Anthony North: My research on cults has convinced me they are full of elements endemic to society in general. Cults, it seems, are nothing more than an extreme example of the influences within society. For instance, who joins a cult? The easy and most popular belief is that cult disciples are inadequates of low intelligence. But in her extensive study of cults, sociologist Eileen Barker has found the opposite. Profile of a disciple: The normal cult member is of above average intelligence and comes from a well-balanced, middieclass background. What appears to be happening is that, as modern life becomes more secular and materialist, an increasing number of intelligent people are finding lifeunfulfilling and meaningless.
Intelligence requires purpose, and if established religions fail to appeal to this increasing minority, then spiritual values are found in fringe cults - of which there are well over a thousand in Britain alone. And once hooked, the follower"s search for meaning, combined with the guru"s charisma, leads to a psychological process that guarantees obedience. Brainwashing?: Ian Haworth, who formed the Cult Information Centre in Britain, would put it more forcefully. A leading member of the anti-cult movement, he would argue that once a cult has been formed by a guru, individuals who feel a lacking in life are sucked into the madness of cultism through psychological coercion, brainwashing or mind control. People joining cults usually argue such techniques would not work onthem, but the favoured methods of meditation used by cults, combined with forms of sleep deprivation and bombarding the initiate with information, inevitably lead to, first, sensory overload, and second, obedience to the whim of a guru. Clearly cult membership also leads to a rejection of family ties as the cult becomes the new family. Fears rising in the natural family of the member has led to the rise of the exit counsellor such as Haworth, who see it as their mission to ‘de-program" members and return them to their loved ones.
Authorities in Turkey are holding the Iranian leader of Iran"s Raelian movement, Negar Azizmoradi. In Iran the Raelian beliefs are considered to be a rejection ofreligious faith, a crime punishable by death."The Turkish authorities say they are discussing what to do with an Iranian atheist who says she fled persecution in Iran.
Negar Azizmoradi, who is the leader of the Raelian movement in Iran, wasarrested after she arrived in Turkey last week."
A Jedi "church" has been born in a galaxy far far away - North Wales. The Holyhead chapter of the self-styled Jedi Church, which claims up to 400,000 members worldwide, has sprung up thanks to brothers Barney and Daniel Jones, both Star Wars obsessives.The "church" is only one of a handful around the planet, said hairdresser Barney, 26, the Anglesey Order Minister, also known as Master Jonba Hehol. "Some people think it will be quite interesting but lots of peoplewill ridicule us because it seems quite nerdy but we've had a good reaction so far," he said. "We think of it as proper lifestyle enhancement and it should be taken seriously - it can't be bad if it makes life better."We live normal day-to-day lives. "We are trying to take away the humour of it all and bring more structure so people take it more seriously." The "religion" was born as a result of a nationwide joke in the 2001 census when nearly 400,000 claimed their belief system was Jedi.
And now
Barney and musician Daniel, 21 - or Master Morda Hehol, self-appointed
UK "church" leader - are getting their new "religion" off the ground.
"It's serious," said Barney.
"We will haveteachings
based on Yoda - the 900-year-old grand master - as well as readings,
essays submitted, meditation and relaxation, visualisation and discuss
healthy eating.
"The Jedi religion is about life improvement, inner peace and changing your lifestyle so you have a more fulfilling existence.
"It's based on the films but we have brought things into it because the films are a bit more sci-fi.
"But we have developed on the film's teachings, introducing teachings we believe the Jedi Knights would seek.
"We used to watch the films over and over again and it came about from that."
There will be no chance of
their empire striking back at people who mock the Jedi, as they are a
peace-loving bunch, said Barney.
The Anglesey order has 80
worshippers -whose uniform i.......
Anthony North: Occasionally the most tragic of events can hit the headlines. When it happens, we all wonder why. But all too often a cult can explode into violence upon itself, the result being mass suicide. Why does it happen? What social forces are involved in this will towards self-destruction? This essay is an attempt to understand. And we need to begin with a few examples. Order of the solar temple: For instance, on 22 December 1995, sixteen corpses were discovered on a plateau in the French Alps in the shape of a star. This was the second mass suicide of the Order of the Solar Temple, a cult formed by fraudster Joseph di Mambro and homeopath Luc Jouret. The first had been fourteenmonths earlier, involving infernos in two Swiss chalet complexes, proceeded by the suspicious deaths, by fire, of five members including a young mother and child in Canada.
The Solar Temple was based on a mix of Knights Templar mythology and new age mysticism, with a distinct apocalyptic nature that would lead to a new spiritual existence. But what brought their apocalypse so soon? It is interesting that Di Mambro had a daughter called Emanuelle, known as a Cosmic Child. However, the child that died in Canada was a boy called Emmanuel. Di Mambro was known to be affronted by this boy being named after the Cosmic Child, branding him the antichrist. Whether out of revenge, or the naming being a signal for Armageddon, the suicides seem to be mixed up with the boy. Heaven"s gate: Such are the mad reasonsfor mass suicide. The Higher Source computer cult, better known as Heaven"s Gate, killed themselves over three nights in March 1997 in their ranch near San Diego. Made up of short-haired, zombie-like computer wizards, they went out for a final meal and then helped each other to take vodka and drugs aided by strangulation. They were led by elderly, white haired Marshall Appplewhite and his wife, known together as Bo and Peep. He had met her in 1975 after she nursed him through mental illness, and they had set up many cults previously.
All our articles are sorted under categories and topics, making it easier to cross reference different subjects. Below are all the different categories the articles are sorted under alphabetically.
37(37/0) 
Anthony North: My research on cults has convinced me they are full of elements endemic to society in general. Cults, it seems, are nothing more than an extreme example of the influences within society. For instance, who joins a cult? The easy and most popular belief is that cult disciples are inadequates of low intelligence. But in her extensive study of cults, sociologist Eileen Barker has found the opposite. Profile of a disciple: The normal cult member is of above average intelligence and comes from a well-balanced, middieclass background. What appears to be happening is that, as modern life becomes more secular and materialist, an increasing number of intelligent people are finding lifeunfulfilling and meaningless. 
View: Full Article | Source: Beyond the Blog 
View: 
Anthony North: Occasionally the most tragic of events can hit the headlines. When it happens, we all wonder why. But all too often a cult can explode into violence upon itself, the result being mass suicide. Why does it happen? What social forces are involved in this will towards self-destruction? This essay is an attempt to understand. And we need to begin with a few examples. Order of the solar temple: For instance, on 22 December 1995, sixteen corpses were discovered on a plateau in the French Alps in the shape of a star. This was the second mass suicide of the Order of the Solar Temple, a cult formed by fraudster Joseph di Mambro and homeopath Luc Jouret. The first had been fourteenmonths earlier, involving infernos in two Swiss chalet complexes, proceeded by the suspicious deaths, by fire, of five members including a young mother and child in Canada. 
