Cults

[Anonymous]

I know Straight and related programs discussed on this website are defined as a cult.  To varying degrees I would agree with this.  I wonder, what is the opinion of the "group" here of organizations that are defined by the government as "cults", such as the Branch Davidians, etc.?  Do you think these are real cults or since they are "government defined" you are obligated to see them in a different light?  Seems to me a cult is a cult.  Just wonderin'.

[Anonymous]

I think christianity, judaism, buddhism, hinduism, catholocism, islamism, etc... are all cults. People who believe something they can never prove with such conviction they are willing to kill others to support their belief. Sounds pretty cultish to me!!

[Anonymous]

On 2005-11-29 06:38:00, Anonymous wrote:

" People who believe something they can never prove with such conviction they are willing to kill others to support their belief. Sounds pretty cultish to me!!"

Sounds just like Goverment to me. When it comes to killing over a belief, The goverments make the top of the list. Goverments who force absurd laws and forces everyone to act "socially acceptable". Seems they are always pointing their finger at someone else tho. Goverments are the biggest offender when we start pointing fingers at "cults". IMO

If I read correctly years ago, even Jim Jones didn't become paranoid and violent until the goverment persued him for tax evasion? Least that is how I remember reading it.

Just for the record Paying Tax is a choice, but too many people have forgotten that part of the constitution and mindlessly pay.

[Anonymous]

So society shouldn't follow "acceptable" rules?  That's what you have in Iraq, Afghanistan and other parts of the middle east; a bunch of sects, packs, cults, whatever you want to call them, with no regard for human life or equality.  If you don't agree with one sect; no dialogue; you're dead. You have to have some guiding rules of conduct and avenues to vent (i.e. all the time in this website)or it's the wild west again.

The US should be outta those areas and leave them to kill each other instaed of us.

[Anonymous]

It is who decides what is "acceptable" then, that dictates peace or corruption within any group think situation.?

[Anonymous]

Yes. And?

[Anonymous]

Well then aren't we saying it's not always the "cult" thats bad/negitive/etc, but it's the person/people who Run and enforce it's Rules/laws.

I just get stuck on: Who am I to decide what is bad or good.

IMO, Obviously violence and abuse is bad. But there seems to be a grey area of "what is acceptable, productive, possitive growth" (which makes for an ok cult?). Or, do we decide all group think is Bad.

I tend to be on the side of  All group think is bad, but I see how society makes us participate. And I'm not completely happy with what my society has deemed "acceptable".

[Anonymous]

Perhaps the "cult' word is being used loosely here.

But sure, the U.S. controls the media, therefore the information, and keeps us paranoid with jail sentences for, as one example, using and growing marijuana. The U.S. govt supports the DFAF and the Drug War misinformation campaign. In that respect, to a certain extent, it is cultlike.

However, the flow of information is open enough that people in the U.S. can get alternate news sources, discuss, etc.

Therefore, it is not an entirely closed society, and we do have freedom of press. Supposedly. If journalists avail themselves of it rather than availing themselves of power tripping with politicians and otherwise wealthy and influential persons.

To what degree is any society controlled through fear, misinformation, and cutting people off from anything or person "outside"?

There are other aspects to the more extreme cults like the WWASP and Straight child torture institution that make them far more powerful and damaging.

[Antigen]

Well, the traditional definition of a cult is about any group that believes a certain version of any religion. So the Methodist denomination would be one cult of the Christian cult. The root word here is culture.

The more modern definition--what most people mean when they use the term these days--is a destructive, high demand group like Charles' Manson's Family or Chuch Dederich's Synanon or Jim Jones' People's Temple.

Words change, that's a fact.

As it relates to our day and age, Yes! I think that TOUGHLOVE is a destructive, high demand cult. What demand could be higher than requiring a parent to disown their own children for dissent?

And this particular cult, thanks to Nancy Reagan and her astrologer, has garnered an awful lot of influence in US policy and American culture (two different but interrelated things).

It's different from, say, the kind cult following that Elvis Presely has or the cult classic B movies or other cultural influences. It's one thing to turn your nose up at someone for failure to properly master the entire body of Elvis trivia. It's something completely different to take someones home, property, children and liberty just because they disagree with you about the relative value and danger of one particular drug over another.

Life may have no meaning.  Or even worse, it may have a meaning of which I disapprove.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0912800909/circlofmiamithem' target='_new'>Ashleigh Brilliant

[Anonymous]

So preschools, mom's clubs, and sports teams are all cults?  Guess Earth and the human race is also a cult.

[Anonymous]

Ya know what???  Go look it up for yourself and then make up your OWN mind instead of having everyone here makek it up for you....

http://www.ex-cult.org/

Look under General Information

[starry-eyed pirate]

i don't even have the energy to even get into this right now but i liked readin'this thread. Provocative.  Nice work.

[Anonymous]

I know, its a lot to take in.  Start with the BITE model.   Seems to be the easiest reading and the easiest to get to.  Whenever you're ready.

[Anonymous]

On 2005-11-29 15:35:00, Anonymous wrote:

"Ya know what???  Go look it up for yourself and then make up your OWN mind instead of having everyone here makek it up for you....



http://www.ex-cult.org/



Look under General Information





"

But doesn't this link itself tell you what a cult is in their opinion?  Who's to say this is the gospel?

[Antigen]

On 2005-11-29 15:17:00, Anonymous wrote:
"So preschools, mom's clubs, and sports teams are all cults?  Guess Earth and the human race is also a cult."

By which definition? The older, maybe obsolete definition meaning cultural group? Or the more commonly use, pejorative definition meaning destructive, authoritarian or high demand group?

You could call a cult anything you like. Jim Jones called his a Bible revival. Some of them call themselves schools or programs or churches. Many of them call themselves support groups, like ToughLove, for example. Some pass themselves off as political organizations, like Drug Free America Foundation or the International Workers' Party.

Really, cult is just another word for religion. But it's modern use is usually an indication of unwholesome religious activity.

But back to the original question:

I wonder, what is the opinion of the "group" here of organizations that are defined by the government as "cults", such as the Branch Davidians, etc.? Do you think these are real cults or since they are "government defined" you are obligated to see them in a different light? Seems to me a cult is a cult. Just wonderin'.

I think the government probably gets it wrong very often. Based on what I've read, yeah, David Koresh had himself a pretty destructive little operation going there. But that never justified the fire bombing of innocent captive children. And the response and acceptance of it from my fellow Americans truely frightened me.

What's the Unification Church? Is it really a church like the Methodist one I went to on Sundays as a kid? Don't ask our Federal government. They recently crowned the Rev. Moon Emperor of the World, or some such at the Senate office building! Your tax dollars at work, folks!

http://www.iapprovethismessiah.com/2004 ... ffice.html

How about Scientology? A lot of people take offense at their being called a cult. Others take umberage at their being called a religion? Seems like a silly distinction to me. But only this past year or so California schools "discovered" that one of the drug education programs they contracted for their schools was really a front for the clams.

Nope, I don't count on our government to keep me safe from destructive, high demand cults. Fact is, by either popular definition, tyrants and despots down through history have shown a deep and abiding apreciation for the power of popular cults to keep us plebes in line.

Thanks, but no thanks!

If a woman has to choose between catching a fly ball and saving an infant's life, she will choose to save the infant's life without even considering if there are men on base.
-- Dave Barry

_________________
Drug war POW
Straight, Sarasota
`80 - `82