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Defining Cults in Todays Society Cult kult n [F &# 038; L; F cute, fr. L cultus care, adoration, - 1. Formal religious veneration: WORSHIP 2: a system of religious belief and ritual; also: its body of adherents 4: a system for the cure of disease based on dogma set forth by promulgator 5 a: great devotion to a person, idea, or thing, ; esp: such devotion regarded as a literary or intellectual fad b: a usu. Small circle of persons united by devotion or allegiance to an artistic or intellectual movement or figure cul-tic kel-tik adj cult-ism kel-the-em n cul-that kel-test n Forward When I first chose cults as the topic for my research essay, I was confident it would be a simple task of researchingwellcults. But the problem arose when trying to explain what a cult is. The dictionary basically describes a cult as a system of religious belief, therefore, that would make any religion or philosophical belief system definable as a cult.
Due to this confusion, when I refer to the term cult in my report, it is referring to any religious system or system of beliefs that: A. Harms the followers of the belief physically, psychologically, emotionally and / or spiritually. B. Causes oppression to the followers, society, or any person.
C. Is a belief system in which the leader is self-appointed and highly manipulative through charisma, yet is determined and domineering. D. A belief system that is authoritarian in structure, and often has a double set of ethics.
E. A belief system that requires members to undergo a major disruption or change in life-style. I hope that this clears up any questions you may have pertaining to the definition of the term cult used in this report. Origin of Religion From the time man was first able to consciously ponder such issues as birth, death, dreaming, and afterlife, religion was in its initial stages. For early humans, life was a hard. A life filled with the perils of hunting, extreme weather, and warring tribes, physical health and the prosperity of crops were essential for sustaining life.
It was from this Paleolithic era, when modern day archaeologists first discovered signs of early religions. In caves around the world from this time there are numerous indications of early ritual practices depicted on stone walls, burial sites, and carvings. This was as far as history knows the first true evidence of mans developing a religious consciousness. As man developed his concern with religion deepened. In the Neolithic period, sanctuaries for religious rites and shrines for community worship appeared in many villages. He saw the spirits and gods in the trees, in the animals, and in the stars.
Monotheism was non existent. To these early people all aspects of life were of the gods. For example, a tribe would before the hunt of a buffalo pray to the gods for a successful hunt. They would paint a picture of the buffalo on the side of a rock with arrows sticking into it as a sort of instruction manual to the gods as well.
This is what historians call sympathetic magic, similar to the voodoo practice of stabbing a dummy with pins to inflict illness or death on an enemy. As these nomadic tribes grew in size, communities became more autonomous. Instead of hunting, villages would grow their own food and animals for food and clothing. Because of this, emphasis on gods of war and hunting was no longer needed.
The mother earth became the new ruler of fertility. This was the dawn of early pagan religions in Europe, Mesopotamia, Africa, and South America. In the Middle East, societies developed, and the religions of the Babylonians, the Egyptians, the Summerians, and the Assyrians grew and developed into more and more complicated faiths. From these grew some of todays great religions such as Judaism and Hinduism, which in turn developed into Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Taoism etc From each of these major religions, there have been through history thousands of branches into various sects. Some of that have caught on and continued into actual religions, and others that were seen as wrong or immoral. It is into the unknown territories of these new sects, that cults arise, and it is often difficult to see the hidden dangers in these new religious movements.
Thus with the Dawn of Watch and other dangers such as the Heavens gate mass suicides, it is important to be wary of these dangers. 328
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Research essay sample on Religious Belief Belief System
