13.11.1: Cult The word cult conjures up bizarre images.

 13.11.1: Cult The word cult conjures up bizarre images.

 Shaven heads, weird music, brainwashing—even ritual suicide—may come to mind. Cults, however, are not necessarily weird, and few practice “brainwashing” or bizarre rituals. In fact, all religions began as cults (Stark 1989). A cult is simply a new or different religion whose teachings and practices put it at odds with the dominant culture and religion. Because the term cult arouses negative associations in the public mind, however, some scholars prefer to use the term new religion instead. As is evident from the following Cultural Diversity in the United States, “new” can mean that an old religion is making its appearance in a culture that is not familiar and is uncomfortable with it. 

Cultural Diversity in the United States Human Heads and Animal Blood: Testing the Limits of Tolerance

As the U.S. customs officials looked over the line of people who had just gotten off the plane from Haiti, there was nothing to make this particular woman stand out. She would have passed through without a problem, except for one thing: A routine search turned up something that struck the custom agents as somewhat unusual—a human head. The head had teeth, hair, pieces of skin, and some dirt. It had evidently been dug up from some grave, probably in Haiti. The 30-year-old woman, who lives in Florida, practiced voodoo. The head was for her religious rituals. The woman was arrested. Her crime? Not filing a report that she was carrying “organic material” (“Mujer con Cabeza …” 2006). * * * * * The Santeros from Cuba who live in Florida sacrifice animals. They meet in apartments, where, following a Yoruba religion, they kill goats and chickens. Calling on their gods, they first ask permission to sacrifice the animals. After sacrificing them, they pour out the animals’ blood, which opens and closes the doors of their destiny. They also cut off the animals’ heads and place them at locations in the city that represent the four directions of the compass. This is done to terrorize their enemies and give them safety. The heads also protect the city from hurricanes and other destructive forces. When city officials in Hialeah, Florida, learned that the Santeros were planning to build a church in their city, they passed a law against the sacrifice of animals within the city limits. The Santeros appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, claiming discrimination because the law was directed against them. The Court ruled in their favor. City officials of Euless, Texas, were shocked when they learned that Jose Merced was sacrificing goats in his home. They sent in the police (Rassbach 2009). Merced appealed to the federal circuit court, saying that the officials were violating his rights as a Santeria priest. He can now sacrifice goats at home. A Santeria priestess touches a sacrificed goat's head with the tip of her tongue during a ceremony in Cuba. Credit: Ramon Espinosa/AP Images For Your Consideration → If the Santeros can sacrifice animals, why shouldn’t people who practice voodoo be able to use human heads in their rituals if they want to? (Assume that the relatives of the dead person have given their permission.) Watch Portrait of a Santeria Priest Play Watch

Portrait of a Santeria Priest -Cults often originate with a charismatic leader, an individual who inspires people because he or she seems to have extraordinary gifts, qualities, or abilities. Charisma refers to an outstanding gift or to some exceptional quality. People feel drawn to both the person and the message because they find something highly appealing about the individual—in some instances, almost a magnetic charm. The most popular religion in the world began as a cult. Its handful of followers believed that an unschooled carpenter who preached in remote villages in a backwater country was the Son of God and that he was killed and came back to life. Those beliefs made the early Christians a cult, setting them apart from the rest of their society. Persecuted by both religious and political authorities, these early believers clung to one another for support. Many cut off associations with friends who didn’t accept the new message. To others, the early Christians must have seemed deluded and brainwashed. So it was with Islam. When Muhammad revealed his visions and said that God’s name was really Allah, only a few people believed him. To others, he must have seemed crazy, deranged. Each cult (or new religion) is met with rejection on the part of society. Its message is considered bizarre, its approach to life strange. Its members antagonize the majority, who are convinced that they have a monopoly on the truth. The new religion may claim messages from God, visions, visits from angels—some form of enlightenment or seeing the true way to God. The cult demands intense commitment, and its followers, who are confronting a hostile world, pull together in a tight circle, separating themselves from nonbelievers. Most cults fail. Not many people believe the new message, and the cult fades into obscurity. Some, however, succeed and make history. Over time, large numbers of people may come to accept the message and become followers of the religion. If this happens, the new religion changes from a cult to a sect.