Carli
Cadenhead
Project
1
ENGL
1302
Spring
2017
Cults
Despite popular belief that cults
are an absurd part of history, left in the past and no longer a concern of the
future, psychological professors "estimate that there are between 2,000
and 5,000 cults in the U.S." (Clark). A cult is considered an epidemic
that can be described as a group of people involved in religious practices or
beliefs that are considered unusual and threatening. A large percentage of more
infamous cults have gained a fair amount of public attention through their use
of violence. With such a high estimation of cults being present in the United
States, people should be more aware of cult-like behavior and consequences, and
ask themselves- are cults posing a true threat to today's society?
History
When
most of us hear the word "cult", we automatically assume that all
those associated are mentally disturbed with no sense of morality. Dating as
far back as the Old Testament in the Bible, there was a group of people known
as the Pharisees, which was considered a cult (2. The Characteristics of a
Cult). "The cult of the Pharisee party which sought to mislead the saints
in the church at Antioch tampered with the gospel by making salvation a matter
of faith and works" (1). All cults have a different message; they redefine
the gospel by implying the only way to heaven is through devotion to their
leader's ideas and practices or they aren't religious at all and are driven by
political or financial goals. Many cults
start out with so much hope but end in disaster most likely due to the
leadership (Layton). Many of these cults
are founded by a single person who retains a position of exclusive power within
the organization, and power tends to corrupt even the most ethical among
us" (2). These leaders have free range on what they do or say to their
followers because their followers are devoted to them. Typically, leaders of
cults are very charismatic and use deception when recruiting their followers.
Whether the cults have religious, political, or financial goals all leaders
have one thing in common; to subjugate their members (2).
Many
would think that those recruited into cults are trouble minded young people who
are easily influenced, but that's not always the case. It has been discovered
that those who have joined a cult have only a slightly higher rate of
psychiatric disorders than the mainstream population (Layton). One of the most
common characteristics of recruits is heightened stress (2). Most likely people
who end up joining a cult were recruited during a very stressful time period in
their life. People want answers and easy fixes to their problems and when
someone claims to have them they are more than willing to join. Not only is
stress a big indicator of a recruit, but also the desire of wanting to belong,
being extremely gullible, and a desire for spiritual meaning. Cult leaders can
recruit members that exhibit the traits stated above just about anywhere you
look, but one of the most desirable spots for recruitment are college campus'
(2). College students are ideal candidates because they are young, going
through a lot of stress, and they are trying to figure out their beliefs and
place in the world. Potential members are not told the true intentions of the
cult. The recruiters make it seem like the group is conventional and low
pressure.
Cults
affect not only its members but also their society. Cults inflict fear
throughout the world due to the uncertainty of their actions. Leaders of cults
have such power and influence over their followers, which is frightening to
people because no one knows what they are capable of making their followers do.
Many parents fear of sending their kids off to college due to the chance of
them being influenced into joining a cult.
Being a part of a cult not only affects you but also your friends and
family. Once you join, you are cut off from everyone you once knew and the
outside world.
Examples
A
cult known as the Branch Davidians is a religious group that believed they were
living in a time where the second coming of Christ is near and the end of the
world is coming. The group was located in Waco, Texas, and all members lived on
their property called Mount Carmel. David Koresh became the leader of the
Branch Davidians in 1990 (“David Koresh”). Koresh claimed to his followers that
he had "cracked the code of the Seven Seals in the Book of
Revelation" which predicts the end of the world (3). He and his followers
assembled an "Army of God" and began collecting weapons in
preparation for the end of the world. Koresh announced himself as a Prophet of
God, and he began to have his followers wrapped around his finger. It was
reported that he had wives as young as the age of 11 and according to the
children of the group, the status of "wife" means they had sex with
Koresh (Rimer and Verhovek). He fathered many children with many different
women. The children were not allowed to call anyone their father beside Koresh
(4). All children were punished for the smallest of things by being hit with a
wooden paddle known as "the helper" (4). Even after undergoing severe
mistreatment, the children and members of the cult expressed their profound
love for David Koresh. As the Davidians were preparing for the supposed
apocalypse, the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) and the
FBI were beginning to catch word of these illegal weapons.
On February 28, 1993, they raided
the cult's compound in Waco (“David Koresh”). As the agents attempted to enter
the compound, several of the cult members began opening fire on them. During
this gun battle, four ATF agents were killed and fifteen were injured while six
Branch Davidians were killed and several others injured, including their leader
David Koresh ("ATF Raids Branch Davidian Compound"). The shooting
lasted for about 45 minutes until the ATF agents decided to withdraw and they
negotiated a cease-fire over the phone with Koresh. Since the ATF raid was so
unsuccessful, the FBI decided to take over. A standoff between the Davidians
and The FBI lasted over seven weeks and no progress had been made with the
negotiations. Since the Davidians had so much food and water stocked up, they
were able to stay held up in the compound. On April 18, the FBI was given the
approval of a tear gas assault and they began warning the members that they
needed to surrender (5). The Davidians truly believed that the apocalypse was
happening and everything they had believed was coming true when in fact, that
was not the case. After the gas was inserted into the compound, the members
still refused to evacuate the building. After around five hours of tear gas
being released, a huge fire erupted inside the compound. Just minutes later
nine Davidians fled the building while Koresh and his followers including
twenty-two children died in the fire (5). While the Davidians remained in the
blaze, the FBI agents reported that they heard gunfire going off. It has been
argued whether they were killing themselves due to a suicide pact or they were
shooting those trying to flee the compound (5).
Another well-known cult in
America was the infamous Manson cult. The leader, Charles Manson, had the
sinister ability to control his followers of young hippies, referring to them
as his "family". The cult made headlines after Manson gave orders to
his followers to perform several murders in preparation for the race war he
prophesized. In 1967, Manson was able to gather a group of followers who
enjoyed living an unconventional lifestyle and using hallucinogenic drugs such
as LSD ("Charles Manson"). "The Family" of around 100
followers lived on a ranch in the San Fernando Valley. Manson was able to
captivate his followers into believing he was Jesus and in his prophecies (6). In August 1969, Manson devised a plan to
murder several Hollywood celebrities, to start a race war (6). His core
philosophy was that in this war the black man would be victorious but wouldn't
be able to maintain the power. He named this theory "Helter Skelter"
(6). His plan was to make the murders of these white celebrities seem like they
were committed by blacks ("Helter Skelter"). If his plan was
successful, the whites would revolt in the street and the race war would begin.
Charles Manson and "the Family" would survive this revolution by
hiding away in the desert, and once the war was over, he and his followers
would emerge from hiding and mentor the blacks because they would lack
experience on how to run the world (7).
He gathered four of his most obedient
followers and sent them on a mission to a Hollywood director, Roman Polanski's
house, where actress Sharon Tate, writer Wojciech Frykowski, his partner
Abigail Folger, and a celebrity hairstylist Jay Sebring were all staying.
Polanski was not home while these murders took place (“Charles Manson”). The
intruders broke into the house and savagely began murdering everyone in the
house. Manson gave orders that no one was to survive (6). The next night
another series of murders took place by Manson's "family" in the same
horrific fashion as the night before. Charles Manson was able to manipulate his
followers into committing crimes for him while he sat in hiding. They truly
believed that Manson was the new Messiah and he would save them from the race
war that was to take place very soon (6).
Manson and his followers were all arrested and locked away in prison for
life not long after committing these horrific murders.
Solutions
In the United States the First Amendment grants
people the right to practice freedom of religion. Since people have the right
to exercise whatever religion they please, there are not many solutions when it
comes to putting an end to the cult epidemic. The authorities are not allowed
to involve themselves in putting a stop to cults unless the organization is
committing a crime. That pretty much gives these non-mainstream religions free
range on what they say or do to their followers as long as they do not get
caught committing a crime. Many oppose cults because their actions and beliefs
are controversial and out of the norm, but the First Amendment was set for this
exact reason. The closet thing to a solution for cults, is to spread awareness
and to understand the signs of cult recruitment. If people become more equipped
and educated about cults, the numbers in recruitment will likely decrease.
Recruiters take advantage of overly stressed people looking for a solution and
a place to belong (Layton). It is important to help people deal with their
stress so they do not take drastic measures.
There are many warning signs to look
out for when your questioning a certain “group” and everyone should know them.
You should always look to see if there is one person who seems to have complete
control over everyone and if there is no tolerance for questions. Always do
adequate research on that specific group to see if there has been any negative
remarks or experiences with it. The more you know about it, the better off
you’ll be. Since college campuses are a main site for recruiters, the students
should be given the proper guidance on how to safely avoid being coerced into a
dangerous group. People need to realize that they are being deceived and they
are ignoring all the signs. These groups claim to have all the answers to your
problems and tell you everything is going to be okay when in reality they are
lying to you. People should be taught to look out for these signs and
understand that they have the right to walk away whenever they feel
uncomfortable.
Cult awareness may be the only
solution when it come to putting an end to dangerous cults, but it is the best
because it gives people the right to choose. If people are aware of the
possible danger and loss of their freedom, there is a higher chance of cult
recruitment decreasing tremendously. There may be some pros to joining a cult,
but the cons outweigh them and people deserve to be properly educated about
them.
Camus and Absurdity
Camus’ absurd beliefs go hand in hand with todays
cults and its members. Camus believes that there is no meaning to life and
people spend their whole lives trying to find a purpose (Maguire). He believes
that religion is an illusion and people choose to believe because they want so
badly for there to be a purpose to their lives. Cults relate to this because
those who join are in desperate search for a place to belong and a purpose. The
idea of cults is so absurd because the beliefs and rituals are so out of the
norm that most people consider them unreasonable.
Camus would think that cults are
absurd because people are searching for a meaning to their lives. He does not
believe in God, so the idea of religious cults to him would be ridiculous.
Since he believes there is no meaning to life, he would think that cults are a
waste of people’s time and money. Members of a cult dedicate their lives to
cause that has no solid evidence to their being a life fulfilling outcome,
which is exactly what Camus finds absurd.
There are so many results and
outcomes to cults because the variety is so vast. Most cults are harmless but
there are some that are involved in dangerous criminal activities that take
advantage of people. Camus’ reaction to the outrageous acts would be that
people will go to any means to feel they are fulfilling a purpose. He would not
blame or persecute them because he understands that people just want to feel
like they belong and have everything under control. Camus would not find cults
abnormal because in a way we are all in search to find an ultimate answer and
meaning to life.
Conclusion
The epidemic of cults is growing more and more each
day. People are in constant search to find a place where they are welcomed and
feel like they are making a great impact on the world. Cults push the
boundaries of main stream religions, inflicting fear through out society
because there is so much uncertainty. They
start out on such a high note with the intention of making a positive impact
but most turn south when a leader corrupts his followers into doing anything he
says. With such a high rate of cults in the world today it should become a
priority for people to be properly educated on how cults work and all the
warning signs when it comes to recruitment. With cults threat on society
increasing everyday, people should be aware and given the choice on how they
want to live their life.
Citations:
"ATF Raids Branch Davidian
Compound." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 08 Mar.
2017.
"Charles Manson."
Biography.com. A&E Networks Television, 04 Jan. 2017. Web. 09 Mar. 2017.
Clark, Charles S. "Cults in
America." CQ Researcher by CQ Press. N.p., 7 May 1993. Web. 15 Feb. 2017.
"David Koresh."
Biography.com. A&E Networks Television, 29 Nov. 2016. Web. 08 Mar. 2017.
"Helter Skelter."
Helter Skelter. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Mar. 2017.
Layton, Julia. "How Cults
Work." HowStuffWorks. N.p., 13 Apr. 2006. Web. 27 Feb. 2017.
Maguire,
Laura. "Camus and Absurdity." Philosophy Talk. Stanford
University, 28 Feb. 2015. Web. 16 Apr. 2017.
Rimer, Sara, and Sam Howe
Verhovek. "Growing Up Under Koresh: Cult Children Tell of Abuses."
The New York Times. The New York Times, 03 May 1993. Web. 08 Mar. 2017.
"2. The Characteristics of a
Cult (Acts 15:1-31)." Bible.org. N.p., 2017. Web. 06 Mar. 2017.
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