The Legacy Of Cults Charles M. Brown Albright College

The Legacy of Cults We usually view cults in a negative way – “A cult is any group that I don’t like” A cultist is a person –I would feel uncomfortable living next to –Who should not have interaction with children

Conventional Wisdom About Cults: Is highly negative Is not based on first hand knowledge Is used to pre-judge

Where Do Our Ideas About Cults Come From? Established Religious Groups Word of mouth, rumors, etc. The Mass Media

Public Perspective There are a number of cults in society today Cults are different today than those from the past Leaders have hypnotic-like control over followers Leaders are wealthy and live well at the expense of followers Cults are dangerous to members and society

Examples of Anti-Cult Sentiment “…these cults or groups are armies of willing, superbly controlled soldiers who would not only kill their parents or themselves, but are ready to act against anyone.” John Clark, Psychiatrist—Testimony before hearings on cults conducted by Senator Robert Dole, February, 1979 “The path of segregation leads to lynching every time. The path of anti-Semitism leads to Auschwitz every time. The path of the cults leads to Jonestown and we watch it at our peril.” Rabbi Maruice Davis, Wite Plains, NY—Quoted in Rudin and Rudin, Prison or Paradise? The New Religious Cults

Sociological Perspective on Cults Cults are normal social organizations that are present in all cultures Cults are different than those from the past because the culture is different There is no evidence to support the proposition that they are different in ways that make them dangerous as claimed by adversaries People join new religions for different reasons Cult leaders do use techniques of social influence to manipulate members, but: – These techniques are used very broadly in virtually all social groups All religions were new at some point Truth is often in the eye of the beholder

Why Study NRMs? They are seriously misunderstood Religion is an important part of culture All religions were new at one time The question of religious liberty The question of freedom in a pluralistic world

Religious Liberty “Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion or the free exercise thereof” Constitution of the United States, First Amendment

Although religion may be viewed as the foundation of human freedom and liberty, it is also capable of being the source of oppression and human suffering – Consider the following example from caste system in India…

Who Joins Cults? Many claim they have little if any previous religious background Many come from families who had little or no ties to a religious faith Those who have friends in the cult or know someone who is sympathetic to the cult