Cultic Studies Journal, Vol. 3, No. 2, 1986 Page 76
opportunity for commitment and a degree of involvement sometimes sadly lacking in
mainstream churches‖ (p. 5 1). Enroth adds that the ―marginal groups‖ are more intense,
more subjective, and more feeling-oriented (p. 5 1). People join them, he judges, because
they meet real human needs for a sense of family, of community, and of purpose (p. 53).
He is confident that most cult leaders are not charlatans, but sincere. It is his judgment that
they believe what they preach (p. 57). If the question posed in the title is addressed
anywhere in the book, it must be here in chapter three.
Melton next brings the fruits of his study to bear on the question. He reports finding that 80
to 85 percent of cult members come from homes at least nominally religious, although very
few of these young people have been active in their churches or synagogues. It is his
judgment that there exists in the home no religious authority, and dia4 as a consequence,
children shop around in search of a religious commitment. Melton has found that some
teenagers have had a bad experience with the traditional churches or with the insensitivity
of some of the clergy. All of this has created a certain spiritual vacuum which leaves young
people vulnerable to some guru who happens to come along.
Melton also contends that half of the people in the United States are raised as ―secularists,‖
with the result that 50 percent of young adults have no religious background. Enroth agrees
with Melton that these people find in cults warmth and a supportive community. Melton
himself would prefer life in any cult over a purely secular existence because this would
afford, in his view, a sense of the sacredness of life and an appreciation of the holy realm
He judges that these ―alternative groups‖ offer a place for the expression of teen-age
commitment and a sense of community not found in the large, impersonal churches. It
seems clear that Melton‘s views were formed in the crucible of his own spiritual journey,
about which he speaks candidly. He was deeply affected by the ―death of God‖ theology,
and God was absent from his life for a time. But scriptural study and prayer, under the
influence of the Spiritual Frontiers Fellowship, brought him to a new relationship with God.
Melton also participated in a Pentacostal prayer group for a number of years and, in his
words, ―did quite a bit of running around with Full Gospel people.‖
The fourth chapter is entitled, ―What is Heresy?‖ Melton defines it as a form of Christianity
that deviates from the orthodox tradition on a major point of doctrine. He very carefully
avoids calling the Unification Church ―heretical‖ he calls it ―a totally new religious gestalt ...
quite a synthesis‖ (p. 80). Both men oppose heresy hunting. Melton says that his approach
is to assume that the members and leaders of a group are honest people of religious
integrity, and he assumes that the Holy Spirit is with them and leading them to the point to
which they have come (p. 90).
Addressing the problem of how to relate to cult members, Enroth calls for an educational
effort to enable young people to develop discernment skins (P. 94). He sees a need for
resources, counseling, and resocialization support for those coming out of cults (p. 97). He
regrets that there are no halfway houses or rehabilitation centers (p. 98). He points out that
we care for unwed mothers, drug addicts, and alcoholics, but do nothing for those coming
out of extremist cults. In all this he expresses a concern that does not much trouble Melton.
The chapter which follows, devoted to ―A Basic Reference Shelf,‖ ignores many books that
deserve study and promotes others that merit little attention. This is not the strongest
chapter in the book, but it should have been allowed to be the last Unfortunately, the editor
saw fit to use as a filler an appendix entitled ―The Flowering of the New Religious
Consciousness.‖ The less said about that the better.
The term ―new religions‖ and the expression ―alternative religions‖ are not minted by
Melton. They are euphemisms brought into usage by some academicians to throw a blanket
of dignity over some very shoddy operations. It is impossible to guess at the motivations of
those who subtly propagandize for these exploitative groups, but they surely have a strange
opportunity for commitment and a degree of involvement sometimes sadly lacking in
mainstream churches‖ (p. 5 1). Enroth adds that the ―marginal groups‖ are more intense,
more subjective, and more feeling-oriented (p. 5 1). People join them, he judges, because
they meet real human needs for a sense of family, of community, and of purpose (p. 53).
He is confident that most cult leaders are not charlatans, but sincere. It is his judgment that
they believe what they preach (p. 57). If the question posed in the title is addressed
anywhere in the book, it must be here in chapter three.
Melton next brings the fruits of his study to bear on the question. He reports finding that 80
to 85 percent of cult members come from homes at least nominally religious, although very
few of these young people have been active in their churches or synagogues. It is his
judgment that there exists in the home no religious authority, and dia4 as a consequence,
children shop around in search of a religious commitment. Melton has found that some
teenagers have had a bad experience with the traditional churches or with the insensitivity
of some of the clergy. All of this has created a certain spiritual vacuum which leaves young
people vulnerable to some guru who happens to come along.
Melton also contends that half of the people in the United States are raised as ―secularists,‖
with the result that 50 percent of young adults have no religious background. Enroth agrees
with Melton that these people find in cults warmth and a supportive community. Melton
himself would prefer life in any cult over a purely secular existence because this would
afford, in his view, a sense of the sacredness of life and an appreciation of the holy realm
He judges that these ―alternative groups‖ offer a place for the expression of teen-age
commitment and a sense of community not found in the large, impersonal churches. It
seems clear that Melton‘s views were formed in the crucible of his own spiritual journey,
about which he speaks candidly. He was deeply affected by the ―death of God‖ theology,
and God was absent from his life for a time. But scriptural study and prayer, under the
influence of the Spiritual Frontiers Fellowship, brought him to a new relationship with God.
Melton also participated in a Pentacostal prayer group for a number of years and, in his
words, ―did quite a bit of running around with Full Gospel people.‖
The fourth chapter is entitled, ―What is Heresy?‖ Melton defines it as a form of Christianity
that deviates from the orthodox tradition on a major point of doctrine. He very carefully
avoids calling the Unification Church ―heretical‖ he calls it ―a totally new religious gestalt ...
quite a synthesis‖ (p. 80). Both men oppose heresy hunting. Melton says that his approach
is to assume that the members and leaders of a group are honest people of religious
integrity, and he assumes that the Holy Spirit is with them and leading them to the point to
which they have come (p. 90).
Addressing the problem of how to relate to cult members, Enroth calls for an educational
effort to enable young people to develop discernment skins (P. 94). He sees a need for
resources, counseling, and resocialization support for those coming out of cults (p. 97). He
regrets that there are no halfway houses or rehabilitation centers (p. 98). He points out that
we care for unwed mothers, drug addicts, and alcoholics, but do nothing for those coming
out of extremist cults. In all this he expresses a concern that does not much trouble Melton.
The chapter which follows, devoted to ―A Basic Reference Shelf,‖ ignores many books that
deserve study and promotes others that merit little attention. This is not the strongest
chapter in the book, but it should have been allowed to be the last Unfortunately, the editor
saw fit to use as a filler an appendix entitled ―The Flowering of the New Religious
Consciousness.‖ The less said about that the better.
The term ―new religions‖ and the expression ―alternative religions‖ are not minted by
Melton. They are euphemisms brought into usage by some academicians to throw a blanket
of dignity over some very shoddy operations. It is impossible to guess at the motivations of
those who subtly propagandize for these exploitative groups, but they surely have a strange
