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 ba
lly 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.
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 m
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