Treatment Abuse, Behavior Modification, Thought Reform > The Seed Discussion Forum
Seed Psychology
Antigen:
Technically, a religion is a cult. The term cult only picked up a negative connotation in the past hundred years or so, I think.
The modern definition of the term 'cult' is probably something like 'high demand, destructive cult'.
And that's the difference, at least in my mind, between legitimate, benign or benevolent religion and a destructive cult. As regards public policy and public service, I think it's important to draw a distinction. I don't mind if our public servants attend church and pray for guidance. But when they cop out on solving real problems, especially those that fall under their job description by saying Jesus will handle it or the Rapture will come so we don't have to worry about it, that should be grounds for immediate removal from office on grounds of mental illness.
Never trust anyone with your future who doesn't believe there will be one!
Sacred cows make the best hamburger.
Mark Twain
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Somejoker:
When people say "cults" today, it really means coercisive cults. Sure the term came from religion but it really does mean something different now. However, religions somtimes take on personality cult behavior and then they are very similar. Take christianity and then look at the rattle Snake people in the deep south, Or take The Hindu faith and compare that to The american Hari Krisna movement. Christianity and Jim Jones....
So yes, religions can become destructive cults. It just isn't always so or even usually so. Lumping Religion at large in with coercsive cults is a mistake.
Religion as a legitimate social force is another topic for another forum.
NOT12NOW:
On 2004-10-11 13:43:00, Anonymous wrote:
--- Quote ---"Greg- would you call the Cathloic Church & every other religion a cult? Is everything organized a cult.
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I know my grandmother believed her children would not go to heaven because they left the church.
I was protected because I was never offered the true church I would go to like Limbo or something.
_________________
Cleveland chick 76-77[ This Message was edited by: NOT12NOW on 2005-10-28 07:17 ]
Anonymous:
If you need the external structure of the church to be a decent person, something is wrong with you.
Also: Jesus Saves, transubstantiation, the mythologization of saints, arbitrary moral values, and the implication that rituals cleanse your soul (simply through confession or baptism and other rites) are all hokey crapola. I have never understood how intelligent people buy into this shit. It's archaic. I mean, you really believe that you are going to limbo just for lack of a head rinse? Is God really so petty to pay attention to the sex lives of billions of people to determine your moral purity?
Antigen:
I think rituals and taboos have their place. But people get crazy about it, imbuing these things w/ more power than they're actually worth.
"The FARC is part of the history of Colombia and a historical phenomenon", (President Pastrana) says, "and they must be treated as Colombians". ... They come and ask for bread [aid from Washington], and you give them stones.
Robert White is a former American ambassador to Paraguay and El Salvador, and former No. 2 man with the U.S. Embassy in Bogota, is president of the Centre for International Policy in Washington D.C.
Robert White
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