Conclusion Cults

The cults are characterized by their methods and also their beliefs. A cult refers to a social group that is cohesive and it is devoted to practices and beliefs of the surrounding culture considered to be out of the mainstream with notably negative or positive admired perceptions. In most of the times cults have a positive and a negative perception with the positive perception relating it to the groups of arts, fiction, writing, music and fashion. On the other hand the negative for cultic movements relates it to pyramidal business groups, questionable therapeutic groups and also extreme political groups.

The status of a cultic populist group begins as a rumor of the belief system in a novel including its devotions that are great, its practices that are idiosyncratic and also its positive or negative effects on the members and its perception. In most cases cults are defined in such a way that they are viewed and identified as problematic groups and if we were to do away with the problematic concern the attributes and the characteristics of cultic groups would not be in existence, (Richardson N. 2004). Types of cults The Utopian Cult

This group of people share a belief that the Lord, Jesus Christ returned back to earth way back in the year 70. The return of Christ made it possible for the community to bring the millennium kingdom of Christ themselves. Consequently, the cult believers were able to free themselves of sin and have hence forth been perfected in the world. They do not wait for perfection in heaven since they already attained it down here on earth. This community was characterized by the spirit of communalism. They owned all processions and property communally. They were present in Vermont, New Jersey, Newark, Wallingford and Putney among other places.

The community initially had 87 members but the number grew up to 306 by the year 1878. All the branches of this cult were closed down in the year 1854. The only surviving community by the name the Wallingford community was unfortunately devastated and washed away by a tornado way back in 1854. The Apocalypse Cult This cult typology has people who believe that the world is coming to an end. The cult is also commonly known by the term, dooms day cult. They site the examples of the weapons of mass destruction as one of the elements that will bring the world to an end.

They claim that the planet earth is being faced by wrath and great threats to the existence of human kind and that it will be wiped off from the face of the earth as well as the world history, (Wilson, Stephen, 1993). The cult holds affirm belief that the Lord Jesus Christ will only come back to earth after there has occurred a holocaust of nuclear in the Middle East. They then argue that the most powerful leaders today have been brainwashed by this belief and that’s the reason why they are propagating for the nuclear weapons and those of mass destruction.

They cult leaders who are apocalyptic have contributed to the loss of lives by thousands of people. The followers believe that they are the chosen ones by Christ and have been saved from the evils of this world and will eternally live at the right most hand of Jesus Christ. They prophesy on the rapture and try to speed up the second coming of Christ. Religious Cults A religious cult has other external religious observances and practices apart from the sacred scriptures and the faith of the believers. Religious cults normally have veneration devotion that goes beyond the living. They are characterized worship of the dead.

The observances of religious cults include ceremonies and rituals that may be done in a variety of forms including sacrifice, prayers or hymns. These cult types also have idols and sacred places that are used for pilgrimages, (Weissen, K. 1992). The most notorious cults are the doomsday or apocalyptic cults since they are known to mislead and brainwash their follower’s minds and sometimes even to death. Cults and Canada Canada should have legislation against the formation and following of cults. Cults do lure many innocent citizens who feel that the world has not been fair to them.

These people are normally desperate and the cults easily take advantage of this and promise them of a fruitful and good life beyond this earth. Through these cults, hundreds of people have lost their lives where the followers are at times advised by their leaders to take away their lives so as to meet Christ and move away from this desperate and evil world. Cults should hence be done away with and absolutely banned through legislation. The difference between a religion and a cult lies in extremity while the religions don’t and also the cults exhibit them with a greater vigor than all the other religions do.

It is important to clearly define the term cult and how it differs or it’s similar to religion. A cult is not just defined as a religion and on the other hand the major world’s religions are not cults, (Richardson N. 2004). Some people say that the only difference that exists between a cult and a religion is a hundred years. Cults do not have any positive gains since they eventually lead to the destruction of their followers or they misguide and mislead their followers to an extent that they become confused. The followers of a cult do not normally see those who are not part of this form of worship as leading the true way of life.

They can even cause harm to those who criticize them, (James, Simon 1993). The strength of the cults is that they are able to lure worshipers into believing on the doctrines of the cult and eventually brainwash them. They are based on materialism and hence innocent people would give in to their ideas. Their main weakness is that they do not end well. More often than not, the cult followers end up losing their lives to the beliefs and ill advice of their leaders. The followers lead a miserable life with the untrue promises given to them by their leaders, (Herm and Jerhard, 2001). Conclusion Cults have existed for very many years to date.

Some people normally are not able to tell the difference between cults and the true religious faith. This is more so because there are even religious cults. The cult community normally shares a set of beliefs which could have their end focused on Christ or not. A very prominent editor for the Washington weekly turned down an article proposal on the issue of science and church by saying that the only difference that existed between a religion and a cult was a hundred years. Similarly a larger number of people agree to such sentiments as they equate religions to cults and insist on the blurriness of any line that separates them in any way.

It seems perverse for the religious people who are honest to their faiths to be grouped together with those who run cults. References Herm, Jerhard, (2001): The Celts: The People Who Came Out of the Darkness. NY: St. Martin’s Press James, Simon (1993): The World of the Cults. London: Thames and Hudson, 1993. Richardson N. (2004): The Homeric Hymn to Demeter, Oxford Weissen, K. (1992): Goddess Worship and the Status of Women in Ancient Celtic Society. Hampshire College: Wilson, Stephen, (1993): Saints and their Cults: Studies in Religious Sociology, Folklore and History. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press