Cult Characteristics & Behaviors
So what makes a group a cult? One characteristic that we reviewed already is that there tends to be a leader that the group follows with unquestioning faith. The leader supports and preaches a particular doctrine, belief system, or ideology that members adhere to. Members are usually so committed to this belief system that they are easily persuaded to commit unethical if not illegal acts that have been deemed justifiable by the leader. Let's take a look at three examples that highlight some of these key characteristics of cult culture and their often dangerous behaviors.
In 1967, Charles Manson founded the cult known as, ''The Family.'' This is one of the few examples of a nonreligious but dangerous cult. Manson believed that the United States would soon fall into an apocalyptic war between the races. He recruited members and brainwashed them into believing that after the race war was over, they would be asked to lead the country into the dawning of a new age. This supposed war wasn't happening quickly enough for Manson and in order to speed up the process he successfully convinced his followers to commit a series of brutal murders. Eventually, they were caught, and Manson was sentenced to life in prison.
Another cult called ''Heaven's Gate'' was founded by Marshall Applewhite and had a belief system mixed with a UFO ideology and biblical scripture. Applewhite preached that the human body was only a vehicle to experience this plane of reality. He also believed that the world would be ending soon, in compliance with the book of Revelations from the Christian Bible. He slowly convinced his members that it was possible to leave this world behind and transcend to a higher realm. Applegate aligned this belief with the coming of the Hale-Bopp comet, which he thought had a hidden spaceship in its tail. In March of 1997, in conjunction with the arrival of the comet, Heaven's Gate made the news when 39 of its members committed suicide hoping to join the aliens within the spaceship.
Some cults can also be rooted in both religious and non-religious ideology. Perhaps the most profound and lethal example of a cult was the cult of the ''People's Temple,'' which was a cult that possessed a combination of secular leftist beliefs and Christian ideology preached by its founder Jim Jones. After going through periods of growth, contraction, and multiple controversies around the United States during the 1950s and into the 1970s, Jones and hundreds of his most dedicated followers fled to a Guyana jungle, where they established the now infamous Jonestown, which in 1978 resulted in the murder-suicides of over 900 people, making it the deadliest loss of American lives until September 11th, 2001.
Cults and Pop Culture
Even though the term 'cult' often has negative connotations, this is not always the case. In fact, we use the word to describe parts of our pop culture as well. Famous actors/actresses and singer/songwriters who have a strong fan base whose behavior borders on the extreme are often described as having a cult following. This is when parts of the general public idolize someone who is famous.
Fans of pop culture phenomenon Justin Bieber went as far as naming themselves 'Beliebers.' In addition to buying his music and attending his concerts, they often write letters, fan fiction, and send him gifts to show their undying affection.
Another similar phrase that is used within our pop culture is cult classic. Though it's considered to be somewhat subjective, some use it to describe a film with a strong following. A good example of this would be the wildly successful Star Wars films, but also less well known midnight films like 1975's The Rocky Horror Picture Show, or 2003's The Room, the latter of which being lampooned and immortalized by 2017's The Disaster Artist.
But let's focus on Star Wars, since it's way less niche. The fans of these films have been known to attend conventions, as well as view the movies dressed up as one of the characters. There's even a global organization called, ''Vader's First - 501st Legion,'' whose members dress up as star troopers in order to promote interest in Star Wars.
In both of these examples, we can see components of the definition and even some similarities to traditional cults. Both Bieber and Star Wars have a dedicated following that sometimes act in ways that may not be considered normal to others. We see this in traditional cults too, only their ideals and actions are often much more severe and sometimes violent.
Lesson Summary
All right, let's review what we've learned. A cult is described as a system or group of people who practice excessive devotion to a figure, object, or belief system. Its characteristics include having a leader that preaches an explicit belief system or ideology and who is followed by unquestioning believers. Due to their dedication, followers can be persuaded to perform questionable and sometimes illegal acts deemed necessary by the leader.
Examples of leaders include the infamous Charles Manson who founded the non-religious but dangerous cult known as ''The Family.'' Examples of cults who met their end by their own hand include ''Heaven's Gate,'' which was a cult founded by Marshall Applewhite and had a belief system mixed with UFO ideology and biblical scripture that ultimately led to the suicides of 39 members. The most lethal cult of the modern era was the ''People's Temple,'' which was a cult that possessed a combination of secular leftist beliefs and Christian ideology preached by its founder Jim Jones and which resulted in the murder-suicides of over 900 people.
Though the term tends to have negative connotations, we use it to describe aspects of our pop culture as well. This includes cult followings, in which famous actors/actresses and singer/songwriters who have a strong fan base whose behavior borders on the extreme, and cult classic, which typically describes a film with a strong following of a large group of fans. These groups are similar to traditional religious cults but tend to be harmless in their practices.
