Ryan, thank you for taking such an interest in my topic. I do want to stress one very key point: Not all cults are necessarily bad or destructive in nature. Often we forget that fact because all we hear about are the terrible acts they have comitted or the brainwashing that occurs within these groups. As Freud said "Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar," so too is this true of cults. Sometimes an eccentric religious group is just an eccentric religious group and not a group of destructive lunatics.
1) Cults exist in society for a few reasons. They begin because they have beliefs that differ from society and thus those that hold these different beliefs seek those of like mind in order for their beliefs to be validated. Another reason is that members of the cult often lack social connections or spiritual fulfillment in their everyday lives. This causes said individuals to be easily lured into situations that may lead to cult membership.
2) In recent years, the media has done very little to educate the public about cults because they are not as important as global wars, politics, or the economy. When cults first became a problem, the media wasted no time in warning the public about people like Charles Manson and Jim Jones. We can still see some references to cults today, but not nearly as many as before. Family Guy referenced the Heaven's Gate cult in an episode a few years back, which featured characters dressed in blue jogging suits, male eunuchs, and a leader that closely resembled Marshall Applewhite.
3) Cults can tell us quite a lot about society. Cults reflect the pressure to have a social network of like minded individuals that society exerts on its members. Cults also reflect the natural instinct to gather around individuals that seem strong or commandeering. The establishment of a hierarchy or "pecking order" is natural for all creatures, including humans. This has been evident from the beginning of human history, regardless of how one believes humanity began. Society glorifies conformity and belonging, cults are a great example of this glorification because of the fact that they require a greater degree of conformity.
1) Cults exist in society for a few reasons. They begin because they have beliefs that differ from society and thus those that hold these different beliefs seek those of like mind in order for their beliefs to be validated. Another reason is that members of the cult often lack social connections or spiritual fulfillment in their everyday lives. This causes said individuals to be easily lured into situations that may lead to cult membership.
2) In recent years, the media has done very little to educate the public about cults because they are not as important as global wars, politics, or the economy. When cults first became a problem, the media wasted no time in warning the public about people like Charles Manson and Jim Jones. We can still see some references to cults today, but not nearly as many as before. Family Guy referenced the Heaven's Gate cult in an episode a few years back, which featured characters dressed in blue jogging suits, male eunuchs, and a leader that closely resembled Marshall Applewhite.
3) Cults can tell us quite a lot about society. Cults reflect the pressure to have a social network of like minded individuals that society exerts on its members. Cults also reflect the natural instinct to gather around individuals that seem strong or commandeering. The establishment of a hierarchy or "pecking order" is natural for all creatures, including humans. This has been evident from the beginning of human history, regardless of how one believes humanity began. Society glorifies conformity and belonging, cults are a great example of this glorification because of the fact that they require a greater degree of conformity.
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