Religious Cults and Their Characteristics

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Worldwide Church of God
Christian Science
Hare Krishna
Conclusion
Works Cited

Introduction

Cults belong to the phenomena that fill people in equal parts with curiosity and caution due to the closeness of the subject matter and the large number of myths that surround it. A cult can be defined as excessive veneration of a specific object or a person, as well as the associated religious practices (Mill 99). It is often believed that the members of a cult have little to no agency of their own and are, therefore, in complete command of the religious organization of which they are participants (Mill 101). While the identified statement has a grain of truth in it, the variety that cults represent is quite impressive and, in fact, not always imply taking complete control over the participants. Even though the Worldwide Church of God (WCG), Christian Science, and Hare Krishna is based on different beliefs and philosophies, the consistent focus on promoting specific values and ideas as the foundation for interactions between the community members, their decision-making, etc., is what brings the three churches together.

Worldwide Church of God

The Worldwide Church of God (WCG) may have changed its name, yet the foundational principles according to which it operates remain the same. Known nowadays as the Grace Communion International (GCI), the organization positions itself as a Christian denomination that reinforces the concept of minimalism (Gauvin 17). The organization was founded by Herbert Armstrong in the 1970s and was initially started as the religious organization that performed its services on air. When considering the characteristics of Armstrongs teachings that set WCG apart from the traditional Christian denominations, one must mention the fact that Armstrong claimed the advent of Christ to occur in 1972 (Hinsley 221).

As expected, the failure of the prophecy that was witnessed in 1972 led to a massive drop in the popularity of the cult, yet the following rearrangement of the church and the reprioritizing of the organizations goals created the foundation for the further functioning of WCG. Now known as GCI, the organization has been exploring the opportunities for reviewing the existing theological doctrines (Hinsley 221). For instance, the concept of gender equality in the form of permitting women to become pastors and carry out the related responsibilities deserves to be mentioned among the distinctive features that the organization has today. The innovative way of viewing womens roles in contemporary society can be considered one of the factors that help GCI remain in the spotlight of the publics attention (Hinsley 221-222).

Christian Science

Christian Science (CS) is slightly older than WCG since it was started in the 19^th century; however, it shares certain characteristics with WCG as another specimen of a cult. Despite its name, CS has practically nothing to do with the scientific method; instead, it promotes the idea of studying the Bible as the source of general information for peaceful relationships among people. In other words, Biblical passages, while not being taken for granted, are not interpreted literally, either (Christian Science: Beliefs and Teachings).

Inspecting the philosophy closer, one should mention that its core message revolves around a single statement taken from the Bible. CS perpetuates the idea of love as the foundation for the interactions between people: Christian Science and its healing ministry rests entirely on the affirmation from the Bible that God is love (Christian Science: Beliefs and Teachings). In other words, it could be argued that the philosophy of the CS rests on the principles of equality and tolerance as the key to developing loving and trustworthy relationships between the members of the community, as well as people worldwide.

Given the strong impetus for bringing the members of the community closer, one may assume that CS warrants the status of a cult. However, CS also reinforces the idea of people all over the world joining in a community based on the principles of love and acceptance (Church of Religious Science). Therefore, CS goes beyond the traditional idea of a cult and, instead, suggests a new way of looking at relationships between the people inside and outside the organization. Therefore, in the grand scheme of events, it contributes to the unification of people all over the world, which cannot be deemed as the primary objective of a typical cult. That being said, on a global level, CS can be viewed as the ultimate cult given the fact that it strives to unite all people, presumably under the umbrella of its philosophy of love (Christian Science: Beliefs and Teachings).

Hare Krishna

Of all cults, Hare Krishna, or International Society for Krishna Consciousness, is, perhaps, the best-known due to the focus on Indian subcultures that have been popular in media for quite a while (Melton 232). Putting a very heavy emphasis on Vaishnavism and implying that the participants of the cult should worship Vishnu as their god, the cult also addresses the significance of Radha as the female counterpart of the divine force. Therefore, the philosophy can be viewed as the basis for introducing the participants of the cult to the idea of gender equality (Chryssides and Zeller 329).

Similar to the cults described above, Hare Krishna has a set of values and principles according to which the participants must make their decisions and life choices. However, unlike CS and WCG, HK is more specific in its demands toward the followers. For instance, the cult prohibits any forms of gambling as a sinful behavior that must not be encouraged (Chryssides and Zeller 330).

The philosophy, values, and ethical standards of HK reside on the so-called seven purpose-related principles and four regulative ones. The identified standards of behavior can be interpreted as the ethical foundation for building the required values among the members of the cult. The fact that the cult encourages its members to promote the teaching of HK actively shows that the identified religious movement can be defined as a cult despite its relatively mild nature and lack of obtrusive elements (Chryssides and Zeller 330).

Much like CS and WCG, HK makes it clear that the traditional virtues such as mercy, propensity toward telling the truth, and the ability to control ones emotions help one reach the state of enlightenment and, thus, gain a unique spiritual experience. However, the significance of clearness of mind, which HK stresses, sets the religious movement apart from the rest of the sects. Nevertheless, the plethora of characteristics that the spiritual foundations of the religion share with SC and WCG show that HK is another cult (Melton 233).

Conclusion

The ideas and religious philosophies on which WCG, Christian Science, and Hare Krishna are based might be strikingly different, yet the goals toward which the proponents of the cult and its members are striving are surprisingly similar. Each focuses on the promotion of active communication and support between the community members, as well as reinforcing the idea of basing the participants decisions on the values and principles proclaimed as worth following by the cults in question. Thus, the foundation for forming a coherent structure in the community and compelling its members is created.

Works Cited

Christian Science: Beliefs and Teachings. 2017. Web.

Chryssides, George D. and Benjamin E. Zeller. The Bloomsbury Companion to New Religious Movements. London, UK: A&C Black, 2014.

Church of Religious Science. 2017. Web.

Gauvin, Jacques. The Other Side of the Holy Cover: Hundreds of Bible Based Articles. Toronto, Canada: Jacques Gauvin, 2014.

Hinsley, Phil. Water and Blood. New York, NY: Author House, 2014.

Melton, Gordon J. Encyclopedic Handbook of Cults in America. New York, NY: Routledge, 2014.

Mill, Maris. Religion and Society in Ancient Thessaly. Oxford, UK: OUP, 2015.

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