Counter Religious Movements

Question 1

What are the three characteristics of cults, according to the traditional view?

Answer 1

1. deviate widely from the dominant faith of the society in which they exist
2. led by one person, a charismatic leader, who is accessible to each member and seen as the embodiment of some cosmic force or transmitter of supernatural reality
3. membership is transient and turnover is large and quick

Question 2

What is the modern definition of “cults”?

Answer 2

a cult is a religious group that presents a distinctly alternative pattern for doing religion and adhering to a faith perspective than that dominant in the culture; cults are therefore relative to the culture they are present in and deviate from

Question 3

Since “cult” is such a derogatory term, what is the new term used to replace it?

Answer 3

New Religious Movement (NRM)

Question 4

What are the 8 categories of NRMs in America?

Answer 4

1. The Latter Day Saints (Mormons)
2. Communalists
3. Metaphysicians (Christian Scientists, Scientology)
4. Psychic-spiritualist groups (mediums, paranormal)
5. Ancient Wisdom Schools (occult knowledge)
6. Magical groups (Wicca, Neo-paganism)
7. Eastern Religions (Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism)
8. The other Abrahamic faiths (Judaism, Islam)

Question 5

What does “occult” mean?

Answer 5

knowledge of the hidden

Question 6

What is an interchangeable term for the word “occult”?

Answer 6

esoteric

Question 7

What is “occult” associated with?

Answer 7

magical groups

Question 8

Define esoteric.

Answer 8

knowledge reserved for the few

Question 9

Define exoteric.

Answer 9

knowledge accessible to all

Question 10

Who founded Scientology?

Answer 10

L. Ron Hubbard in the mid 1900s

Question 11

In Scientology, who are Thetans?

Answer 11

commands the body/soul through communication points; “the source of life and life itself” and true identity

Question 12

What is rehabilitation?

Answer 12

In Scientology, it is the spiritual concept of humans getting back to their true nature

Question 13

What is auditing?

Answer 13

part of the process of rehabilitation where individuals are repeatedly interrogated

Question 14

What are the two types of minds in Scientology?

Answer 14

reactive (pain, emotional, trauma) and analytical (responsible for consciousness)

Question 15

Who is Zenu?

Answer 15

the intergalactic leader of scientology who trapped Thetans in human bodies

Question 16

Where is Scientology recognized?

Answer 16

recognized as a religion in the U.S. but very controversial and contested in other countries

Question 17

Where did Wicca develop?

Answer 17

England in the mid to early 1900s (falls under Neo-paganism)

Question 18

Who introduced Wicca publicly?

Answer 18

Gerald Gardner

Question 19

What was a source of inspiration for Wicca?

Answer 19

ancient paganism and secret societies (Golden Dawn)

Question 20

What are the key elements of Wicca?

Answer 20

magic (witchcraft) and paganism

Question 21

What is the Wiccan rede?

Answer 21

“an it harm none do what ye will”

Question 22

What are Wiccan festivals like?

Answer 22

based on the seasons and heavily influenced by nature

Question 23

Who were the first major group to question religious systems?

Answer 23

the Greeks; often favored rationalism and an explanation of phenomena through natural processes?

Question 24

What is theodicy?

Answer 24

attempts to answer the question why a good God permits the manifestation of evil

a vindication of the divine attributes, particularly holiness and justice, in establishing or allowing the existence of physical and moral evil (aka evil comes from the gods)

Question 25

Discuss religious skepticism in the Renaissance period.

Answer 25

disbelief still remained a crime in many places despite a cultural movement towards humanism

Question 26

Discuss religious skepticism in the Enlightenment period.

Answer 26

a movement towards reason and individualism as opposed to (religious) tradition, creation of the scientific method; persecution remained

Question 27

Discuss religious skepticism during American rationalism

Answer 27

the popularity of deism was prominent in the early founders; however, there were still laws in existence against heresy and the denial of the Trinity

Question 28

What is deism?

Answer 28

denial of mainstream Christianity and the idea of Jesus as divine, but an acceptance of God as the creator of the cosmos

Question 29

Who are two famous deists?

Answer 29

Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson

Question 30

What is atheism?

Answer 30

a rejection of the existence of God or gods

Question 31

What is agnosticism?

Answer 31

the position that the existence of God or gods cannot be known

Question 32

What is antitheism?

Answer 32

an active rejection/opposition to theism; often interpreted as an opposition to organized religion and the idea of God or gods

Question 33

What are possible reasons for disbelief?

Answer 33

• technology
• scientific advancements
• disenchantment with the church/organized religion
• the problem of evil - theodicy
• a pursuit of personal ideas on metaphysics
• ethics can exist outside of organized religion
• a tendency to blame the ails of society on religion and/or religious institutions