NOTE: Free essay sample provided on this page should be used for references or sample purposes only. The sample essay is available to anyone, so any direct quoting without mentioning the source will be considered plagiarism by schools, colleges and universities that use plagiarism detection software. To get a completely brand-new, plagiarism-free essay, please use our essay writing service.
One click instant price quote
... to respect each other. Inside the cult, families are separated also. Families pose a threat to the leaders because they represent attachments and loyalties that challenge the leaders supremacy (Appel 106). One way to break up families is to break up marriages.
In some cults couples are pressured to enter sexual relationships with other members encouraged by the leader. Some cults require members to play sexual musical chair and use orgies to break down inhibitions (Appel 110). In other cults sexual relationships are repressed. Sex is seen as sinful. Many couples are separated into one gender sleeping areas. This is one of the central ways to weaken a marriage.
Ties between children and their parents are weakened also. Children are put into communal childcare and contact between parents and children are restricted. In many communal homes, children are constantly moved from home to home. Because of this friendships between children do not exist. Also, religious cult leaders claim the children are the children of God (Appel 108).
This again weakens the ties giving the feeling that children do not belong to parents. Weakened ties also strengthen cult dependency. In some cults, child abuse exists. Fears of children are exploited in order to gain vulnerability.
Some punishments of children involve being tied up, shunned by others for a period of time, and humiliating, public beatings. Many children receive little or no affection. They lack a sense of humor, creativity, and judgement. Most are malnourished and wear ragged clothes. Their education is filled with the teachings of corrupted morals and values, and they exhibit stunted mental growth. It is very difficult to leave a cult.
The effects cults have on ex-members once they are out are serious. Many cults threaten that if members leave, they will be killed. The longer the person is a member, the longer they need rehabilitation. However, rehabilitation time varies from person to person and from cult to cult.
It has been reported, for example, that it takes almost twice the time for former Scientologists to feel fully rehabilitated as it does the members of other groups (Appel 159). Because cults provide a social support system among all the members, it is difficult for people to leave. Once they are out, there is no support system. There is nothing for them to do.
Also, if people joined the cult because of the lack of support in their own family, it is even more difficult to leave. Sometimes its better to leave them in the cult. There are several techniques used for rehabilitation. One of the techniques used is deprogramming, where ex-members are de converted.
It is very difficult to deprogram ex-members because of all the programming that cults have done. People that were members of cults experience a difficulty in the flow of consciousness. Cults manipulate the central nervous system, which is normally always reacting continuously, by breaking down the minds ability to react. This leaves people with a dull, zombie like state.
Critical thinking and the flow of thoughts deteriorate in cults and are one of the causes of poor intellectual abilities of most members. When people come out of cults, their consciousness is very empty or filled with hallucinative phenomena. The ordinary mental flow has been disrupted. They cant think as well, cant make decisions as well, and cant act as well (Appel 154). It is important for success in psychotherapy to talk about both positive and negative aspects in cults. This shows both sides of the two worlds.
As an outcome, ex-members usually feel guilt, shame, loss, depression, and humiliation about joining cults. It is very difficult for therapists to treat ex-members because they must deal with a lot of emotions. One former member of Scientology, a very large cult, describes the cult as devastating! I still tend to view the world in Scientological terms the only thing I got out of this scam was deep suicidal depression coinciding with the fear of death within five years after separation (Poster 2). Ex-members also begin to understand why they entered the cult and what happened inside. They need to reestablish their identity in order to deal with their life before joining the cult.
Rehabilitation processes move even more smoothly if the family is involved. Strong family ties and a reliable support system help an individual who is trying to leave a cult. However, once out of the cult the individual must function in the normal society (Deikman). In our society there is a lot of controversy about cults. Cults raise questions about the way our society is based. In a way it takes advantage of society.
It over uses freedom of speech and freedom of religion, knowing that society cant do anything about it. Cults are born out of a certain social context, and they are a part of it (Appel 162). They isolate themselves from the rest of the world and they oppose normal society in their judgement, morals, and values. Cults have remained steady throughout history.
However, today there are more cults then ever. They are more influential and wealthier. Because of the dependency of the members, cults have a strong social organization that can be destructive. Their effects on society are intimidating because they have a lot of control on their members. Cults will continue to exist if society allows certain groups to remain.
In America, the freedom of speech and religion prevails. Therefore, society must tolerate cults. Although cults affect their members greatly, its even more troublesome when they start to affect the society. Heavens Gate, for example, ended in a mass suicide. The nation sat and watched as several individuals died because of their beliefs. This was also the case with leader David Korea and his followers.
The nation had a standoff with the cult until the compound was in flames. These are all ways that cults and their beliefs and actions conflicted with society. Cults should have the right to practice in their own way. However, as a nation we need to find ways to prevent the negative aspects of cults to occur.
Solutions to negative cult action would be to influence people to stay away from cult belief. This is occurring at the moment. There are many organizations, such as anti cults, that fight against cults and their ways of life. Yet, these organizations are not enough. Today there is cult awareness among schools, especially colleges, warning people that fall under the vulnerable category. There are also many organizations that help family members of people in cults.
Mass suicides, physically harming others, through starvation, physical or sexual abuse, and mentally abusing people are not positive ways to practice different religions. For example, Scientology is a very large cult that has several organizations located not only over the nation, but also the world. According to many ex-members, this cult is one of the most influential cults known. They use every technique possible to persuade their members. Many members were found, as described before, malnourished, physically and mentally deteriorated, and completely brain-washed. Many researchers have found that Scientology is one of the hardest cults to leave.
Because of all the programming and auditing used to control members, its takes twice as long for them to become deprogrammed than it would with other cults. The reason why cults are so controversial is because they raise questions about the way our society is based. They also over-exercise the right to religious freedom and freedom of speech. They are very influential. Because they live in America, they have the right to enjoy these freedoms. However, the way they use these freedoms conflicts with the rest of the society.
With the end results of many cults in America, cults generally have bad reputation. Although they have rights to exercise their religion, hurting others in the act is abusing the freedom. Bibliography:
Free research essays on topics related to: freedom of speech, support system, negative aspects, morals and values, sexual relationships
Research essay sample on Freedom Of Speech Morals And Values
