Introduction
According to Sociologists, cults are distinguished from other religious organizations based on the type of their beliefs, nature of their association and the size of their congregation (Hankins& Davis 10). The cult is a different religious group with unique doctrines.
On the other hand, a sect is a breakaway faction of a typical church. Some of the famous cults include the Unification Church also referred to as the “Moonies” an identity derived from its leader, Sun Myung Moon, ISKCON (Hare Krishna), the Scientology and the Children of God. The cult is unique from separatist sects since they doctrines challenge the western Judean-Christian traditions by placing emphasis on alternative religions such as the eastern Hinduism and Buddhism. This paper therefore investigates religious cults and their influence in the American society.
Background
Researchers interested in studying cultic movements have adopted the term, “new religious movement” in order to avoid passing negative judgment or labeling cults. Ne religious movements became famous in the western world in the period around 1960s. The American constitution allows for religious freedom. However, the American society under its constitution provides for acceptable norms to be practiced in the church without which the government enforces specific restraining legislation (Galanter 13).
The rapid growth of cultic movements in the American society from the period after 1960 is attributed to several factors. During this period, America was confronted with the Watergate scandal and the Vietnam War among other social inequalities which subjected its citizens to cultic deception. The American society could be described as materialistic mixed with controversies on its values and norms on which the nation’s foundations were established.
Massive rebellion was witnessed in the society through an upsurge in crime, substance abuse and religious cults. The emergence of the cults was largely connected with the influence of Asian immigrants from the East through their religious philosophies during the period around 1960. It is understood that during this period, American immigration laws and policies were lenient enough to allow for an influx of foreigners especially from the East. The American society was therefore confronted with a mix of cultures from different parts of the world. New religious movements therefore preyed on innocent Americans interested in unraveling their identity and purpose in life amidst the social inequalities and confusion (Hankins& Davis 15).
In essence, the cults provided some certainty to its victims who were then subjected to a process of brainwashing and emotional blackmail. Brainwashing involved distorting the mindset and allegiance of followers through extreme doctrines, forced fasting and insomnia. However, circumstances keep changing in every society prompting dynamic responses from people. Consequently, anti-cult movements arose in America as a result of media highlights and people’s perception of cults being satanic or dangerous. Independent media has been quite vocal in creating public awareness about cults by highlighting personal testimonies through television, magazines and films among others. For instance, the media developed some newsworthy information out of Waco’s cultic case (Galanter 16).
Apart from brainwashing its victims, cults also kidnap and distort members’ resources through falsehoods through extreme doctrines. The Waco scenario in Texas illustrated the contest between cults and state investigation and law enforcement agencies. The Waco group was a breakaway faction of the Seventh – day Adventist and was known as the Branch Davidians after their leader, David Koresh. The intervention of the FBI and related state agencies in resolving the cult situation there developed into a siege scenario that resulted in the death of about hundred people. Cultic groups therefore represent a social phenomenon which requires a proper understanding of the individual personalities rather sweeping generalizations which label and fix the groups for punishment.
The church ministers to the secular society with some degree of tolerance in its religious beliefs and membership requirements. A typical church therefore seeks to entrench sacred teachings in the society in a structured manner without excluding itself from other people. On the other hand, sects and cults seek to maintain strict religious doctrines and practices from the mainstream secular society (Hankins& Davis 19).
Religious cults therefore demand that members adhere to a strict code of conduct, doctrinal purity and expect them to proof their allegiance to their faith. Religious cults focus most on the individual commitment of its members to established doctrines rather than the wellbeing of the entire congregation or secular society. Membership therefore fluctuates from one generation to another depending on the social status of a people in relation to religious beliefs and faith.
Mysticism is a characteristic feature of most of the cultic organizations. The Franciscans for instance dedicated their faith around their founder devoted to higher levels of spirituality. Mormonism is also another cultic group that has evolved into a sect and finally into a church as it developed structured doctrines and commitment from members.
These and other contemporary cults engaged their members in abnormal behavior such as speaking in tongues, faith healing and meditation through the guidance of spiritual leaders. The conflict between approval of the society and constitutional matters related to religious freedom has led to widespread anti-cult movements in the United States (Galanter 23). The tendency to isolate members within religious communes has been received with progressive suspicion even among the brainwashed and deprogrammed members.
Mind control
The process of brainwashing is done when leaders of the cults subject their members to physical and emotional stress. Problems in the society are simplified into a unique interpretation which is then overemphasized by leaders to their cult members for selfish reasons. Members of such cultic groups obtain unconditional love and attention from a fascinating leader who also provides the group with a unique identity. Information concerning the cult is withheld from the members subjecting them t o entrapment. In essence, the cult isolates members from the mainstream society including close family and friends in attempt to pursue high levels of spirituality.
Members are also confused to believe that the doctrines of the cult are the ultimate truth and a manifestation of religious purity (Hankins& Davis 27). Consequently, members are rendered as slaves to their charismatic leaders believing everything and anything within the domain of the cult. The charismatic leaders are therefore exclusively celebrated by followers making them corrupted. Extreme doctrines exemplified by the cults include sexual abuse and absconding medical care. For instance, married couples who are members of a cult may be advised to be celibate thus interfering with their intimacy and conjugal rights as practiced in conventional society.
Joining
People join cultic groups voluntarily. Joining and leaving a cultic group is at the discretion of a person. Due to pressures in the society occasioned by social inequalities and political instability, members of cultic groups are vulnerable to psychological manipulation and financial extortion. Poverty, disease and unemployment could subject youths to cultic deception through coercion and allegiance to a false heaven and paradise. People suffering from terminal illnesses and chronic pains are trapped by cultic doctrines as an alternative to the frustrations in their lives. In essence, people are affiliated to the charismatic leaders due to the circumstances and situations that confront them in life (Galanter 30).
Leaving
People can leave a cultic group voluntarily in the same manner they joined. Other means include expulsion, deprogramming and suicidal sacrifice. People leaving a cultic group find it difficult to adjust to the mainstream society unless they are adequately counseled. They often suffer from depression, stigma and depreciated financial status after losing their properties to their charismatic leadership (Hankins& Davis 34). On the other hand, some members leave cultic groups with significant positive experiences.
This is attributed to the particular doctrines that correspond to individual needs and situations of the members. Such survivors of cultic indoctrination do not suffer from extensive withdrawal stress since their psychological needs were addressed by the group. However, destructive cults have left members with negative consequences due to extensive manipulation, entrapment and deprogramming. Brainwashing renders members psychologically dependent on their leaders and the group.
Religion and Scientology
The term religion refers to a structured approach to human spirituality which entails beliefs and practices with a supernatural dimension (Rhodes 21). It gives reference to a higher power or some perfect truth. Religious practices can be expressed through prayer, cultural traditions and rituals, meditation, art, music, symbols and writings. It also encompasses personal practices with a common conviction about specific behaviors in the society with a particular focus to a supernatural or ethical view about idealism. This then constitutes the faith system, having psychological or communal background describing the society’s way of life.
Some of this traditions, moral values, traditional practices and scriptures considered to be divine in nature, have been found to extend the worldly view of philosophy to the extremes, often clashing with science.
The word “Scientology” refers to the practice of learning the truth (Lamont 19). Scientology as a religion believes that human beings are holy and not evil. It purports that life experiences shape man to become evil but their own nature which is good. It continues to state that people can overcome their own problems by focusing on their personal experiences while ignoring how their actions have affected others to avoid strife. Scientology continues to encourage their believers that through a dedicated self evaluation program, they are capable of acquiring a higher degree of spiritual uprightness.
The basic concepts about Scientology generally include eight pillars:
First and foremost is the drive to exist independently without interference from others. The second is the value for having a family, sexual intercourse and procreation (Chryssides 25). The third encourages people to exist in a society, within a nation, company of friends, in a city and generally in small or large groups. The fourth exemplifies the need to survive as human beings. The fifth to eighth encourages people to earn their livelihoods by exploiting nature in terms of animals, plants, the earth and ultimately the supernatural being or God.
This can collectively be applied with affinity, reality and communication referred in Scientology as the triangle (Chryssides 32). Affinity refers to affection; reality refers to mutual understanding while communication is the exchange of ideas. Therefore if there is proper communication between people on a subject which all have a consensus about, affinity rises which then add up to understanding. Scientology religion is basically founded on these principles in creating greater harmony in the society. It seeks to empower individuals to constantly improve their intelligence with a view of improving their own lives by way of identifying factors that pull them down and how they can personally deal with them. Once an individual attains self consciousness and independence, he then becomes helpful to the rest of the society including his family and friends.
Scientology comprises of beliefs and values fashioned by L. Ron Hubbard (1911-1986), beginning in 1952 referred “Dianetics”. “Dianetics” in Scientology refers to the modern science of mental health which tries to come up with innovative ways of curing mental illnesses such as neuroses (Malko 15). It exemplifies a doctrine that utilizes the soul to cure the body. Dianetics is what established the core doctrine of the church. This is done during the spiritual counseling sessions called auditing intended to assist someone evaluate personal life experiences with a goal to discover his potential and ability. Through self evaluation an individual is thought to advance to higher states of consciousness. The auditor uses a set of questions directed at helping a person to become consciously aware of life issues he may need counseling. This requires that the person be fully informed about laws and principles of life in general by learning Scientology principles basically to enable reach consensus before auditing takes place.
According to Hubbard, “the human mind can be divided into the analytical and reactive portions”. The analytical mind is thought to function rather perfectly while the “reactive mind” is the part which is unable to think or making decisions (Chryssides 40). The reactive mind is thought to record memories called “engrams” whenever the “analytical mind” becomes unconscious. Wrong interpretation of ‘engrams” leads to adverse consequences later in life.
This is believed to arise from the myth that engrams are painful such that their accumulation shifts the status of individuals further from their perfect identity. Scientologists utilize the dianetic training as a remedy for the destructive “engrams”. This is meant to advance one to the “Clear” state believed to position someone as a “thetan”, described as an individual with proper consciousness of self (Rhodes 33). One fact about thetan as taught by Mr. Hubbard is “exteriorization” which is the ability to exist in the spirit independent of the body thereby gaining the immortal status.
Hubbard defined scientology as a religion and even incorporated it as a church in New Jersey in 1953.Scientology educates that human beings are eternal sacred beings who are no longer aware of their proper immortal nature. Their doctrine involves a form of counseling technique referred to as auditing. Through “dianetic” auditing, members are promised to achieve an extraordinary human state known as clear with a superior intellectual quotient, pure thoughts as well as an overall improved physical and mental health. In order to achieve this results a tonal classification system is used which categorizes the emotional state of a person thus enabling effective counseling to take place. There is also the use of an Electro-psycho meter that identifies specific areas of religious strain or emotional stress to be audited.
Those who subscribe to it deliberately engage themselves in meditating excruciating actions that occurred in the past with an aim of being delivered from their present weaknesses (Lamont 26). The doctrines of the church are accorded significance equivalence of scientific laws and their applications rely on how the members put to practice the beliefs in everyday life. Scientology contains myths that members adhere to reflect perfect truth in their religion which actually revolves around a true personal identity characterized by infinite creativity and omniscience. The perfect identity of a person allows him to be inherently good and spiritually pure.
The United States and some other countries have recognized scientology as a religion hence not being taxed according to law which makes the church to insist this as a proof that it is a true religion (Malko 18). However a number of organizations have come up to oversee how relevant Scientology is as a religion the most prominent being the church of scientology itself. As a result it has been able to sponsor several religious community service initiatives which include a program of moral guiding principles normally expressed in a booklet referred to as “The Way to Happiness, the Narconon anti-drug program, the Criminon prison treatment program, the Study Tech education methodology a charitable organization and a trade administration program” (Chryssides 44 ).
That notwithstanding, Scientology has time and again been marred with controversies basically from its inception regularly being described as a sect that loots and abuses members financially charging inflated costs for their sacred services. In retaliation the church of scientology has repeatedly challenged these accusations using law suits but this kind of assertiveness has been labeled as harassment by its critics. Furthermore, an argument has been rife on the church’s belief that souls can revive and may have actually lived in other planets before existing on earth.
This is supported by testimonies from former scientologists who have revealed that particular Hubbard’s articles on this issue are only sold to members after paying exorbitant amounts of money to the church. This is similar to Hinduism which also believes in reincarnation where the present everyday life is believed to be affected by past incarnations. Scientologists actually assume to be born time and again in a similar process to reincarnation in order to attain the perfect nature and original glory. The church also believes in abolishing psychiatry supposedly since it is destructive and could be offensive (Lamont 31).
Conclusion
Religious cults are therefore destructive due to their extreme doctrines and isolation of members from mainstream society. Manipulation, brainwashing and extortion of members are a violation of conventional religion and human rights. The state is therefore legitimate in regulating religious organizations despite of religious constitutional freedoms towards elimination of cultic groups for the benefit of the nation. Scientology trains members on how to handle serious current social issues and evils such as illiteracy, immorality, insecurity, drug abuse and crime and not merely subscribing to a belief system (Rhodes 39).
The religion emphasizes that an individual is a spirit and not a body or mind which needs to be salvaged. Scientology uses the human spirit as a foundation to advance its doctrines aimed at restoring the true and perfect identity of human beings from their current materialistic state which may degrade them to look like animals. It is the recognition of the human soul that actually embraced scientology as a religion.
Works Cited
Chryssides, George D. Exploring New Religions Issues in contemporary religion. New York: Continuum International Publishing Group, 1999.
Galanter, Marc.Cults and new religious movements: a report of the American Psychiatric Association. New York: American Psychiatric Publishers, 2009.
Hankins, Barry& Davis, Derek. New religious movements and religious liberty in America. Texas: Baylor University Press, 2003.
Lamont, Stewart. Religion Inc: the Church of Scientology. Virginia: Harrap, 1986.
Malko, George. Scientology: the now religion. London: Delacorte Press, 2007.
Rhodes, Ron. The challenge of the cults and new religions: the essential guide to their history, their doctrine, and our response. Michigan: Zondervan, 2001.