David and Cults Part 1

Well well Jonathan, I must say that's all very excellent stuff you have there. I find that on a few small points you and I seem to agree. But the one thing that most stuck out for me was the idea that the excesses of individuals who follow a religion should not be blamed on the religion itself. That's absolutley right, and I think that its really a shame when you think about it that the whole idea of a nice, decent religion which speaks about helping others has been twisted by a group of greedy people who just want to profit from this belief. NOW THEN, I've realized from a few minor criticisms here and there that not only have I been focusing almost solely on Christianity far too much, but we also appear to have a whole string of religions that we've left out of the discussion like Hinduism and Buddhism, Islam and all that good stuff. The only problem with this is that we really need a Hindu or a Muslim here so they can share their true beliefs instead of us taking evidence from various sources that may be apocryphal. But in any case, in human history there are so many gods that its virtually impossible to do justice to each one. Some cultures had a moon god, some had a god for war, a god for nature, even a god for love. But I know nothing about these gods and so I can't write about them. Seeing as to how we're on the topic of religion I thought I might bring up certain aspects of religion which might be viewed with a frown: I'm thinking about those strange groups that we call Cults. Cults are not exactly religions but they seem to be a perverse mockery of religion. Most Cults exist solely for means of exploitation. I find it intersting though when we think about Cults and their ability to flourish. Cults usually involve a single, charismatic individual who manages to surround himself with a group of loyal followers who are sometimes so fanatically absorbed with their leader that they will die for them. The real question is, why do people join cults? Is it something to do with dissatisfaction for the standing religions? Is it a need for spiritual experience? Or is it the promises that some cults make which guaruntee some kind of miracle in our personal lives? To be honest, I think its a little bit of all those things. When we say the word "cult" what immediatly seems to come to mind is a group of shady individuals who practice questionable things for some twisted belief and who live on the fringes of society. In truth, there are some cults which fit this description, but the biggest and most influential tend to be quite the opposite. They show themselves as respectable organisations with no desire but to spread their beliefs and bring enlightenment and succour to those in need. But in most cases, behind the facade of family and freindship there is usually an instability which threatens every member of the organisation. The leader, in their self-absorbed arrogance, can become almost megalomaniacal and tryannical. Many who sometimes express a desire to leave the cult are alienated and abused. Cults literally thrive on the human fear of what comes after death. They take advantage of our fears and try to twist our beliefs into theirs. Most cults try to alienate their memebers from family and freinds (unless the whole family joins the cult) as they can be a stumbling block in the cult's goal to make their members see the cult as their only real family and support, thus ensuring their absolute loyalty in the long term. Brainwashing is not uncommon among cults, which use certain techniques to alter a persons way of thinking and to change their moral values. Just as Charles Manson did with his "family", cults sometimes resort to extreme measures to carry out their goals, such as having their members commit murder or suicide. Cults, in my opinion, are the embodiment of the human need for knowledge about the after-life. We are so obsessed and curious about it, that we will seek out those who claim to possess the ability to show us what exists beyond our borders of perception. Most seem to be taken in by the power of this, but others see past the mystique and become the kind of people you see who protest the existence of cults and want them disbanded. Cults possess a fascinating ability to obtain finances. Shoko Asahara, the leader of the Japanese cult known as "AUM Supreme Truth" sold dubious miracle cures for thousands of dollars and even had his own beard clippings, which were purported to possess divine power when ingested with tea, sold for over $375 a half inch. I think that because some people live lives which appear to be drab and without variation, such as Japan's whole societal idea where some people are so pressured to do well that they kill themselves when they dont get a 90% average in school, or when people feel tired of the strict discipline and personal chaos surrounding their lives, they turn to cults to provide them with something fresh. The human need for excitement drives us to do extreme things when we become desperate that our lives are going nowhere, this is when we are in a perfect condition to be seduced by the power of cults.