In this paper I would like to explain the definition of a cult and then look at two cults to see how they fit in with this definition. The two cults we will examine are Realism and The Fellowship of Friends. I have chosen these two cults as they are ones that I have not previously heard of and are interesting and outlandish in their beliefs.
A cult is a religious sect that is usually considered extreme or false. The followers of a cult usually live in an irregular manner under the control of their leader. The easiest way to identify a cult is by using the characteristics of a cult. Cults usually have a charismatic leader, apocalyptic focus, use of emotional manipulation, are youth orientated, isolated from society, short lived, ritualistic,…show more content… Raelism is a UFO (unidentified flying object) cult that was founded in France by Claude Vorilhon in 1974. It was founded just after Claude claimed he saw a UFO while he was in a volcano near Clermont-Ferrand, France. He says a light emerged and entrusted him with a message revealing the true origin of mankind. He was told that from now, he would be known as Raël, which means "messenger."
Raelism has definitely shown paranoia through its beliefs of things like human cloning. While they do not believe in an afterlife, they do believe that it is possible to create a genetically identical copy of a human. This is taken even further when they say that humans can achieve immortality through the science of human cloning.
On top of all this, they have holidays to celebrate things like the day of the Hiroshima bombing, the day that they believe Adam and Eve were “created”, and the day that Rael claims he met many of past prophets such as Jesus and the Buddha. Raelism has an international gathering once a year with all of its followers to celebrate its anniversary, making it ritualistic. The members of Raelism are asked not to use recreational drugs, tobacco, coffee and limit alcohol to moderation, if at all. The charismatic leader of this group, Claude Vorilhon, uses emotional manipulation to get followers by making people believe that the universe was created by extraterrestrials and that the resurrection of Jesus Christ was through a scientific cloning…show more content… They certainly have a charismatic leader in Robert Earl Burton, and he is very skilful at the social manipulation to get his followers to follow him and his beliefs. Examples of this are that he only allows followers six hours of sleep per night and they are not allowed to swim and not allowed to swear or smoke. Robert Earl Burton has an apocalyptic vision in which he believes that the world will end and only his followers will survive. He uses emotional manipulation by getting his followers to believe that if they do not follow him, they will die when the world ends. While this cult is still active it is easy to see that it will be short lived as it is very unlikely to survive its founders death - if angels are able to die. In 1971, The Fellowship of Friends purchased a property in the Sierra foothills to carry out as a central spiritual retreat for Fellowship members. It was later on decided to open centers across the United States and Canada, and soon after in Western Europe. Approximately 20 centers were founded and the membership increased dramatically. The members of Fellowship work for small amounts of money in the Fellowship’s businesses, and give large amounts of their income to the
