Terms Module 1-3 Flashcards
Cult
- Newer than Sects and Churches; less accepted by media
- Attempt to satisfy one’s needs and desires
- Organized around a charismatic leader; new knowledge/revelations
- Demanding initiations
Sect (denominations)
- People join voluntarily; more exclusive
- Beliefs are more extreme or radical
- Charismatic leader but look more like churches through hierarchies and formal training
Church
- Most organized and hierarchical; most members
- Inclusive and heterogenous; people are born into and seek to bring others
- Different levels of commitment
- Pastor or priest with formal training; specialized training or undergrad/graduate degree in ministry
New Religious Movement (NRM)
Synonym for Cult, often interchangeable
Sociology of Religion
Churches, Sects, and Cults/NRMs are all forms of religion
Anti-Cult Movement (ACM)
Skews the general publics perception of cults
Primary Construction of Reality
How people on the inside of the cult understand NRMs and shares their experiences with those on the outside
Secondary Construction of Reality
How people outside the cult understand NRMs and share their understandings of NRMs with others
QAnon
A conspiracy theory/group that believes the governing power is running a sex ring with adolescents
NXIVM
Sex cult marketed to help people overcome their anxieties and fear
Deprogramming
Kidnapping and confining individuals to change their cult-like beliefs/ways
Monotheism
Religions with one God
Reincarnation
Taking on a new form after death
Dianetics
Counselling program developed by Hubbard (scientology) which connects the mind and soul
Auditing
Practice of scientology that seeks to clear the reactive mind of engrams
Thetan
The eternal part of humans that reincarnates (soul/spiritual being)
Analytic Mind
Part of the mind that thinks critically, makes decisions, recalls memory, and solves problems. The key to helping humans survive, “primary urge”
Reactive Mind
Part of mind that stores traumatic experiences in mental pictures (engrams). Gets in the way of spiritual progress/healing
Engrams
Traumatic experiences that prevent spiritual growth; exist from this life and past lives
Time track
Stores engrams from previous lives and is the source for mental, spiritual, and physical illnesses
Hagiography
An idealized depiction of a leader/saint (ex. Ron Hubbard in the case of Scientology)
Sea Org
Scientology organization comprised of the most dedicated members of scientology
Religious Technology Center
Organization formed in 1982 to preserve, maintain, and protect scientology
Church of Scientology International
The mother church of Scientology that oversees the activities of all scientology churches
Electropsychometer (E-Meter)
Measures the bodies response to questions and determines whether an engram has been removed