Cult Killings

Higgins O’BrienSpring 2012

The authors define a cult as a “loosely structured and unconventional form of religious group, whose members are held together by a charismatic leader who mobilizes their loyalty around some new religious cause”

- During Roman Times, Christianity was considered a cult

- The Church of Jesus Christ and Latter-day Saints (Mormons) began in 1830 as a small cult in an upstate New York village

- The Branch Davidians led by David Koresh were also considered a cult before perishing in the 1993 Waco Siege

Dangerous Cults Characteristics

Authoritarian leaders who claim a special mission or knowledge

Charismatic dominant leadership style Total allegiance Claim innovative and exclusive answer to individual/societal

problems “Ends justifies the means” logic that justifies manipulation of

others Totalistic ideological and behavioral control over members Major transformation of lifestyle

Unlike traditional religious organizations, cults pressure new recruits to cut off ties with old friends and family

Dangerous Cults continued There are powerful forces to comply and

conform once joining a cult A deranged leader can make others

commit murder in extreme cases Gangs, fraternities, and even

corporations can demonstrate cult characteristics

The Appeal of Cults Cults are attractive to individuals feeling

a lack of structure and belongingness in their lives

Throughout history many have claimed that the world is ending soon, and this apocalyptic thinking continues today

Cults take advantage of this, and offer answers

The Heaven's Gate cult committed mass suicide in 1999. A poison ritual was completed by 39 members, who believed they would enter a spaceship traveling behind the Haley Bopp comet

Leader Marshall Applewhite

Charismatic Leaders and their Followers Jim Jones, leader of the People's Temple, led

913 Americans to kill themselves in Jonestown, Guyana on Nov. 1978

He relocated members from the U.S. to an isolated jungle in South America

Convinced that the FBI and CIA were closing in on them, he persuaded his followers to drink poison

There are many other smaller cases of seemingly intelligent individuals being brainwashed by rituals and “supernatural” leaders

Needs Fulfilled by Cults Cults have historically recruited alienated

youth Teenagers who suffer from

mood/personality disorders and are looking for a place to fit in are vulnerable

The internet has become a powerful tool for cults to recruit members

Promises of power or supernatural abilities can make individuals rationalize their bizarre behavior

Members can be forced to donate everything they own to the cult, or engage in violence

Normal People in Abnormal Situations Not all cult members are crazy or naïve,

many are educated and seemingly intelligent individuals

Charismatic leaders can persuade others through flattery, deception, or need fulfillment

People who are depressed and vulnerable are looking for change, and are susceptible to an authority figure

Many studies have explored this idea Milgram shock experiments Stanford University prison experiment

Normal People in Abnormal Situations continued Cults can control every detail of

members' lives Dress codes Food Friendship and Family Work

Because teenagers are so vulnerable, teachers, advisors, friends, family, and counselors have a responsibility to provide structure and support

Suicide or Homicide Because of the large influence cult

leaders have over members, there is a debate on whether mass suicides are really cases of mass homicide

Are cult members responsible for their own death?

Brainwashing characteristics can include Control over all communication and information Mystical manipulation involving a “higher authority” Demand for purity Sacred science Use of new language or jargon Denial of self, group is more important Degrading outsiders “us vs. them”