![]() ![]() At this very juncture, Manson planned to come to the forefront and take control. ✦ The Family believed that though the blacks would emerge victorious after the battle, they would seek help of the remaining whites, in order to establish a proper leadership. ![]() ✦ The main belief of the Family was termed as Helter Skelter by Manson, and the term―which according to him―referred to an apocalyptic battle between the black and the white races. In fact, he himself claimed to be a devoted Scientologist, with an amateur interest in Satanism. ✦ Manson did not claim to have any religious basis for his group, unlike most other cults, which tend to have solid “religious” beliefs. This group of young people came to be called, “the Family.” ✦ In San Francisco, he established himself as a guru, and managed to attract a committed group of followers, though not very big. Since then, he spent much of his life behind bars until 1967, when he shifted from West Virginia to San Francisco, after being released from jail. At 16, his mother was imprisoned for armed robbery, after which he turned to crime himself. ✦ Charles Manson, the founder of the Manson family, had a rather dark past. ✦ Despite being the center of several controversies and allegations, Scientology is a recognized religion in a number of countries including the United States, Italy, Australia, Spain, and Portugal. They believe that it should be abolished, as it is abusive and destructive in nature. ✦ One of the most controversial beliefs held by Scientologists is against psychiatry being called a science. ✦ The cult has also been blamed of using tools, such as psychological abuse, character assassination, and costly litigation against their critics, which the cult obviously denies. Several critics have allegedly claimed that they have been using techniques, such as brainwashing and hypnosis on their members. ✦ It is one of the most controversial cults of the 20th century. ✦ They use the method of spiritual rehabilitation by means of consciously re-experiencing painful events of the past lives, so that the minds can be freed from them and cleansed. According to them, humans were aliens in their previous births. ✦ The main beliefs of the Church comprise some of the most exotic teachings about alien civilizations and their relationship with humans. ✦ Considered as one of the wealthiest institutions on earth, Scientology is a new religious movement, preaching that humans are in actuality, immortal beings who have forgotten their true nature. Because the cults or NRMs seem to deviate people from the established systems of beliefs and practices, they are often viewed as dangerous and malevolent. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, a new religious movement (NRM) is, any religion originating in recent centuries having characteristic traits including eclecticism and syncretism, a leader who claims extraordinary powers, and a “countercultural” aspect. ![]() To make matters even more complicated, sociologists consider the term ‘cult’ as derogatory, and rather prefer to call such groups/ideologies as ‘new religious movements’, simply because the latter is a little easier to define than the former. This is probably the reason why the term is often used rather loosely, to refer to any group that seems to work against the tide. ![]() What might mean a ‘cult’ for one, may not hold true for the other. Owing to this, it is needless to say that defining the term is rather tough, and more often than not, a subject of personal opinion. These are just two of the numerous interpretations, which most people tend to make when they think of a ‘cult’. Some people also think that ‘cult’ constitutes a group of people, coming together with a sinister motive and engaging in anti-social activities. The term ‘cult’ often comes to refer to a group of people, engaging in activities, which seem to be far from those which are socially, politically, and/or religiously accepted. Most beliefs and ritual practices of these cults are aimed at achieving material wealth from the commercially developed colonizing countries. Quick Fact The name Cargo cults has been given to a number of cults in the Melanesian region. ![]()
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