Signs of A Cult
Has anyone else ever heard of these five signs?
Tantalizing if True
Five signs of a cult
Posted in Desperate Suggestions Thursday, December 7th, 2006 Trackback
1. A strong sense of group identity and community.
2. A belief that the group is somehow separate from the rest of society.
3. A strong sense of group destiny and purpose.
4. An unwavering adherence to the teachings of its founder, which may differ radically from the rest of society.
5. A total commitment to the goals of the movement which overrides personal goals and comfort.
Forever learning,
Johnny
11 comments:
sounds kind of like Christianity...
This could also be the definition of a family, a college or university, a football team (any sports team), and a corporation.
Johnny
Well, I guess it is official. My church family is a cult! I guess my immediate family is as well, since people do think we are a bit "different" at times! :)
[It still doesn't recognize me!]
Actually Walker said:
Define the word(s) and you can prove anything you like.
M-W's definition:
Main Entry: cult
Pronunciation: 'k<
Function: noun
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: French & Latin; French culte, from Latin cultus care, adoration, from colere to cultivate -- more at WHEEL
1 : formal religious veneration : WORSHIP
2 : a system of religious beliefs and ritual; also : its body of adherents
3 : a religion regarded as unorthodox or spurious; also : its body of adherents
4 : a system for the cure of disease based on dogma set forth by its promulgator {health cults}
http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/cult
I'm not sure who puts out that blog you linked, but that person is really fond of circular reasoning.
Namaste
Thank you, Walker,
Please explain "circular reasoning." I'm very interested. Especially since the subject of defining a cult can be grossly subjective.
Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
Johnny
Walker here....
I skimmed about 1/2 dozewn of the topics there, and loosely formed that impression.
Essentially, it seemed to me that in several cases the issues under 'discussion' were framed to define the response.
The specific one I recall is, unfortunately, one of the more controversial subjects. When the product of conception is defined as "a baby," there isn't much room left for diccussion.
And yet, there is no direct authority (Biblical or otherwise) that I am aware of for that proposition.
Many people certainly believe that to be the case, and such beliefs are quite legitimate as beliefs, but that doesn't make it so, and, in my opinion, such unprovable beliefs (aka "faith") are particularly bothersome when imposed on others.
Namaste
Walker,
Thanks. I took a class on Ethics at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. The professor was Dr. James C. Peterson. Peterson is a leading ethicist in Canada, the country with the most liberal practices of abortion in the world. According to Peterson, there are literally hundreds of 9-month-old babies suffocating on tables, and left alone to die every day. Germany is the most conservative. After the Holocaust, the German constitution was amended and now states that there is to be no interfering with the human life process. My wife and I had our second child in Germany, and we learned the truth of that when they would not allow any drugs during labor.
Peterson's book, "Genetic Turning Points: The Ethics of Human Genetic Intervention" is a very interesting book on the subject of human life, from zygote (sperm or egg) to embryo (fertilized egg) to fetus (baby). By the way, Fetus is Latin for "child."
This is a very sensitive topic and one that many express polar opposite opinions about.
Even in class, it became quite heated, especially when one seminarian, who was a fireman, was asked, "If you ran into a burning building and found 10 tubes containing embryos and one crying baby, which one/s would you save, the baby or the embryos? The fireman said, "I'd save the baby. And I'd punch someone in the face if they asked me to leave the baby and save the embryos." (He was a bit dramatic.) The professor then reminded the fireman that what he said earlier about believing that an embryo is a baby had just been put into question.
It was a very interesting class.
Thanks again, Walker.
Grace and peace,
Johnny
Only on Johnny's blog can you transition with ease from what makes a cult to embryos in a burning building.
It's truly a conversational rollercoaster.
Haha.
I have always thought I would make a great cult leader. I think I would choose fear and intimidation as my mind controling tactics. Kathy is against the idea and has foiled my plans up to this point.
Jason,
Kathy has tricked you into joining her inclusive cult.
Johnny
WAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA (evil laugh)
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