchies, religion, notions of time, roles, spatial relations, concepts of the universe, and material objects and possessions acquired by a group of people in the course of generations..." [1]. Cult in theology then refers to: Catholic devotions are prayer forms which are not part of the official public liturgy of the Church but are part of the popular spiritual practices of Catholics. ... From the Greek word Î»ÎµÎ¹Ï„Î¿Ï…ÏÎ³Î¯Î±, which can be transliterated as leitourgia, meaning a public work, a liturgy comprises a prescribed religious ceremony, according to the traditions of a particular religion; it may refer to, or include, an elaborate formal ritual (such as the Catholic Mass), or a daily activity such as...

Catholic devotions are prayer forms which are not part of the official public liturgy of the Church but are part of the popular spiritual practices of Catholics. ... (Latin veneratio, Greek δουλια dulia) In traditional Christian churches (for example, Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy), veneration, or veneration of saints, is a special act of honoring a dead person who has been identified as singular in the traditions of the religion, and through them honoring God who made them and... (Latin veneratio, Greek δουλια dulia) In traditional Christian churches (for example, Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy), veneration, or veneration of saints, is a special act of honoring a dead person who has been identified as singular in the traditions of the religion, and through them honoring God who made them and... Latria is a Greek term used in Catholic theology to mean adoration, which is the highest form of worship or reverence and is directed only to God. ...

Christian countercult movement definition

Walter Martin, the pioneer of the Christian countercult movement gave in his 1955 book the following definition of a cult: Heresy, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, is a theological or religious opinion or doctrine maintained in opposition, or held to be contrary, to the Catholic or Orthodox doctrine of the Christian Church, or, by extension, to that of any church, creed, or religious system, considered as orthodox. ... This article or section needs to be wikified. ... The Christian countercult movement, also known as discernment ministries is the collective designation for many mostly unrelated ministries and individual Christians who oppose non-mainstream Christian and non-Christian religious groups, which they often call cults. ...

Definition in sociology of religion

In the sociology of religion, cult is one of the four terms making up the church-sect typology. Under this definition, a cult refers to a religious group with a high degree of tension with the surrounding society combined with novel religious beliefs. This is distinguished from sects, which have a high degree of tension with society but whose beliefs are traditional to that society, and ecclesias and denominations, which are groups with a low degree of tension and traditional beliefs. The sociology of religion is primarily the study of the practices, social structures, historical backgrounds, development, universal themes, and roles of religion in society. ... In the sociology of religion, church-sect typology is a method of classifying religious organizations. ...

This definition of "cult" is rather different from the popular definition, or the definitions used in other academic disciplines (e.g. the definition of cults as harmful groups adopted by many psychologists). It excludes any consideration of harm, manipulation, deceit or exploitation from what constitutes a cult - by this definition, a cult may be harmless, and a group that is not a cult may be very harmful. Since this definition of "cult" is defined in part in terms of tension with the surrounding society, the same group may both be a cult and not a cult at different places and times. For example, Christianity was a cult by this definition in 1st and 2nd century Rome, but in fifth century Rome it is no longer a cult but rather an ecclesia (the state religion). Or similarly, very conservative Islam would (when adopted by Westerners) constitute a cult in the West, but the ecclessia in some conservative Muslim countries (e.g. Saudi Arabia, Iran, Afghanistan under the Taliban.) Likewise, because novelty of beliefs as well as tension is an element in the definition: in India, the Hare Krishnas are not a cult, but rather a sect (since their beliefs are largely traditional to Hindu culture), but they are by this definition a cult in the Western world (since their beliefs are largely novel to Christian culture).

Definition by secular cult opposition

Secular cult opponents define a "cult" as a religious or non-religious group that tends to manipulate, exploit, and control its members. Here two definitions by Michael Langone and Louis Jolyon West, scholars who are widely recognized among the secular cult opposition: Michael Langone, Ph. ... Louis Jolyon (Jolly) West (1924 - January 2, 1999) an American psychiatrist and expert on brainwashing and mind control. ...

The common anti-cult definition summarised, Mind control (or thought control) has the premise that an outside source can control an individuals thinking, behavior or consciousness (either directly or more subtly). ...

Points of view regarding definitions

According to professor Timothy Miller from the University of Kansas, in his 2003 Religious Movements in the United States, during the controversies over the new religious movements in the 1960s, the term "cult" came to mean something sinister, generally used to describe a movement that was at least potentially destructive to its members or to society, or that took advantage of its members and engaged in unethical practices. But he argues that no one yet has been able to define "cult" in a way that enables the term to identify only problematic groups. Miller asserts that the attributes of so-called cults (see cult checklist), usually defined by anticultists, are perfectly capable of belonging to groups that few would consider cultic, such as Catholic religious orders or many evangelical Protestant churches. Since the term makes no distinction between an objectionable group and a legitimate one, it is meaningless and pointlessly disparaging.³¹ Timothy Miller is a historian of religion whose special interest is new and alternative religions and the history of communitarianism. ... The University of Kansas (often referred to as just KU or Kansas) is an institution of higher learning located in Lawrence, Kansas. ... A cult checklist is a group of factors proposed to identify objectively which groups, cults, or new religious movements are spurious, or likely to abuse or exploit or otherwise harm its members. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The word evangelicalism usually refers to a tendency in diverse branches of conservative Christianity, typified by an emphasis on evangelism, a personal experience of conversion, biblically-oriented faith, and a belief in the relevance of Christian faith to cultural issues. ... Protestantism is a general grouping of denominations within Christianity. ...

Due to the usually pejorative connotation of the word "cult", new religious movements (NRMs) and other purported cults often find the word highly offensive. Some purported cults have been known to insist that other similar groups are cults but that they themselves are not. On the other hand, some skeptics have questioned the distinction between a cult and a mainstream religion. They say that the only difference between a cult and a religion is that the latter is older and has more followers and, therefore, seems less controversial because society has become used to it. See also anti-cult movement and Opposition to cults and new religious movements. In ordinary usage, skepticism or scepticism (Greek: skeptomai, to look about, to consider) refers to an attitude of doubt or a disposition to incredulity either in general or toward a particular object, the doctrine that true knowledge or knowledge in a particular area is uncertain, or the method of suspended... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Opposition to cults and new religious movements (NRMs) comes from several sources with diverse concerns. ...

Unification Church member Lloyd Eby calls the third definition of Merriam-Webster problematic, because: To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Non-Religious Cults

According to the Anti-Cult Movement, although the majority of groups to which the word "cult" is applied are religious in nature, a significant number are non-religious. These may include political, psychotherapeutic or marketing oriented cults that are organized in a manner very similar to their religious counterparts. The term has also been applied to certain channelling, human-potential and self-improvement organizations, some of which do not define themselves as religious movements although they clearly draw on ideas derived from various religions. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

The political cults, mostly far-leftist or far-rightist in their ideologies, have received considerable attention from journalists and scholars but are only a minute percentage of the total number of so-called cults in the United States. Indeed, clear documentation of cult-like practices exists for only about a dozen ideological cadre or racial combat organizations, although vague charges have been leveled at a somewhat larger number. See Dennis Tourish and Tim Wohlforth, "On the Edge: Political Cults Right and Left," Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe, 2000. [3]

The idea seen in political discussions that is closest to the idea of a political cult is that of a personality cult. The idea of a political cult tends to invalidate any strong or committed belief in any political system, policy, or leader, and thus raises philosophical questions about the nature of society. Adolf Hitler built a strong cult of personality, based on the Führerprinzip. ...

Although most political cults involve a "cult of personality", the latter concept is a broader one. It has its origins in the excessive adulation said to have surrounded Soviet leader Joseph Stalin. It has also been applied to several other despotic heads of state. It is often applied by analogy to refer to adulation of non-political leaders, and sometimes in the context of certain businessmen, management styles, and company work environments. The use of this term in its broadest sense serves as a reminder that cultic phenomena (as opposed to full-blown "cults") are not just found inside small ashrams and splinter churches but also are spread throughout mainstream institutions in democratic societies as well as permeating in a far more toxic form the governments and ruling parties of some nondemocratic societies. The word cult is almost never used in regard to political parties, even if they were to share many or most other characteristics associated with religious cults. ... Billboard of Joseph Stalin. ... Stalin redirects here. ...

Societal and governmental pressures on cults

American novelist and critic Tom Wolfe gave the definition of cult as a religion which has no political power, implying that there is no functional difference between religions and cults except their acceptance within the general community and the way they are perceived by others. Many majoritarian religions generally have their doctrinal tenets legitimized by society in one way or another (and by the state in some countries although not in most modern democracies), while groups with non-mainstream beliefs may experience social and media disapproval either permanently (if their beliefs and practices are just too unorthodox) or until either the group, or society, or both, evolve in a converging way resulting in a higher level of social acceptance.^{[citation needed]} To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

In the 19th century the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons) were singled out by the U.S. government, which even sent the U.S. Army against them in 1857. This military action has been referred to as the Utah War although no battles occurred. The US Army's charge was to depose Brigham Young as Governor of the Utah Territory and install a more acceptable, non-Mormon individual, Alfred Cumming. The motivation for this action was a rumor that the Mormons were planning to rebel against the United States government. When it became clear that the rumor was false and that President Buchanan had ordered military action without verifying his sources, the incident became known as "Buchanan's Blunder." The Salt Lake Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the largest attraction in the citys Temple Square. ... The Utah War was a 19th century armed conflict between Mormon settlers in Utah Territory and the United States federal government. ... Brigham Young (June 1, 1801 â€“ August 29, 1877) was the second prophet and president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). ... Alfred Cumming (1802 1873) was appointed governor of the Utah territory in 1858 replacing Brigham Young following the Utah War. ...

The question of social acceptance should not be confused, however, with that of governmental acceptance. Most governmental clashes with cult-like groups in the United States in recent years have been the result of real or perceived violations of the law by the groups in question. There have been no well documented recent cases of the U.S. government persecuting a supposedly cult-like group simply because of its religious or political beliefs (as opposed to its alleged illegal acts), although several groups have claimed such persecution. (Of course, it is possible that negative perceptions of a group by prosecutors could make them more quick to prosecute than they might otherwise be; for instance, in the income tax case against Reverend Moon.)^[1]

In addition, the United States has never had an established church. Groups widely regarded as cults or as having non-mainstream beliefs have often found it easy to gain political clout; for instance, the Unification Church (by way of its influential newspaper, the Washington Times); Scientology (by way of its Hollywood connections, which some observers have suggested gave it clout with the Clinton administration);^{[citation needed]} and the Hassidic sects in New York (by high level political turnout and bloc voting).^{[citation needed]} The idea that the United States has a knee-jerk hostility to all non-mainstream religious beliefs is belied by the popularity of the Dalai Lama, who, although he has never been accused of being a cult leader, certainly espouses beliefs and practices that are as far from the American norm as those of many so-called cults.^{[citation needed]} To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Scientology is a system of beliefs and practices created by American pulp fiction[1][2] and science fiction [3] author L. Ron Hubbard in 1952 as a self-help philosophy. ...

Study of cults

Among the experts studying cults and new religious movements are sociologists, religious scholars, psychologists, and psychiatrists. To an unusual extent for an academic/quasi-scientific field, however, nonacademics play a vital role in the study of and/or debates concerning cults. These include investigative journalists and nonacademic book authors (who often examine court records and study the finances of cults in a way that academics are not accustomed to doing), writers who once were (or currently are) members of purported cults, and people who work with ex-cult members in a practical way (for instance, as therapists) but are not university affiliated. Nonacademics are frequently published in the Journal of Cultic Studies, present papers at conferences of the International Cultic Studies Association, and have their work cited in articles and books by university scholars. It should be noted that one of the most distinguished thinkers in cultic studies, sociologist Janja Lalich, began her work and conceptualized many of her ideas while an ex-cult activist writing for the JCS years before obtaining academic standing.

The work of several non-academic cult experts is cited in this article, including journalists Flo Conway and Jim Siegelman, whose book Snapping is widely used in college courses ^{[citation needed]}; Tim Wohlforth, co-author of On the Edge; Carol Giambalvo, a former est member; and exit counselors Rick Ross and Steven Hassan. Another example is the work of Chip Berlet, without whom the study of political cults might scarcely exist today. The Hare Krishna movement as well as several former leaders of the Worldwide Church of God also have written with critical insight on cult issues, using terminologies and framings somewhat different from those of secular experts but well within the circle of rational discourse. Barbara G. Harrison's Visions of Glory: A History and a Memory of Jehovah's Witnesses can be regarded as a serious study by an ex-member raised in this group whose thinking transcends the "cult captivity" ("I Was a Slave of the...") genre. Equally important, members of the Unification Church have produced books and articles that argue the case against excessive reactions to new religious movements with intellectual rigor and a sense of history. Flo Conway is a social activist, a former journalist for the Saturday Evening Post who became involved in examination of cult practices. ... Jim Siegelman is co-author of several books including two with Flo Conway about the rise of cults in America. ... Snapping is a term coined by Flo Conway and Jim Siegelman in the 1978 anti-cult book of the same name to describe the mental process by which a recruit is converted by a mind control cult and other religious movements. ... Rick Alan Ross (born November 1952 in Cleveland, Ohio) is a private consultant and lecturer in the area of so-called cults, who maintains a website with an extensive listing of articles about allegedly destructive cults, controversial groups and movements, and related research about mind control theories. ... Steve Hassan Steven Alan Hassan is an anti-cult activist and director of the Center for Freedom of Mind. ... John Foster Chip Berlet (born November 22, 1949) is the co-author of Right-Wing Populism in America: Too Close for Comfort and editor of Eyes Right! Challenging the Right Wing Backlash. ... Hare Krishna Mantra in Devanagari. ... The Worldwide Church of God was founded in 1933 by Herbert W. Armstrong as the Radio Church of God. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Within this larger community of discourse, the debates about cultism and specific cults are often polarized with widely divergent opinions, not only among current followers of and disaffected former members of purported cults, but also among scholars, social scientists, therapists, activists and spokespersons for mainstream religious movements. What followers is a summary of that portion of the intellectual debate conducted from inside the universities:

Cult, NRM and the sociology and psychology of religion

The problem with defining the word cult is that (1) the word cult is often used to marginalize religious groups with which one does not agree or sympathize, and (2) accused cult members generally resist being called a cult. Some serious researchers of religion and sociology prefer to use terms such as new religious movement (NRM) in their research on religious groups that may be referred to as cults by other religious groups. Such usage may lead to confusion because some religious movements are "new" but not necessarily cults, and some purported cults are not religious or overtly religious. Furthermore, some religious groups commonly regarded as cults are in fact no longer "new"; for instance, the Jehovah's Witnesses have been around for over 100 years in the USA; Scientology is over 50 years old; and the Hare Krishna came out of Gaudiya Vaishnavism, a religious tradition that is approximately 500 years old. Social interactions of people and their consequences are the subject of sociology studies. ... A new religious movement or NRM is a religious, ethical, or spiritual grouping of fairly recent origin which is not part of an established religion and has not yet become recognised as a standard denomination, church, or religious body. ... Scientology is a system of beliefs and practices created by American pulp fiction[1][2] and science fiction [3] author L. Ron Hubbard in 1952 as a self-help philosophy. ... Hare Krishna Mantra in Devanagari. ... Gaudiya Vaishnavism, (Bengal) Vaishnavism, is a sect of Hinduism founded by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. ...

Where a sect (and generally one with offbeat teachings) practices physical or mental abuse, some psychologists and other mental health professionals may use the term cult. However, others prefer the more descriptive terminolgy such as abusive cult or destructive cult. Since cult critics using these terms rarely mention any alleged cults except abusive ones, the two terms are in effect redundant phrases. The popular press also commonly uses these terms. A psychologist is a scientist who studies psychology, the systematic investigation of the human behavior and mental processes. ... A destructive cult is a group (often called cult) with strange beliefs (especially religious ones) and which exploits or destroys its own members or others. ...

However, not all sectarian groups labelled as cults or as "cult-like" function abusively or destructively to any degree greater than many mainstream social institutions, and among those cults that psychologists believe are abusive to an exceptional degree, few members (as opposed to some ex-members) would agree that they have suffered abuse. Other researchers like David V. Barrett hold the view that classifying a religious movement as a cult is generally used as a subjective and negative label and has no added value; instead, he argues that one should investigate the beliefs and practices of the religious movement.⁹

Some psychologists who specialised in group psychology have studied what cognitive and emotional traits make people join a cult and stay loyal to it. For example, see an analysis in the Gale Encyclopedia of Psychology [4].

Some groups, particularly those labeled by others as cults, view the designation as insensitive and may feel persecuted by opponents, who may in fact be affiliated with organizations that are self-defined as anti-cult (or strongly critical of cults). A discussion and list of ACM (anti-cult movement) groups can be found at http://www.religioustolerance.org/acm.htm. Even when no affiliation with such a group exists, the opponents of a particular cult will usually be influenced to varying degrees by the anti-cult movement's ideas — which are summarized in this article in the sections "Definition by secular cult opposition" and "Definition by Christian anti-cult movement." To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Groups accused of being "cults" or "cult-like" often defend their position by comparing themselves to more established, mainstream religious groups such as Catholicism and Judaism. The argument offered can usually be simplified as, "except for size and age, Christianity and Judaism meet all the criteria for a cult, and therefore the term cult simply means small, young religion." In Christianity, the term Catholicism (from Greek: ÎºÎ±Î¸Î¿Î»Î¹ÎºÏŒÏ‚ (katholikos), meaning general or universal) has two main ecclesiastical meanings, described in Websters Dictionary as: The whole orthodox Christian church, or adherence thereto. ... This article describes the Jewish religion; for a consideration of ethnic, historic, and cultural aspects of the Jewish identity refer to the article Jew. ...

According to the Dutch religious scholar Wouter Hanegraaff, another problem with writing about cults comes about because they generally hold belief systems that give answers to questions about the meaning of life and morality. This makes it difficult not to write in biased terms about a certain cult, because writers are rarely neutral about these questions. In an attempt to deal with this difficulty, some writers who deal with the subject choose to explicitly state their ethical values and belief systems. This page meets Wikipedias criteria for speedy deletion. ... A world view, (or worldview) is a term calqued from the German word Weltanschauung (pronounced //) meaning a look onto the world. It implies a concept fundamental to German philosophy and epistemology and refers to a wide world perception. ... Personal life (or everyday life or human existence) is an individual humans personal, private career (including, but not the same as, their employment career), and is a common notion in modern existence -- although more so in more prosperous parts of the world, such as Western Europe and North America... Morality deals with that which is regarded as right or wrong. ...

For many scholars and professional commentators, the usage of the word "cult" applies to maleficent or abusive behavior, and not to a belief system. For members of competing religions, use of the word remains pejorative and applies primarily to rival beliefs (see memes), and only incidentally to behavior. It should be noted that there is no clear, causal connection between extremist belief and the formation of a so-called destructive cult. Most far-right hate groups are not cults, although they have pathological ideas and are frequently violent. Some groups regarded as cults have relatively benign belief systems. The term meme (IPA: ), coined in 1976 by Richard Dawkins, refers to a replicator of cultural information that one mind transmits (verbally or by demonstration) to another mind. ...

In the sociology of religion, the term cult is part of the subdivision of religious groups: sects, cults, denominations, and ecclesias. The sociologists Rodney Stark and William S. Bainbridge define cults in their book, "Theory of Religion" and subsequent works, as a "deviant religious organization with novel beliefs and practices", that is as new religious movements that unlike sects have not separated from another religious organization. Cults, in this sense, may or may not be dangerous, abusive, etc. By this broad definition, most of the groups which have been popularly labeled cults fit the definition. This page may meet Wikipedias criteria for speedy deletion. ... There are a number of models regarding the ways in which religions come into being and develop. ... A new religious movement or NRM is a religious, ethical, or spiritual grouping of fairly recent origin which is not part of an established religion and has not yet become recognised as a standard denomination, church, or religious body. ... A sect is generally a small religious or political group that has branched off from a larger established group. ...

Related Research

The following research examines phenomena related to people's reactions to groups identified as some other form of social outcast or opposition group. It relates to the viscedral opposition that some religious groups evoke in their opponents.

Reactions to Social Out Groups

A new study by Princeton University psychology researchers Lasana Harris and Susan Fiske shows that when viewing photographs of social out-groups, people respond to them with disgust, not a feeling of fellow humanity. The findings are reported in the article "Dehumanizing the Lowest of the Low: Neuro-imaging responses to Extreme Outgroups" in a forthcoming issue of Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science (previously the American Psychological Society).[5]

According to this research, social out-groups are perceived as unable to experience complex human emotions, share in-group beliefs, or act according to societal norms, moral rules, and values. The authors describe this as "extreme discrimination revealing the worst kind of prejudice: excluding out-groups from full humanity." Their study provides evidence that while individuals may consciously see members of social out-groups as people, the brain processes social out-groups as something less than human, whether we are aware of it or not. According to the authors, brain imaging provides a more accurate depiction of this prejudice than the verbal reporting usually used in research studies.

Political Partisans and Close Mindedness

Recent research reveals that political partisans ignore facts that contradict their own sense of reality[6]. According to a report on research[7] by Drew Westen[8], director of clinical psychology at Emory University[9]

Simply put, the emotional considerations overwhelm critical thinking. If anything, the rational part of the mind works to rationalize the emotional conclusion that was reached in advance. Thus, in the end, extremes in partisan politics form one of the bases for a political cult, where rational thinking and discussion only takes place within narrow us-versus-them parameters, and where emotion-based assumptions and/or unquestioned ideological dogma dominate the political organization, facilitating the other questionable activities cited above and elsewhere. The word cult is almost never used in regard to political parties, even if they were to share many or most other characteristics associated with religious cults. ...

This work presents a means of explanation of cult like activity, although it also presents means for criticism of some counter-cult organisations as well.

Christianity and Cults

Since at least the 1940s, the approach of orthodox, conservative or fundamentalist Christians was to apply the meaning of cult such that it included those religious groups who used (possibly exclusively) non-standard translations of the Bible, put additional revelation on a similar or higher level than the Bible, or had beliefs and/or practices deviant from those of traditional Christianity. Some examples of sources (with published dates where known) that documented this approach are: // Events and trends World War II was a truly global conflict with many facets: immense human suffering, fierce indoctrination, and the use of new, extremely devastating weapons such as the atomic bomb. ... Fundamentalism is a movement to maintain strict adherence to founding principles. ... For information on the last book of the New Testament see the Book of Revelation. ...

Cults and terrorism

The terrorist waves due to Islamic extremist organizations starting with the 1995 Islamist terror bombings in France and Al-Qaeda's acts of terrorism, have resulted in the comparison of Al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups to the ancient Hassan-i-Sabah cult. In 1995, the GIA Islamist militant group staged a series of attacks against the French public, targeting public transportation. ... Al-Qaeda (Arabic: القاعدة, the foundation or the base) is the name given to a worldwide network of militant Islamist organizations under the leadership of Osama bin Laden. ... Artistic Rendering of Hassan-i-Sabbah Hassan-i Sabbah, modern Persian HÃ¦sÃ¦n-e SÃ¦bba (Persian: Ø¨Ù† ØµØ¨Ø§Ø or ØØ³Ù† ØµØ¨Ø§Ø) (circa 1034 - 1124), also known as The Old Man of the Mountain (Arabic: Ø´ÙŠØ® Ø§Ù„Ø¬Ø¨Ù„), was an Iranian IsmÄÄ«lÄ« NizarÄ« missionary who converted a community in the late 11th century in the...

The Sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway in 1995, by members of Aum Shinrikyo has also raised awareness on the danger of groups that adopt extreme views commonly associated with destructive cults. A wanted poster in Japan. ... Aum Shinrikyo, also known as Aum Supreme Truth and later as Aleph, was a Japanese religious group which mixed Buddhist and Hindu beliefs. ... A destructive cult is a group (often called cult) with strange beliefs (especially religious ones) and which exploits or destroys its own members or others. ...

Theories about the reasons for joining a cult

According to Gallanter¹¹, typical reasons why people join cults include a search for community and a spiritual quest.

Jeffrey Hadden summarizes a lecture entitled "Why Do People Join NRMs?" (a lecture in a series related to the sociology of new religious movements¹²) as follows:

Stark and Bainbridge have questioned the utility of the concept of conversion. They suggest, instead, that the concept of affiliation is a more useful concept for understanding how people join religious groups.¹³

Cult leadership

According to Dr. Eileen Barker, new religions are in most cases started by charismatic leaders whom she considers unpredictable. According to Mikael Rothstein, there is in many cases no access to plain facts both about historical religious leaders and contemporary ones, though there is an abundance of legends, myths, and theological elaborations. According to Rothstein, most members of any new religious movement have little chance of a personal meeting with the Master (leader) except as a member of big audience when the Master is present on stage. Eileen Barker is a professor in sociology and is an emeritus member of the London School of Economics, and a consultant to that institutions Centre for the Study of Human Rights at. ... The sociologist Max Weber defined charismatic authority, also called charismatic domination, or charismatic leadership, as resting on devotion to the exceptional sanctity, heroism or exemplary character of an individual person, and of the normative patterns or order revealed or ordained by him. Charismatic authority is one of three forms of... // The word mythology (Greek: Î¼Ï…Î¸Î¿Î»Î¿Î³Î¯Î±, from Î¼Ï…Î¸Î¿Ï‚ mythos, a story or legend, and Î»Î¿Î³Î¿Ï‚ logos, an account or speech) literally means the (oral) retelling of myths â€“ stories that a particular culture believes to be true and that use supernatural events or characters to explain the nature of the universe and humanity. ...

Development of cults

Cults based on charismatic leadership often follow the routinization of charisma, as described by the German sociologist Max Weber. The death of the founder may lead to a succession crisis. The sociologist Max Weber defined charismatic authority, also called charismatic domination, or charismatic leadership, as resting on devotion to the exceptional sanctity, heroism or exemplary character of an individual person, and of the normative patterns or order revealed or ordained by him. Charismatic authority is one of three forms of... Maximilian Weber (IPA: []) (April 21, 1864 â€“ June 14, 1920) was a German political economist and sociologist who is considered one of the founders of the modern study of sociology and public administration. ...

In their book Theory of Religion', Rodney Stark and William Sims Bainbridge propose that the formation of cults can be explained through a combination of four models: This page may meet Wikipedias criteria for speedy deletion. ...

In sociology, a social implosion refers to an event where a subgroup of a larger group suddenly becomes separated from the larger group -- the members of the subgroup sever their connections to the larger group (often society as a whole), and their entire social lives become involved in the smaller...

Relationships with the outside world

Barker wrote that peripheral members may help to lessen the tension that exists between some groups and the outside world. ²⁷ It has been suggested that cult debate be merged into this article or section. ...

In the case where members live in intentional communities, custody disputes (if one parent leaves and one stays) may be a source of confrontation between the cult and the outside world. An intentional community is a planned residential community with a much higher degree of social interaction than other communities. ...

Cults: genuine concerns and exaggerations

The stigma surrounding the classification of a group as a cult stems from the purported ill effect the group's influence has on its members. The narratives of ill effect include threats presented by a cult to its members (whether real or perceived), and risks to the physical safety of its members and to their mental and spiritual growth. Much of the actions taken against cults and alleged cults have been in reaction to the harm experienced by some members due to their affiliation with the groups in question. Members of alleged cult groups have taken pains to emphasize that not all groups called cults are dangerous. Over a period of time, some minority religious organizations that were at one point in time considered cults have been accepted by mainstream society, such as Christian Science in the USA. Christian Science has been the focus of controversy in recent years over its policy of discouraging members from seeking medical care for their children, but the media has generally treated this as a specific doctrinal issue — like the celibacy of the Catholic priesthood — rather than suggesting that Christian Science is a cult that controls all aspects of a member's life. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Certain cults, such as Heaven's Gate, Ordre du Temple Solaire, Aum Shinrikyo, the Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God in Uganda, the Church of the Lamb of God of Ervil LeBaron and the Peoples Temple have demonstrated by their actions that they do pose an extreme threat to the well-being and indeed to the very lives of their own members and to society in general; these organizations are often referred to as doomsday cults by the media, and their mass suicides and mass murders are well-documented. According to John R. Hall, a professor in sociology at the University of California-Davis and Philip Schuyler, the Peoples Temple is still seen by some as the cultus classicus²⁵^,²⁶, though it did not belong to the set of groups that triggered the cult controversy in United States in the 1970s. Its mass suicide on November 18, 1978 led to increased concern about cults. Other groups include the Colonia Dignidad cult (a German group settled in Chile) that served as a torture center for the Chilean government during the Pinochet dictatorship. Brochure of the Peoples_Temple portraying cult leader Jim Jones as the loving father of the Rainbow Family. Retrieved from the website of the Jonestown Institute This work is copyrighted, and used with permission. ... Brochure of the Peoples_Temple portraying cult leader Jim Jones as the loving father of the Rainbow Family. Retrieved from the website of the Jonestown Institute This work is copyrighted, and used with permission. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... This article is about the religious leader; for other people named Jim Jones, see Jim Jones (disambiguation). ... Heavens Gate was the name of a UFO religion co-led by Marshall Applewhite, Mitchell Huffman, and Bonnie Nettles (until her death). ... The Order of the Solar Temple also known as Ordre du Temple Solaire (OTS) in French, and the International Chivalric Organization of the Solar Tradition or simply as The Solar Temple was a secret society based upon the new age myth of the continuing existence of the Knights Templar (see... Aum Shinrikyo, also known as Aum Supreme Truth and later as Aleph, was a Japanese religious group which mixed Buddhist and Hindu beliefs. ... The Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God was a breakaway group from the Roman Catholic Church that formed in Uganda in the late 1980s. ... The Church of the Lamb of God is a polygamous sect that was started by Ervil LeBaron. ... Ervil Morrell LeBaron (1925 to August 16, 1981) was the leader of a polygamous Mormon fundamentalist group who ordered the killings of many of his opponents. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... The University of California, Davis, commonly abbreviated to UC Davis or UCD is one of the ten University of California campuses. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ... November 18 is the 322nd day of the year (323rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar with 43 days remaining. ... 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1978 calendar). ... Colonia Dignidad (Dignity Colony, now known as Villa Baviera, Bavaria Village), is a settlement located in an isolated area in the Maule Region of southern Chile, near the village of Parral. ...

Certain other groups, while not universally condemned, remain suspect to the general public; this is the case with Scientology and to a lesser extent, the Unification Church and the Hare Krishnas, although media criticism of the latter two groups has subsided in recent years and they are no longer notorious in the way they were in the 1970s. A problem in studying such high-profile groups is to distinguish between a group's public image (which may have become fixed decades earlier) and the group's actual practices in the here and now. This is especially important when one is studying a group whose founder has died or that has splintered, or a group with foreign origins that is gradually integrating itself into the culture of its host country. Scientology is a system of beliefs and practices created by American pulp fiction[1][2] and science fiction [3] author L. Ron Hubbard in 1952 as a self-help philosophy. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) is a new religious movement based on Bengali, or more specifically Gaudiya, Vaishnavism founded by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, referred to by followers as His Divine Grace, in New York in 1966. ...

It is worth noting that despite the emphasis on narratives of "doomsday cults" by the media and the anti-cult movement, the number of cults known to have fallen into that category is approximately ten, which is very few when compared with the total number of new religious movements (including cults that are psychologically destructive but not extremely violent or doomsday-oriented), which E. Barker estimates to be in the tens of thousands.¹⁰

Furthermore of the total number of cults in the United States alone, only a hundred or so have ever become notorious for alleged misdeeds either in the national media or in local media; it is essentially these groups that are to varying degrees the targets of the so-called anticult and countercult movements in any meaningful sense. As scholarly study of cults is to an extent media driven, with notorious groups inviting sympathetic scholars to study them and provide a more favorable picture than the media has, and "anti-cult" scholars looking for a publishable topic, it is mostly the notorious groups that are studied. The vast majority of cults are terra incognita with no one having anything more than rough estimates of the number of cults and number of cult adherents either in the U.S. or internationally, or indeed if the majority of the groups in such tallies are cults at all.

According to Benjamin Zablocki, a professor of Sociology at Rutgers University, cults are at high risk of becoming abusive to members. He states that this is in part due to members' adulation of charismatic leaders contributing to the leaders becoming corrupted by power. Zablocki defines a cult here as an ideological organization held together by charismatic relationships and that demands total commitment.¹⁷ Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey is the largest institution for higher education in the U.S. state of New Jersey. ... The sociologist Max Weber defined charismatic authority, also called charismatic domination, or charismatic leadership, as resting on devotion to the exceptional sanctity, heroism or exemplary character of an individual person, and of the normative patterns or order revealed or ordained by him. Charismatic authority is one of three forms of...

There is no reliable, generally accepted way to determine which groups will harm their members. In an attempt to predict the probability of harm, popular but non-scientific cult checklists have been created by anti-cultists for this purpose.^{[citation needed]} A cult checklist is a group of factors proposed to identify objectively which groups, cults, or new religious movements are spurious, or likely to abuse or exploit or otherwise harm its members. ...

Cults and NRMs in literature

One of the earliest mentions of a cult-like organization was in a satire by Lucian of Samosata, a second century AD writer. Lucian unmasks "Alexander the false prophet" who is playing tricks on his followers to obtain their money. Alexander plots Lucian's death but Lucian is forewarned and avoids the attack. Some scholars believe that Lucian's satires were cribbed from works written by other writers hundreds of years earlier. Lucian of Samosata (c. ...

Among American writers, Mark Twain and Willa Cather both published what today would be called "exposes" of Christian Science. In spite of their eloquence, they failed to prevent Mary Baker Eddy's church from eventually obtaining a large measure of respectability. Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 â€“ April 21, 1910), better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American humorist, novelist, writer, and lecturer. ... Willa Cather photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1936 Willa Sibert Cather (December 7, 1873 â€“ April 24, 1947) is among the most eminent American authors. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Mary Baker Eddy Born Mary Morse Baker. ...

Zane Grey, in his Riders of the Purple Sage (1912), a Western novel that would have a major influence on Hollywood, lambasts the Mormons and has his gunslinger hero rescue a wealthy young woman in the early 1870s from the clutches of elderly polygamists via exceedingly bloody gunfights. In spite of the melodrama, the novel contains an acute portrayal of the psychological conflicts of the young woman, raised a Mormon but gradually coming to the realization that she wants a supposedly freer life. (It should be noted that the Mormon misdeeds depicted in the story take place on the southern frontier of Utah and there is no suggestion that Mormon leaders in Salt Lake City are involved. Indeed, the harassment of the young woman reflects a popular literary theme in Victoria's England rather than Brigham Young's Utah — the orphaned young heiress besieged by unscrupulous suitors who often profess the Anglican or Catholic faith. Zane Grey (January 31, 1872 - October 23, 1939), born Pearl Zane Gray (he later dropped Pearl and changed the a to an e in Grey) was an American author of popular adventure novels and pulp fiction that presented an idealized image of the rugged Old West. ... The Western is an American genre in literature and film. ... The term Mormon is a colloquial name, most-often used to refer to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). ... // Events and Trends Technology The invention of the telephone (1876) by Alexander Graham Bell. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Poster for The Perils of Pauline (1914). ... Official language(s) English Capital Salt Lake City Largest city Salt Lake City Area Ranked 13th - Total 84,876 sq mi (219,887 kmÂ²) - Width 270 miles (435 km) - Length 350 miles (565 km) - % water 3. ... The Salt Lake Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is Salt Lake Citys top tourist draw. ... Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria) (24 May 1819 â€“ 22 January 1901) was the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837, and the first Empress of India from January 1, 1877, until her death in 1901. ... Brigham Young (June 1, 1801 â€“ August 29, 1877) was the second prophet and president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). ... The term Anglican describes those people and churches following the religious traditions of the Church of England, especially following the Reformation. ...

Grey's story betrays the influence of Conan Doyle's A Study in Scarlet (1887), in which the Mormons and their leader Brigham Young are portrayed as unremittingly villainous. Two Mormons who had forced a young woman into a polygamous marriage in Utah are the targets of a revenge murder in England. However, Doyle has the murderer brought to justice by Sherlock Holmes, while Grey's gunslinger gets the girl (and the gold). ... Sherlock Holmes as imagined by the seminal Holmesian artist, Sidney Edward Paget, in The Strand magazine. ...

Science fiction writer Robert A. Heinlein had an abiding interest in cults. A leading figure in his early "Future History" series (see If This Goes On--, a short novel published in Revolt in 2100 (1953)) is Nehemiah Scudder, a religious "prophet" who becomes dictator of the United States. Heinlein pours into this book his distrust of Mormonism, Protestant fundamentalism and other religious movements that he regards as authoritarian. It apparently influenced Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale (1985). Heinlein autographing at the 1976 Worldcon Robert Anson Heinlein (July 7, 1907 â€“ May 8, 1988) was one of the most influential and controversial authors of hard science fiction. ... A future history is a postulated history of the future that some science fiction authors construct as a common background for fiction. ... If This Goes On— is a science fiction short novel by Robert A. Heinlein. ... Margaret Atwood Margaret Eleanor Peggy Atwood, CC (born November 18, 1939) is one of Canadaâ€™s most important contemporary writers. ... Cover of The Handmaids Tale The Handmaids Tale is a 1985 dystopian novel by Canadian author Margaret Atwood. ...

In Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land (1961), the hero from Mars, Valentine Michael Smith, goes through a period of functioning as a cult leader, and his control techniques are described in great detail. Stranger in A Strange Land Cover Stranger in a Strange Land is a 1961 science fiction novel by Robert A. Heinlein. ... For the Roman god, see Mars (mythology). ... Stranger in a Strange Land is a science fiction novel by Robert A. Heinlein, which was first published in 1961. ...

Dashiell Hammett's The Dain Curse (1929) revolves around a California circle of the type that today would be called a New Age cult. A.E.W. Mason, in The Prisoner in the Opal (1928), one of his popular Inspector Hanaud mysteries, describes the unmasking of a Satanist cult. Since the advent of the anti-cult movement in the 1970s, numerous thrillers have been written in which the hero, often a private detective, rescues a young person from a cult and/or uncovers nefarious murders plotted by a cult. One example is Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code, in which the hero and heroine are pursued by an albino assassin from Opus Dei, a Catholic lay order that in the real world has been accused of exerting an unethical psychological control over its members. Samuel Dashiell Hammett (May 27, 1894 â€“ January 10, 1961) was an American author of hard-boiled detective novels and short stories. ... The Dain Curse is a novel written by Dashiell Hammett and published in 1929. ... New Age describes a broad movement characterized by alternative approaches to traditional Western culture. ... Alfred Edward Woodley Mason (7 May 1865 - 22 November 1948) was a British author. ... Satanism is a religious or philosophical movement centered around Satan or another entity identified with Satan, or centered around the forces of nature, particularly human nature, represented by Satan as an archetype. ... A private investigator, or PI, is a person who undertakes investigations. ... Dan Brown (born June 22, 1964) is an American author of thriller fiction, best known for writing the controversial 2003 bestselling fiction novel, The Da Vinci Code. ... This article is about the novel. ... Albinism is a genetic condition resulting in a lack of pigmentation in the eyes, skin and hair. ... For other uses, see Opus Dei (disambiguation). ...

Popular French author Michel Houellebecq’s 2005 science-fiction novel, The Possibility of an Island, describes a cloning group that resembles the Raëlians.^[2] Michel Houellebecq (pronounced ) (real name Michel Thomas), born 26 February 1958, on the French island of RÃ©union is a controversial, award-winning French novelist. ... The Possibility of an Island is a recent (2005) novel by controversial French novelist Michel Houellebecq, set within the ambience of a cloning cult that resembles the real-world Raelians. ... Cloning is the process of creating an identical copy of an original. ... RaÃ«ls first published book, the basis of the RaÃ«lian movement RaÃ«lism is the belief system promoted by the RaÃ«lian Movement, a religious group which believes that scientifically advanced extraterrestrials known as the Elohim (as found in the Hebrew texts of the Christian Bible and the...

Persons widely regarded (rightly or wrongly) as cult leaders played an interesting if minor role in 20th century literature. Aleister Crowley, the New Age guru, was a poet and novelist who wrote an autobiography that became a widely praised bestseller after his death. Nicholas Roerich, the founder of Agni Yoga, was a travel writer and poet as well as being a major painter who captured the stark features of the mountains of Central Asia. L. Ron Hubbard was an important figure in the golden age of science fiction and also wrote Fear (1940), a ground-breaking psychological thriller that influenced later writers such as Stephen King. G.I. Gurdjieff, the guru who taught methods of "double consciousness" in Paris, authored Meetings with Remarkable Men, a minor classic of Russian literature, and Beelzebub's Tales to His Grandson, a curious melange of philosophy, humor and science-fiction that some regard as a masterpiece. Ayn Rand, founder of Objectivism, was the author of two major best sellers, The Fountainhead (1943) amd Atlas Shrugged (1957). Eli Siegel, the founder of Aesthetic Realism, was a highly regarded poet (Kenneth Rexroth even compared with to Heinrich Heine); his best known poem is "Hot Afternoons Have Been in Montana" (1925) [10]. Fred Newman, leader of the social therapy cult in New York City, is a prolific playwright whose best-known work is Sally and Tom (The American Way) (1995), a musical about the slave-master romance of Sally Hemings and Thomas Jefferson. Aleister Crowley, born Edward Alexander Crowley (12 October 1875 â€“ 1 December 1947) was an occultist, Freemason, prolific writer, mystic, hedonist, and sexual revolutionary. ... Lafayette Ronald Hubbard (13 March 1911 â€“ 24 January 1986), better known as L. Ron Hubbard, was an American pulp fiction[1][2] and science fiction [3] author and founder of Scientology and Dianetics. ... For other uses, see Fear (disambiguation). ... For other people named Stephen King, see Stephen King (disambiguation). ... Georges Ivanovich Gurdjieff Georges Ivanovich Gurdjieff (January 13, 1872 - October 29, 1949), the Greek-Armenian mystic and teacher of dancing born in Alexandropol, Armenia (then of the Russian Empire, now Gyumri, Armenia), traveled to many parts of the world (i. ... Meetings with Remarkable Men is G. I. Gurdjieffs autobiography. ... It has been suggested that The Ayn Rand Collective be merged into this article or section. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The Fountainhead, Centennial edition. ... Atlas Shrugged is a novel by Russian-born writer and philosopher Ayn Rand, first published in 1957 in the USA. It was Rands last work of fiction before concentrating her writings exclusively on philosophy. ... Eli Siegel (August 16, 1902â€“November 8, 1978), poet and critic, founded the philosophy Aesthetic Realism in 1941. ... Aesthetic Realism is the philosophy founded by the American poet and critic Eli Siegel in 1941. ... Kenneth Rexroth (December 22, 1905 â€“ June 6, 1982) was an American poet, translator and critical essayist. ... Christian Johann Heinrich Heine (born as Harry [Hebrew: Chaim] Heine December 13, 1797 â€“ February 17, 1856) was one of the most significant German poets. ... Fred Newman is a controversial philosopher, playwright and political activist. ... Sally Hemings (c. ... Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 N.S. â€“ July 4, 1826) was the third President of the United States (1801â€“1809), principal author of the Declaration of Independence (1776), and an influential Founder of the United States. ...

Numerous other purported cult leaders or founders of New Age tendencies or new religious movements have written nonfiction works (often dosed with more than a little fiction) that have influenced the thinking of broad circles. Those with such influence have included Helena Blavatsky, the Russian adventuress who founded Theosophy, penned The Secret Doctrine and Isis Unveiled, and had an immense cultural and intellectual influence in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, indirectly helping to stimulate the Indian nationalist movement, the interfaith ecumenical movement, parapsychology, the genre of the occult thriller, and what today is called the New Age movement. Psychiatrist Wilhelm Reich, who in his later years founded a psychotherapy cult around the idea of orgone energy, is widely regarded as a major inspirer of the sexual revolution, a forerunner of the interdisciplinary field of psychohistory, and an influential theorist and clinician of early psychoanalysis. Rudolf Steiner (d. 1925), founder of Anthroposophy, was an important writer in a variety of fields (his collected works total 350 volumes) and an influence on such figures as novelist Herman Hesse and philosopher Owen Barfield. Through his writings and lectures, Steiner stimulated the development of the cooperative movement, alternative medicine, organic farming, the Waldorf schools, and the doctrine of "eurythmy" in modern dance. Helena Blavatsky Helena Petrovna Hahn (also Hélène) (July 31, 1831 (O.S.) (August 12, 1831 (N.S.)) - May 8, 1891 London, England), better known as Helena Blavatsky or Madame Blavatsky was the founder of Theosophy. ... Seal of the Theosophical Society Theosophy is a body of ideas which holds that all religions are attempts by man to ascertain the Divine, and as such each religion has a portion of the truth. ... The Secret Doctrine, the Synthesis of Science, Religion and Philosophy, a book originally published as two volumes in 1888, is Helena P. Blavatskys magnum opus. ... Isis Unveiled, a master-key to the mysteries of ancient and modern science and theology, published in 1877, was Helena Petrovna Blavatskys first major book. ... The word ecumenical comes from a Greek word that means pertaining to the whole world. ... Parapsychology is the study of mental awareness or influence of external objects without interaction from known physical means. ... New Age describes a broad movement characterized by alternative approaches to traditional Western culture. ... Dr. Wilhelm Reich Wilhelm Reich (March 24, 1897â€“November 3, 1957) was a Jewish-Austrian psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, and author, who was trained in Vienna by Sigmund Freud. ... Dr. Wilhelm Reich Wilhelm Reich (March 24, 1897–November 3, 1957) was an Austrian psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, who was trained in Vienna by Sigmund Freud. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Psychohistory is the study of the psychological motivations of historical events. ... // Psychoanalysis is a family of psychological theories and methods based on the pioneering work of Sigmund Freud. ... Anthroposophy, also called spiritual science by its founder Rudolf Steiner, is an attempt to investigate and describe spiritual phenomena with the same precision and clarity with which natural science investigates and describes the physical world. ... Hermann Hesse Hermann Hesse (July 2, 1877 – August 9, 1962) was a German author, and the winner of the 1946 Nobel Prize in literature. ... Owen Barfield (November 9, 1898–December 14, 1997) was a British philosopher, author, poet, and critic. ... Eurythmy is a movement art originated by Rudolf Steiner in the early 20th century. ...

Several alleged cult leaders have been prolific tract writers and although their writings have not influenced contemporary culture to the degree of a Reich or Blavatsky they have stimulated many to join their churches or movements and have expressed ideas that have been adopted and adapted by writers and spiritual "entrepreneurs" outside of their own circles. Examples include JZ Knight, founder of Ramtha's School of Enlightenment, whose popular Ramtha books have done much to spread the practice of spirit channelling among New Agers; and Elizabeth Clare Prophet of the Church Universal and Triumphant who, with her late husband Mark Prophet, wrote over 75 books on the "Ascended Masters" and similar topics. Other examples include the late Herbert W. Armstrong of the Worldwide Church of God, whose books on Biblical prophecy and British Israelism were widely read for over a half century; and rightwing ideologue and conspiracy theorist Lyndon LaRouche — the author of over 500 books, articles and published speeches which have had a significant if often subterranean influence on various movements of the left and right as well as on the media in some countries. poop ... Judy Z. Knight (born Judith Darlene Hampton, March 16, 1946 Roswell, New Mexico) is the CEO of JZK, Inc of which Ramthas School of Enlightenment [[1]] is one part. ... The organization known as Ramthas School of Enlightenment [[1]] is based in a small rural town called Yelm, in Washington state in the United States. ... Ramtha is the name of an entity that JZ Knight claims to channel. ... According to Websters Dictionary: the practice of professedly entering a meditative or trancelike state in order to convey messages from a spiritual guide. ... Elizabeth Clare Prophet Elizabeth Clare Prophet is an American who became the leader of the New Age new religious movement The Summit Lighthouse, an organization encompassing the branches of Church Universal and Triumphant, Summit University, Summit University Press, and Montessori International, after her husband Mark Prophet died on February 26... The Church Universal and Triumphant is a New Age new religious movement and organization founded by Mark L. Prophet and Elizabeth Clare Prophet. ... Herbert W. Armstrong (July 31, 1892 â€“ January 16, 1986) was the founder of the Worldwide Church of God. ... The Worldwide Church of God was founded in 1933 by Herbert W. Armstrong as the Radio Church of God. ... British Israelism (sometimes called Anglo-Israelism) is a complex set of theories, not necessarily compatible with each other, that have in common the idea that the British are the direct lineal descendants of the lost tribes of Israel. ... Defunct California Proposition 64 North American Labour Party Party for the Commonwealth of Canada Parti pour la rÃ©publique du Canada U.S. Labor Party Lyndon Hermyle LaRouche, Jr. ...

See also

Image File history File links Wikiquote-logo-en. ... Wikiquote logo Wikiquote is a sister project of Wikipedia, using the same MediaWiki software. ... Apostasy (from Greek Î±Ï€Î¿ÏƒÏ„Î±ÏƒÎ¯Î±, a defection or revolt from a military commander, from Î±Ï€Î¿, apo, away, apart, ÏƒÏ„Î±ÏƒÎ¹Ï‚, stasis, standing) is a term generally employed to describe the formal renunciation of ones religion, especially if the motive is deemed unworthy. ... An atrocity story as defined by the sociologists David G. Bromley and Anson D. Shupe is the symbolic presentation of action or events (real or imaginary) in such a context that they are made flagrantly to violate the (presumably) shared premises upon which a given set of social relationships should... Aum Shinrikyo, also known as Aum Supreme Truth and later as Aleph, was a Japanese religious group which mixed Buddhist and Hindu beliefs. ... A bigot is a prejudiced person who is intolerant of opinions, lifestyles or identities differing from his or her own. ... Cognitive dissonance is the perception of incompatibility between two cognitions, which can be defined as any element of knowledge, including attitude, emotion, belief, or behavior. ... // The Beginning Consult Simon is an agony aunt found at consultsimon. ... Cult Awareness Network - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Cult suicide is that phenomenon by which some religious groups, in this context often referred to as cults, have led to their membership committing suicide. ... In many countries there exists a separation of church and state and freedom of religion. ... In English and American law, and systems based on them, libel and slander are two forms of defamation (or defamation of character), which is the tort or delict of making a false statement of fact that injures someones reputation. ... There are a number of models regarding the ways in which religions come into being and develop. ... The Desseks are characters in a fictional universe created by Dutch Science Fiction/Fantasy writer Tais Teng. ... A destructive cult is a group (often called cult) with strange beliefs (especially religious ones) and which exploits or destroys its own members or others. ... The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen guarantees freedom of religion, as long as religious activities do not infringe on public order in ways detrimental to society. ... Groupthink is a term widely (and mistakenly) attrbuted to psychologist Irving Janis. ... A hate group is an organized group or movement that advocates hate, hostility or violence towards members of a race, ethnicity, religion, or other sector of society. ... Human rights are rights which some hold to be inalienable and belonging to all humans. ... Hillsong Church, with a congregation of over 15,000 on an average weekend, is likely the largest Christian church in Australia. ... LGAT is an acronym for Large Group Awareness Training. ... Legalism, in Christian theology, is a pejorative term referring to an improper fixation on law or codes of conduct, or legal ideas, usually implying an allegation of pride and the neglect of mercy, and ignorance of the grace of God. ... This list indexes a diverse set of groups and organizations indicated in the popular press and elsewhere as a cult or a sect. Inclusion is based on a single reference: as a cult directly by specific listed sources; as a sect directly by specific listed French-language or United Kingdom... A new religious movement or NRM is a religious, ethical, or spiritual grouping of fairly recent origin which is not part of an established religion and has not yet become recognised as a standard denomination, church, or religious body. ... Opposition to cults and new religious movements (NRMs) comes from several sources with diverse concerns. ... A pious fraud is a term used by skeptics for people who perform fraud in religion (for example, a pious fraud fakes miracles or psychic surgery) because of a sincere belief that the end justifies the means in religious matters. ... Pseudoreligion is a generally pejorative term applied to a non-mainstream belief system or philosophy which is functionally similar to a religious practice, typically having a founder, principal text, liturgy and faith-based beliefs. ... Religious conversion is the adoption of new religious beliefs that differ from the converts previous beliefs; in some cultures (e. ... Religious intolerance is intolerance motivated by ones own religious beliefs, generally against anothers religious beliefs. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... Scientology is a system of beliefs and practices created by American pulp fiction[1][2] and science fiction [3] author L. Ron Hubbard in 1952 as a self-help philosophy. ... A sect is generally a small religious or political group that has branched off from a larger established group. ... Sectarianism refers (usually pejoratively) to a rigid adherence to a particular sect or party or denomination. ... Self-deception is a process of denying or rationalizing away the relevance, significance, or importance of opposing evidence and argument. ... A shaman doctor of Kyzyl. ... In sociology, a social implosion refers to an event where a subgroup of a larger group suddenly becomes separated from the larger group -- the members of the subgroup sever their connections to the larger group (often society as a whole), and their entire social lives become involved in the smaller... The sociology of religion is primarily the study of the practices, social structures, historical backgrounds, development, universal themes, and roles of religion in society. ... True-believer syndrome is a term coined by the reformed psychic fraud[1] M. Lamar Keene to refer to an irrational belief in paranormal events, even after direct confession and evidence that the events were fraudulently staged. ... A witch-hunt was traditionally a search for witches or evidence of witchcraft, which could lead to a witchcraft trial involving the accused person. ...

External links

CESNUR is a center for studies on new religions, based in Turin, Italy. ... Cult Awareness Network - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Scientology is a system of beliefs and practices created by American pulp fiction[1][2] and science fiction [3] author L. Ron Hubbard in 1952 as a self-help philosophy. ... The International Cultic Studies Association (ICSA) is: ... an interdisciplinary network of academicians, professionals, former group members, and families who study and educate the public about social-psychological influence and control, authoritarianism, and zealotry in cultic groups, alternative movements, and other environments. ... Rick Alan Ross (born November 1952 in Cleveland, Ohio) is a private consultant and lecturer in the area of so-called cults, who maintains a website with an extensive listing of articles about allegedly destructive cults, controversial groups and movements, and related research about mind control theories. ... Jeffrey K. Hadden (1937 - 2003) was a Professor of Sociology who began teaching at the University of Virginia in 1972. ... Douglas E. Cowan Ph. ... The Children of God (COG), later known as the Family of Love, the Family, and now the Family International, is a new religious movement, widely referred to as a cult[1] by the media and some government organizations, that started in 1968 in Huntington Beach, California, USA. It was part...

Bibliography

Books

Dr. John Gordon Melton is the founding director of the Institute for the Study of American Religion and is a research specialist with the Department of Religious Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. ... Margaret Thaler Singer (1921 - 2003) was a clinical psychologist and emeritus professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, USA. Dr. Singer was born in Denver and received her bachelors, masters and doctoral degrees from the University of Denver. ... Eileen Barker is a professor in sociology and is an emeritus member of the London School of Economics, and a consultant to that institutions Centre for the Study of Human Rights at. ...

Articles

Robert Jay Lifton (born May 16, 1926) is a prominent American psychiatrist and author, chiefly known for his studies of the psychological causes and effects of war and political violence. ... Philip G. Zimbardo (born March 23, 1933) is an American psychologist, best-known for his Stanford prison experiment and bestselling introductions to psychology. ... Hagiography is the study of saints. ... The Aetherius Society is an organization founded by Dr. George King (1919-1997) in 1955. ... University of Aarhus The University of Aarhus is a university based in Århus, Denmark. ...

References

Note 1: William Chambers, Michael Langone, Arthur Dole & James Grice, The Group Psychological Abuse Scale: A Measure of the Varieties of Cultic Abuse, Cultic Studies Journal, 11(1), 1994. The definition of a cult given above is based on a study of 308 former members of 101 groups.
Note 2: Barker, E. The Ones Who Got Away: People Who Attend Unification Church Workshops and Do Not Become Moonies. In: Barker E, ed. Of Gods and Men: New Religious Movements in the West'. Macon, Ga. : Mercer University Press; 1983. ISBN 0-86554-095-0
Note 4: Galanter M. Unification Church ('Moonie') dropouts: psychological readjustment after leaving a charismatic religious group, American Journal of Psychiatry. 1983;140(8):984-989.
Note 6: Singer, M with Lalich, J (1995). Cults in Our Midst, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. ISBN 0-7879-0051-6
Note 8: West, L. J., & Langone, M. D. (1985). Cultism: A conference for scholars and policy makers. Summary of proceedings of the Wingspread conference on cultism, September 9–11. Weston, MA: American Family Foundation.
Note 9: Barrett, D. V. The New Believers - A survey of sects, cults and alternative religions 2001 UK, Cassell & Co. ISBN 0-304-35592-5
Note 10: Barker, E. (1984), The Making of a Moonie, p.147, Oxford: Basil Blackwell. ISBN 0-631-13246-5
Note 11: Galanter, Marc M.D.(Editor), (1989), Cults and new religious movements: a report of the committee on psychiatry and religion of the American Psychiatric Association, ISBN 0-89042-212-5
Note 12: Hadden, Jeffrey K. SOC 257: New Religious Movements Lectures, University of Virginia, Department of Sociology.
Note 13: Bader, Chris & A. Demaris, A test of the Stark-Bainbridge theory of affiliation with religious cults and sects. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 35, 285-303. (1996)
Note 14: Hadden, J and Bromley, D eds. (1993), The Handbook of Cults and Sects in America. Greenwich, CT: JAI Press, Inc., pp. 75-97.
Note 15: Kranenborg, Reender Dr. (Dutch language) Sekten... gevaarlijk of niet?/Cults... dangerous or not? published in the magazine Religieuze bewegingen in Nederland/Religious movements in the Netherlands nr. 31 Sekten II by the Free university Amsterdam (1996) ISSN 0169-7374 ISBN 90-5383-426
Note 16: F. Derks and the professor of psychology of religion Jan van der Lans The post-cult syndrome: Fact or Fiction?, paper presented at conference of Psychologists of Religion, Catholic University Nijmegen, 1981, also appeared in Dutch language as Post-cult-syndroom; feit of fictie?, published in the magazine Religieuze bewegingen in Nederland/Religious movements in the Netherlands nr. 6 pages 58-75 published by the Free university Amsterdam (1983)
Note 17: Dr. Zablocki, Benjamin [21] Paper presented to a conference, Cults: Theory and Treatment Issues, May 31, 1997 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Note 18: Duhaime, Jean (Université de Montréal), Les Témoigagnes de Convertis et d'ex-Adeptes (English: The testimonies of converts and former followers, an article which appeared in the book New Religions in a Postmodern World edited by Mikael Rothstein and Reender Kranenborg, RENNER Studies in New religions, Aarhus University press, 2003, ISBN 87-7288-748-6
Note 20: Amy Ryan: New Religions and the Anti-Cult Movement: Online Resource Guide in Social Sciences (2000) [22]
Note 21: Carter, Lewis, F. Lewis, Carriers of Tales: On Assessing Credibility of Apostate and Other Outsider Accounts of Religious Practices published in the book The Politics of Religious Apostasy: The Role of Apostates in the Transformation of Religious Movements edited by David G. Bromley Westport, CT, Praeger Publishers, (1998). ISBN 0-275-95508-7
Note 22: Johnson, Daniel Carson (1998) Apostates Who Never were: the Social Construction of Absque Facto Apostate Narratives, published in the book The Politics of Religious Apostasy: The Role of Apostates in the Transformation of Religious Movements edited by David G. Bromley Westport, CT, Praeger Publishers, (1998). ISBN 0-275-95508-7
Note 23: Barker, E. (2001), Watching for Violence: A Comparative Analysis of the Roles of Five Types of Cult-Watching Groups, available online
Note 24: Richardson, James T. (1989) The Psychology of Induction: A Review and Interpretation, article that appeared in the book edited by Marc Galanter M.D. (1989) Cults and new religious movements: a report of the committee on psychiatry and religion of the American Psychiatric Association ISBN 0-89042-212-5
Note 25: Hall, John R. and Philip Schuyler (1998), Apostasy, Apocalypse, and religious violence: An Exploratory comparison of Peoples Temple, the Branch Davidians, and the Solar Temple, in the book The Politics of Religious Apostasy: The Role of Apostates in the Transformation of Religious Movements edited by David G. Bromley Westport, CT, Praeger Publishers, (1998). ISBN 0-275-95508-7, page 145 "The tendency to treat Peoples Temple as the cultus classicus headed by Jim Jones, psychotic megaliomanic par excellence is still with us, like most myths, because it has a grain of truth to it. "
Note 26: McLemee, Scott Rethinking Jonestown on the salon.com website "If Jones' People's Temple wasn't a cult, then the term has no meaning." [23]
Note 27: Barker, E., Standing at the Cross-Roads: Politics of Marginality in "Subversive Organizations" article in the book The Politics of Religious Apostasy: The Role of Apostates in the Transformation of Religious Movements edited by David G. Bromley Westport, CT, Praeger Publishers, (1998). ISBN 0-275-95508-7
Note 28: Edby, Lloyd (1999), Testimony presented to the Task Force to Investigate Cult Activity on the Campuses of Maryland Public Higher-Education Institutions [24]
Note 29: Lane, David C., The Guru Has No Turban: Part 2 [25]
Note 30: Langone, Michael, "Clinical Update on Cults", Psychiatric Times July 1996 Vol. XIII Issue 7 [26]
Note 31: Miller, Timothy, Religious Movements in the United States: An Informal Introduction (2003) [27]
Note 32: Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary entry for cult [28]
Note 33: Bowman, Robert M., A Biblical Guide To Orthodoxy And Heresy, 1994, [29]
Note 34: Casino. Bruce J., Defining Religion in American Law, 1999, [30]
Note 35: Langone, Michael, On Using the Term "Cult", [31]
Note 36: BBC News 20 May, 2000: Sect leavers have mental problems [32]
Note 37: Giambalvo, Carol, Post-cult problems [33]
Note 38: Ross, Rick, Ethical standards [34]
Note 39: Burks, Ronald, Cognitive Impairment in Thought Reform Environments [35]
Note 40: Kent, Stephen A. Brainwashing in Scientology's Rehabilitation Project Force (RPF), 1997 [36]

^ Sherwood, Carlton (1991) Inquisition: The Persecution and Prosecution of the Reverend Sun Myung Moon. Washington, D.C.: Regnery (ISBN 0-89526-532-X)
^ Nouvel Observateur 19 October 2005 Houellebecq, prêtre honoraire du mouvement raëlien
"Le roman de Michel Houellebecq, sorti le 31 août, met en scène une secte triomphante, qui ressemble fort à celle des raëliens, alors que l'auteur prédit la mort des grandes religions monothéistes.Il a choisi la secte des raëliens parce qu'"elle est adaptée aux temps modernes, à la civilisation des loisirs, elle n'impose aucune contrainte morale et, surtout, elle promet l'immortalité."

Cult Eileen Barker is a professor in sociology and is an emeritus member of the London School of Economics, and a consultant to that institutions Centre for the Study of Human Rights at. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Margaret Thaler Singer (1921 - 2003) was a clinical psychologist and emeritus professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, USA. Dr. Singer was born in Denver and received her bachelors, masters and doctoral degrees from the University of Denver. ... Louis Jolyon (Jolly) West (1924 - January 2, 1999) an American psychiatrist and expert on brainwashing and mind control. ... Eileen Barker is a professor in sociology and is an emeritus member of the London School of Economics, and a consultant to that institutions Centre for the Study of Human Rights at. ... The Making of a Moonie: Choice or Brainwashing? is a November 1984 sociology book written by Eileen Barker , Blackwell Publishers, Oxford, United Kingdom, ISBN 0631132465. ... The Medicinæ Doctor or Doctor of Medicine (M.D. or D.M.) is a doctorate level degree held by medical doctors. ... The American Psychiatric Association is a professional organization of psychiatrists whose members are American and international physicians who are trained in psychiatry. ... The Vrije Universiteit is a university in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. ... Psychology of religion is psychologys theory of religious experiences and beliefs. ... Jan van der Lans was a professor in psychology of religion at the Catholic University of Nijmegen. ... The Radboud University Nijmegen, formerly called University of Nijmegen is the university of the Dutch city of Nijmegen. ... The Vrije Universiteit is a university in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. ... The UniversitÃ© de MontrÃ©al (UdeM) (University of Montreal) is one of four universities in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. ... University of Aarhus The University of Aarhus is a university based in Århus, Denmark. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Amy Ryan is the Project Coordinator for the Research Database component of Child Care and Early Education Research Connections, a joint project of National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP) of Columbia University, the Child Care Bureau of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Inter... Eileen Barker is a professor in sociology and is an emeritus member of the London School of Economics, and a consultant to that institutions Centre for the Study of Human Rights at. ... The American Psychiatric Association is a professional organization of psychiatrists whose members are American and international physicians who are trained in psychiatry. ... Screenshot of Salon. ... Eileen Barker is a professor in sociology and is an emeritus member of the London School of Economics, and a consultant to that institutions Centre for the Study of Human Rights at. ... David Christopher Lane (born April 29, 1956 in Burbank, California) is a professor of philosophy and sociology at Mount San Antonio College, USA and lecturer in religious studies at California State University, Long Beach, California. ... Michael Langone, Ph. ... Timothy Miller is a historian of religion whose special interest is new and alternative religions and the history of communitarianism. ... Merriam-Webster, originally known as the G. & C. Merriam Company of Springfield, Massachusetts, is a United States company that publishes reference books, especially dictionaries that are descendants of Noah Websters An American Dictionary of the English Language (1828). ... Michael Langone, Ph. ... Stephen A. Kent, Ph. ... Le Nouvel Observateur is a weekly French news magazine. ...

Opposition to cults and NRMs | Christian countercult movement | Cult apologists | Cult debate | Political cult | Anti-Cult Movement Opposition to cults and new religious movements (NRMs) comes from several sources with diverse concerns. ... The Christian countercult movement, also known as discernment ministries is the collective designation for many mostly unrelated ministries and individual Christians who oppose non-mainstream Christian and non-Christian religious groups, which they often call cults. ... A cult apologist is a term to describe a scholar of cults and/or new religious movements perceived as responding to the movements they study with advocacy instead of with neutral scholarship. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The word cult is almost never used in regard to political parties, even if they were to share many or most other characteristics associated with religious cults. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Charismatic authority | Mind control | Brainwashing | Exit counseling | Deprogramming | Post-cult trauma The sociologist Max Weber defined charismatic authority, also called charismatic domination, or charismatic leadership, as resting on devotion to the exceptional sanctity, heroism or exemplary character of an individual person, and of the normative patterns or order revealed or ordained by him. Charismatic authority is one of three forms of... Mind control (or thought control) has the premise that an outside source can control an individuals thinking, behavior or consciousness (either directly or more subtly). ... Brainwashing or thought reform is the application of coercive techniques to change the beliefs or behavior of one or more people usually for political or religious purposes. ... Exit counseling, also termed strategic intervention therapy, cult intervention or thought reform consultation is an intervention designed to persuade an individual to leave a cult. ... Deprogramming refers to actions to force a person to abandon allegiance to a religious group. ... This article is in need of attention. ...

Religious intolerance | Apostasy | Witch hunt | Bigotry Religious intolerance is intolerance motivated by ones own religious beliefs, generally against anothers religious beliefs. ... Apostasy (from Greek Î±Ï€Î¿ÏƒÏ„Î±ÏƒÎ¯Î±, a defection or revolt from a military commander, from Î±Ï€Î¿, apo, away, apart, ÏƒÏ„Î±ÏƒÎ¹Ï‚, stasis, standing) is a term generally employed to describe the formal renunciation of ones religion, especially if the motive is deemed unworthy. ... A witch-hunt was traditionally a search for witches or evidence of witchcraft, which could lead to a witchcraft trial involving the accused person. ... A bigot is a prejudiced person who is intolerant of opinions, lifestyles or identities differing from his or her own. ...

Cult of personality | Cult checklists | List of groups referred to as cults | Cult suicide Billboard of Joseph Stalin. ... A cult checklist is a group of factors proposed to identify objectively which groups, cults, or new religious movements are spurious, or likely to abuse or exploit or otherwise harm its members. ... This list indexes a diverse set of groups and organizations indicated in the popular press and elsewhere as a cult or a sect. Inclusion is based on a single reference: as a cult directly by specific listed sources; as a sect directly by specific listed French-language or United Kingdom... Cult suicide is that phenomenon by which some religious groups, in this context often referred to as cults, have led to their membership committing suicide. ...

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