Summary
The article I chose is “What is a Cult?” by John Morehead. The article begins by discussing the term “cult” and why it is problematic. The reason given is that in society, the term carries a negative connotation, sometimes extremely so, which makes it difficult to identify actual cults. The article then goes on to attempt to establish a definition by exploring from three perspectives: sociological, behavioral, and evangelical. None of the approaches are particularly satisfying as they all have their own pros and cons. Nevertheless, the following definitions are proposed: “theologically, a cult is a religious group which claims harmony with Christianity but which either denies or misinterprets essential biblical doctrines.” Additionally, from a sociological or behavioral perspective, “a cult is a secular or religious group which tends to use extreme and unethical techniques of manipulation to recruit, assimilate, control and retain members.” (Morehead) From here, the article lists several common characteristics of cults, as described by sociologist Ron Enroth. These are: authoritarian, oppositional, exclusivistic, legalistic, subjective, persecution-conscious, sanction-oriented, esoteric, and anti-sacerdotal. Subsequently, these characteristics are used to create categories of cults. These are: Eastern Mystical, Aberrant Christian, Self-improvement, Eclectic, Psychic, Established, and Extremist/Political. From there, the article goes on to identify cults as a growing global problem, claiming they affect “nearly as many lives as alcohol or drug addiction.” The article then goes on to provide the main reasons why people join cults. These are: to heal emotional pain, to establish friendships and relationships, to attain spiritual growth, and due to strong coercion from cult members. Overall, the article has a strong Christian undertone that informs much of the content. Due to this, the concluding remarks of the article focus on how churches must properly educate their members and foster an environment that discourages members from seeking out cults. This article was particularly enlightening because I was not aware that the definition of cult was this technical.
https://www.apologeticsindex.org/c09a04.html, https://cultrecovery101.com/cult-recovery-readings/types-of-cults/
2 thoughts on “Ruth Andrusier Conversation 4”
Hello Ruth, I hope you are doing well!
It looks like you read “Type of cults” by John Morehead. I agree that there is a negative thought about cults in today’s society. Nowadays, many cults manipulate people psychologically and religiously, making them believe that their obligations give meaning to their lives; they often kill ritually and commit impure acts, attributing them to God.
Hi Ruth, thanks for sharing. I also did not realize the definition of cults were so in-depth and had as many technicalities as it does. Reading over some of the reasons why people join cults and them being drastically normal, is really eye opening and gives you an idea of how people are easily influenced and manipulated. It seems as if the tactic to recruit others into these is by praying on their weaknesses, which makes me disgusted but not surprised.