ipl-logo

Modern Day Cults Essay

698 Words3 Pages

The emergence of cults, otherwise known as New Religious Movements, can be attributed to many sociological factors. Although most people see cults as highly hostile and evil in nature, the majority of groups that are defined as cults display no violence. Modern day cults are groups of people that are separated from the society around it. In this essence, they can be classified as retreatists. They are also in conflict with this society, yet they do not seek to rebel or change the mainstream. Instead, they “organize an alternative value system and way of life... they are the expression of the leader's personal beliefs, hopes, and often, psychopathology” (Lundskow 186-187). Because they reject the world around them, they are forced to create …show more content…

The first church was built in 1953 and was primarily based in California. Jones' main followers were African American, Christian and from urban areas. These types of people were attracted to The People's Temple because Jones preached a belief in integration and racial equality for blacks. During this time period, it was difficult for African Americans to feel they had a place in society. The Civil Rights movement was a political factor that would explain the growing popularity of Jim Jones. In the church there was no class and no racial discrimination. Here, a new nuclear family and community was created. Jim Jones was like a father figure to them and his charismatic characteristics made it easy to fall in love. The People's Temple gave each member a sense of purpose and meaning in life. They believed he could heal the sick and even predict the future. He was God to them. Eventually, power began to consume Jones. This is when The People's Temple was seen as more of a cult. Once you were in, you were no longer allowed to leave. Threats of murder and torture kept people from trying to escape. Strange practices and rituals also began to occur. Men and women were routinely beaten and forced into having sex with Jones. These abuses when on for years. One survivor states “I knew it was wrong, but I didn’t do a thing to stop it” (Flanigan 225). Their morals were completely disregarded in favor of following Jim Jones whether they realized it or

Show More
Related
509 Words | 3 Pages

This article by Larry Rivers A Troublesome Property: Master-Slave Relations in Florida, 1821-1865 was a very open and honesty thread to read. My reaction to this article was pleasing it opened my eyes to how Florida was divided into sections according to counties and slavery occurrences. The article clearly talks about how the troublesome property with the master slaves in Florida had its ups and downs when it came to the slaves in rebellion. It explains how the slave masters treated their families and their laborers.

Read More
237 Words | 1 Pages

Jones, who was an attorney, immediately went about organizing Prince Hall Shrine Temples in Los Angeles, California, Washington D.C., Jacksonville, Florida, Indianapolis, Indiana, Baltimore, Maryland, Kansas City and St. Louis, Missouri, New York City, New York, Cleveland, Ohio, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Providence, Rhode Island, Alexandria and Richmond, Virginia. In September of 1889, Isaac L.W.

Read More
1158 Words | 5 Pages

Dr Pepper is a carbonated soft drink with a unique flavor made in Waco, Texas in 1885. Along with Dr Pepper, Waco, Texas is also the home of the snickers bar. All good things are happening in Texas, except for the Waco Texas Massacre. The Waco, Texas Massacre occurred on April 19, 1993, but was a long term fight before actually occurring. The massacre all started in February of 1993, when exiled Davidians were reporting their leader to the FBI, for raping their children and having a stockpile of illegal weapons.

Read More
721 Words | 3 Pages

The purpose of this paper is to analyze how Jim Jones slowly and manipulatively built his congregation through a recognition that he could capitalize on and exploit individual’s troubles in order to achieve, keep, and act out his authority. The social, religious, and economic climate of the 1960s combined with the chaos of the 1970s created the dependency, idealism, and rationalization that Jim Jones used to slowly yet blatantly manipulate his way to power and eventually create Jonestown. Jim Jones was born in rural Crete. Indiana on May 13, 1931, to Lynetta and James Jones. Early on Jones was different from the other children he grew up around.

Read More
429 Words | 2 Pages

He was born into slavery in Delaware during the time where slavery was being debated with other about it being immoral and undemocratic. Jones, using the New Testament, had taught himself how to read (The Church Awakens…).

Read More
932 Words | 4 Pages

The Holy Ghost People by Peter Adair, was created in 1967. It exposes people of the Pentecostal religion, and their unusual rituals and ceremonies that they partake in. While watching the movie I kept on wondering why someone would want to sit through one of their services and participate in such odd rituals and behaviors. After reviewing the sociological theories we have learned in class, I concluded that Durkheim’s Social Consensus theory and Collins Interaction Ritual Chains theory both best explain the motivations for joining and staying in a religion that has such unusual rituals and extreme commitments.

Read More
845 Words | 4 Pages

Four thousand and two hundred religions exist in the world each supposedly guiding their followers through commandments, decrees, and customs. The largest of all these religions that impacted the American culture is Christianity. Pioneering with the Salem Witch Trials to the various cult movements that still materializes on the news, some people have a tendency to manipulate religious teachings or abuse their powers for leverage over others. Frederick Douglas writes in depth about fanatic ideologies of slave owner combined with warped interpretations of religious text furthermore, he demonstrates how sudden irresponsible power can corrupt one's ethics. Frederick Douglas wrote about the various people that owned him and a slave owner that

Read More
715 Words | 3 Pages

Resocialization is defined by the dictionary as the process of learning new attitudes and norms required for a new social role. In essence, the members of Peoples Temple were certainly brainwashed and taught new values and beliefs that were in actuality the standards of Jim Jones. I believe Jim Jones appeared at a time where people desperately wanted to spread peace and love throughout their communities. He appeared at the lowest point of a lot of people’s lives like drug addicts and the less fortunate. Moreover, these people needed a clear path of guidance from a leader that could possibly grant them a miracle.

Read More
620 Words | 3 Pages

The congregation of the People’s Temple, devoted to Jim Jones, were led to death on November 18, 1978. Nearly 915 people died and only a few made it out alive. The motive behind this act of unfortunate violence is still unknown. Many believe it was in the hands of Jim Jones himself and others are suspicious there was a cover up.

Read More
1059 Words | 5 Pages

These members yearned for bliss and happiness, but instead found themselves in terrible conditions. These members primarily concerned themselves with humanitarian efforts in the Peoples Temple’s communities. Hypocritically, Jim Jones treated his worshippers abusively. Jim Jones used a technique called self-incrimination to punish members of the cult. Jones taught followers to give him “written statements about their fears and mistakes and then, if they disobeyed him, he used that information to humiliate them or subject them to their worst fears during public meetings.”

Read More
1082 Words | 5 Pages

You must have reason to think about the five ways and you must have faith to know true motives of credibility.” HUME: “No, this is why you must not believe anything that is not a definition. You must be skeptic of everything or you may end up just like the People’s Temple.” About a year after the death of Jim Jones, all of the surviving members of People’s Temple stopped believing in their self-proclaimed prophet.

Read More
806 Words | 4 Pages

The Aztec rise to power and formation of an imperial state was both rapid and spectacular. Aztec domination extended from the Tarascan frontier about a hundred miles north of present-day Mexico City southward to the Maya area. The people were forced to pay tribute, surrender lands, and sometimes do military service for the empire. Aztec society had changed in the process of expansion and conquest. The loose association of clans, which was the previous form, the Aztec Empire transformed into a stratified society under the authority of a supreme ruler.

Read More
1438 Words | 6 Pages

Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple Cult “Jim Jones of the Peoples’s Temple began as a sound, fairly mainstream Christian minister” (Sects, ‘Cults’ & Alternative Religions). Before all the madness Jones seemed like a caring person, that wanted to bring peace to a town he made, Jonestown. Instead it turned into something more horrific. Jim Jones was the manipulative mastermind behind the traumatic events that happened in Jonestown, Guyana, this essay will discuss interviews by people who are survivors of the mass suicide, and dive into the crazy conspiracies that have emerged, and finally conclude with the death of the Peoples Temple.

Read More
1790 Words | 8 Pages

The Shakers were optimistic and uncompromising individuals whose achievement in the end turned into their demise. Shakers shaped abstinent and radical groups with a way of life that was entirely controlled through an arrangement of directions actualized by Elders. Under such thorough administration, Shaker’s people group advanced into exceptionally requested, gainful, and productive social orders. These qualities pulled in individuals to Shakerism, at the same time, once they got to be Shakers, a large number of them discovered their lives excessively organized and controlled, making it impossible to manage. This prompted the consequent decrease of Shakerism.

Read More
1840 Words | 8 Pages

Siobhan O’Connor 117440012 Essay 1- (BA) RG1001 2ND November 2017 Introduction to the Study of Religion In this essay, I will begin by defining the study of religion as discipline followed by discussing the many approaches used to study this subject. This will lead me to differentiate between the confessional and the non-confessional approaches to the academic study of religion.

Read More

More about Modern Day Cults Essay

Related Topics

Open Document