FREE ESSAY ON CULTS

CULTS

Recently I read an article about the Heaven's Gate Cult, and I wondered why on earth would
someone get involved in a cult whose purpose seemed so ridiculous. How can you make sense
out of the suicide of 39 people? How can you explain behavior that seems so strange?
Should we just assume that people who follow this kind of cult are weirdoes, stupid,
insane, evil, or is there something more to it? 
I decided to do a little online research to find out a little more about cults. I found
out that cults are really not all that uncommon, and that almost anyone can fall victim
to a cult. Most people do not set out to join a 'cult'. They get involved with a group of
interesting people. These groups usually promise to fulfill a person's individual needs
or to compensate for societies failures. These groups may promise to heal sickness,
foretell the future, or enhance a person's life in some way. The leaders of these cults
usually promise to have all the answers to whatever problems these people have. These
groups become cults when they are seen as deceptive, dangerous, or they oppose the basic
values of society. 
Usually people get involved with cults when they are at a vulnerable period in their
lives. People who are at a transitional period in their lives, like people who recently
lost a job, or someone who just moved to a new area may be susceptible. Another reason
why people get involved with these groups could be that they are unsatisfied with their
religions, their education, or their social lives. The cult seems to fill the void of
whatever is missing in a person's life. People find instant friendships, a caring family,
an identity, safety, security, and an organized agenda for every day life.
Most people who are recruited into cults are recruited by people they feel they can
trust, in a setting that is familiar. Family, friends, neighbors, co-workers or teachers
often do recruitment. Recruitment often takes place in familiar places like school, home,
work, churches, workshops, or (as in the case of Heaven's Gate) over the Internet. This
makes the cult feel safe and comfortable. People don't feel like they are getting
involved in a "cult" instead they feel like they are joining the crowd. 
Cult leaders offer simple answers to the complex problems of everyday living. 
They claim to know a simple path to happiness, to success, and to Salvation. . People who
follow their simple rules and simple lifestyle will be on this path. Cult leaders give
members very simple directions on how to think, act and feel. In return a member gets all
those things that may be missing from their lives. What these leaders claim to know seems
so simple and easy, that some people feel they can participate with little hesitation it
seems like a perfect solution for those people who feel that they are powerless in their
lives. Each new member contributes to a leaders power by trading their own freedom for
the illusion of security that each group has. The madness of a cult leader becomes
normalized as members embrace it. It becomes a members belief system. 
Cults like Heaven's Gate are unusual however; there are many different kinds of cults
around. Some cults can be more dangerous than others. Some are money or power oriented,
while others are spiritual centered. A money, or power-centered cult can become dangerous
when it manipulates members into contributing large amounts of money or personal
sacrifice. A member may be asked to spend large amounts of time earning money for the
cult. They may be asked to beg, borrow, or steal money. A spiritual based cult can also
become dangerous. Theses religious cults claim that they know all of lives unanswered
questions. Typically members of these cults become isolated from the world around them.
They are expected not to talk to anyone who is not a member. 
Is there anyway we can prevent cults from forming? I guess to answer that we would have
to look behind the messages behind cults. Usually cults form because there is something
missing from society. We would have to find a way to make our society make up for
everything that is missing. We would have to find ways to make our society deliver on the
many things that cults promise.