Lesson 3 ~ Organized Religions and Cults
By: Trent Murman
How do they match up with the 'five criteria'?
(a) There is no powerful, charismatic leader or leaders for their communities, although there is a strong leadership in each local congregation;
(b) there is a rigid discipline that essentially enforces a high level of group think in the community;
(c) friends and relatives are included only if they are a part of the community, with those that leave (apostates) being shunned;
(d) financial abuse takes the form of financial limitations that result from members living to the strictures of the Ordnung (often called the 'Amish Charter'); and,
(e) they are carefully segregated from the surrounding society.
The US Marine Corps! Is it a cult? Consider each of the 5 questions posed above, and see how many of them you think the Corps meets.
Does that make it a cult? Probably a cult? Maybe a cult? Probably not? No way?
I was stationed with the USMC for a total of four years during my service in the USN. I have the utmost of respect for these men and women in the Corps. In my judgment the only 1 of the 5 criteria that may "fit" the USMC is number 5…they are carefully segregated from the surrounding society….this is a must with their training and "esprit des corps" these men and women have definitely bonded from boot camp thru their military careers. However, they are not segregated from their families only during their duty hours and training missions. There is NO WAY this could be considered a cult in my judgment.
How about the Parent-Teacher group at your local school? How many of the 5 questions do they meet? How would you classify them?
The Parent-Teacher group may fall into numbers 1, 2, 3 and 5. Most PTA's do have a structured and charismatic leadership within the organization and is needed for fund raisers, persuading parents to their way of thinking concerning their child's good or bad accomplishments in school. As long as every child is encouraged in the same manner and to the same standards. They do have a high degree of influence in the way teachers think and in turn they influence the way the parents think regarding their child's accomplishments within the school system. The relatives are included in the group if they choose to be, there is no segregation in that manner. However, those children and parents that leave the particular school system are not shunned as might be in a true "cult" society. I feel this may be considered a cult in some respects. It does meet some of the criteria, marginally more than half of the 5 points to the criteria.
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