Paper Topic:

Cults

A cult is a very broad term with many connotations . Dr . HYPERLINK "http /www .rickross .com /groups /singer .html " Margaret Singer , clinical psychologist and well-known cult researcher , offers helpful definitions of cults in her book , HYPERLINK "http /www .rickross .com /reference /books /reading_list .html " Cults in our Midst . Cults can be defined with three factors

The origin of the group and role of the leader

The power structure , or relationship between the leader (or leaders ) and the followers

The use of a coordinated program of persuasion , which is called HYPERLINK "http /www

.rickross .com /reference /brainwashing /brainwashing19 .html thought reform or more commonly , brainwashing (Singer 6

The term cult ' has many negative connotations due to the government anti-cult groups , the media , and the actions of certain groups . i .e HYPERLINK "http /www .apologeticsindex .org /p00 .html " \l "peoples Jonestown , HYPERLINK "http /www .apologeticsindex .org /s00 .html " \l "solar " Solar Temple , HYPERLINK "http /www .apologeticsindex .org /b10 .html " Branch Davidians , and HYPERLINK "http /www .apologeticsindex .org /h00 .html " \l "heavg Heaven 's Gate . The term New Religious Movements (NRM ) has been used recently in many publications . New Religious Movement is an academic term for modern or alternative religious movements . The term New Religious movements is hard to define , as is , the term , cult Defining these terms is merely a matter of academic debate . Defining the characteristics of cults puts into perspective the differences between cults and other groups

Cult tragedies are shocking examples of how individuals can be effectively persuaded to do dangerous and illogical things . Many cult murder /suicides took place several years ago , but experts agree that cult involvement is on the rise . According to the article Remembering Jonestown ' There are anywhere from two thousand to ten thousand groups considered cults existing today (Gardner 2 . There are four main types of cults : religious or spiritual , political , therapy , and commercial (Hassan 5-9

Paul Carden , executive director of the Center for Apologetics Research reports , The growth of information technology , from the internet to cable television has contributed to the rise of garage cults ' making it less expensive for leaders to communicate with potential followers (Gardner 2 . Currently , with all of the technology at our fingertips cult involvement is on the rise , and easier then ever to perpetrate According to Influence : The Psychology of Persuasion , The avalanche of information is made possible by burgeoning technological progress Leading the way is developments in our ability to collect , store retrieve , and communicate information (Cialdini 276

There have been significant advances in communication . Information is easier than ever to obtain . The Internet is one area of the media that is not heavily censored . One can use the Internet to publish one 's views regardless of how extreme they are . The Internet is a powerful tool for organizations and groups . Cultic groups can use the Internet for purposes such as : promoting their group , soliciting members , or publishing their views . The Internet makes it even easier for cult leaders to organize and maintain cults

According to the...

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