How have the two been conflated? Cults versus new religions is a matter of perspective, says Ori Tavor , a senior lecturer in the Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations , who teaches a class on new religious movements. Anyone can create a new religion, and can appeal to the government for new religion status and get protections and recognition from the government.
What they have in common may be reason to conflate the two: a charismatic leader. Buddhism and Christianity are both named after a charismatic leader. Islam, originally called Mohammedanism, is also named after its leader. Religions and cults often follow a leader who claims divine, or at least special, access to different models of knowledge and revelations.
Many are martyred. Jesus of Nazareth was famously crucified. End days is another consistent theme in cults and religions, both new and old. Nirvana, heaven, Zion, or outer space are a guiding principle in their scriptures. The 20th century saw a shift as translated Buddhist and Islamic texts from the East became available amidst a new religious landscape.
In the s, Hubbard established the self-help group based on reincarnation of the self, called Dianetics. Look at Rajneeshpuram and its leader, Osho.
He was popular in India, then came to the U. Around this time, deprograming and anti-cult movements sprouted. This would be diagnostic of a semantic change.
Jim Jones was an anti-segregationist Christian preacher from Indiana who envisioned a mixed-race church. Jones and his followers left Indiana for California in search of a utopian community.
When those family members discovered the move overseas, they appealed to the government for intervention. A delegation went to Jonestown—Congressperson Leo Ryan, his aid Jackie Speier, journalists, and cameramen from network news. What started as a fact-finding mission ended with five dead on the tarmac at Port Kaituma airfield, when Ryan and his delegates fled Jonestown along with a handful of defectors.
Ryan was shot and killed, along with three members of the press and one defector, and the rest of the delegation were attacked. Consequently, participation comes at great cost; financial and emotional. People convert for all sorts of reasons. It can be something prosaic like an employment opportunity, or because of family or friendship connections. Few people willingly walk into a cult knowing it is a cult — let alone imagine what is in store for them.
Those in the inner sanctum aggressively target former members who speak out against Scientology. Yet for rank-and-file members in Melbourne or Johannesburg, the experience of Scientology might be like that of any other religious movement or sect that demands intense devotion and deep commitment from its members.
Every religion — or political ideology — has within it the capacity to foster uncritical zeal, or has the potential for the leadership to misuse their privileged position. Andrew Singleton is a sociologist at Deakin University. His research interests include new religious movements, secularisation, youth religion and personal belief. More to say? Talk it out with the Wheeler Centre community. All messages as part of this discussion and any opinions, advice, statements, or other information contained in any messages or transmitted by any third party are the responsibility of the author of that message and not the Wheeler Centre.
Subscribe to the Wheeler Weekly for the latest on our upcoming events, broadcasts and notes from our website, and previews of events and presenters from our programme. View our privacy policy. Skip to content. Account Update account information Update email preferences View cart. Up next View all 16 of our upcoming events. In the early s, the term cult was pulled from the religious context and used in a sociological context. For sociologists, a cult described a group with beliefs and practices that were socially deviant.
Religions are recognized and accepted by the government, but cults are not. In terms of law, there is no single, standard definition of religion. Different countries recognize different religions based on a variety of factors.
Cults are not typically accepted by governments. Thanks to the media and a few extreme groups, the mainstream view of cults is negative. They are viewed as traps maintained by mind control whereas a religion is more dignified, structured, and acceptable.
The term cult is often applied to controversial new religions or religious groups. However, if the group proves it can last over time and assimilate into the mainstream culture in some ways, it may not be called a cult anymore. Cults and religions are both groups of people who share a belief system, but they do so in very different ways today.
All rights reserved. What Is a Cult? General Characteristics of Modern Cults While definitions of a cult can vary, these groups generally have a few common characteristics. They rush you into joining and discourage or disallow questions. Followers are encouraged to worship a specific group leader.
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