Cultic Studies Journal, Vol. 8, No. 1, 1991, Page 30
Conclusion
In conclusion, let me suggest that most of the techniques used by cults are neither new nor
exclusive to these groups. Throughout history religious leaders and orders, shamans in
aboriginal and native tribes, charismatic political leaders, the military, and overzealous
salesmen have used these techniques very effectively. Our concern is aroused when those
using undue pressure, proselytization, and control practices do so for their own
enhancement or to meet their own psychological needs rather than for the true benefit of
the individuals being drawn in or for the society in which the techniques are used and the
group functions. Thus, we cannot fault the techniques of persuasion and control (except the
extreme forms) for they have been necessary at many points in history, but we can and
should question the purposes for which they are employed.
Footnotes
1. Cult has been defined as “a group or movement exhibiting a great or excessive devotion
or dedication to some person, idea, or thing and employing unethically manipulative
techniques of persuasion and control … designed to advance the goals of the group‟s
leaders, to the actual or possible detriment of members, heir families, or the community.
(Cultism: A Conference for Scholars and Policy Makers, 1986, pp. 119-120)
2. A sect is a religious group that is not characterized by the exploitative manipulation of
cults and is usually an offshoot of a mainstream religion or has moved toward
accommodation with the mainstream. Sects may originate as cults or sometimes deteriorate
into cults.
3. Theodore Ratisbonne was an older son in a prominent Alsatian Jewish family. After his
conversion to Catholicism, he founded the order of Notre Dame de Sion, dedicated to
educating and converting Jewish girls. He was involved in some major scandals where
Jewish girls were hidden from their families while he beguiled them into conversion.
4. The difference in status reflects a shift in perception of the group by the larger society as
well as some modification of the group‟s accommodation to the laws of the larger society.
5. The Mortara boy had been secretly baptized by a Catholic servant and, under the laws of
the Vatican States at that time, was taken from his Jewish family and raised in seminaries.
He subsequently became a priest. The scandal of this event united Jewish communities
across Europe and the United States in protest.
References
Cultism: A conference for scholars and policy makers. (1986). Cultic Studies Journal, 3 (1),
117-134.
Halperin, D.A. (1983). Group processes in cult affiliation and recruitment. In D.A. Halperin
(Ed.), Psychodynamic perspectives on religion, sect and cult (pp. 223-234). Boston:
John Wright, PSG Inc.
Hankoff, L.D. (1983). Religious innovation in the Jewish revolt against Rome. In D.A.
Halperin (Ed.), Psychodynamic perspectives on religion, sect and cult (pp. 1-30).
Boston: John Wright, PSG Inc.
Isser, N., &Schwartz, L.L. (1988). The history of conversion and contemporary cults. New
York: Peter Lang.
Lindholm, C. (1990). Charisma. Cambridge, MA: Basil Blackwell.
Meerloo, J.A.M. (1956). The rape of the mind. Cleveland: World Publishing.
Ofshe, R. (1989). Coerced confessions: The logic of seemingly irrational action. Cultic
Studies Journal, 6(1), 1-15.
Conclusion
In conclusion, let me suggest that most of the techniques used by cults are neither new nor
exclusive to these groups. Throughout history religious leaders and orders, shamans in
aboriginal and native tribes, charismatic political leaders, the military, and overzealous
salesmen have used these techniques very effectively. Our concern is aroused when those
using undue pressure, proselytization, and control practices do so for their own
enhancement or to meet their own psychological needs rather than for the true benefit of
the individuals being drawn in or for the society in which the techniques are used and the
group functions. Thus, we cannot fault the techniques of persuasion and control (except the
extreme forms) for they have been necessary at many points in history, but we can and
should question the purposes for which they are employed.
Footnotes
1. Cult has been defined as “a group or movement exhibiting a great or excessive devotion
or dedication to some person, idea, or thing and employing unethically manipulative
techniques of persuasion and control … designed to advance the goals of the group‟s
leaders, to the actual or possible detriment of members, heir families, or the community.
(Cultism: A Conference for Scholars and Policy Makers, 1986, pp. 119-120)
2. A sect is a religious group that is not characterized by the exploitative manipulation of
cults and is usually an offshoot of a mainstream religion or has moved toward
accommodation with the mainstream. Sects may originate as cults or sometimes deteriorate
into cults.
3. Theodore Ratisbonne was an older son in a prominent Alsatian Jewish family. After his
conversion to Catholicism, he founded the order of Notre Dame de Sion, dedicated to
educating and converting Jewish girls. He was involved in some major scandals where
Jewish girls were hidden from their families while he beguiled them into conversion.
4. The difference in status reflects a shift in perception of the group by the larger society as
well as some modification of the group‟s accommodation to the laws of the larger society.
5. The Mortara boy had been secretly baptized by a Catholic servant and, under the laws of
the Vatican States at that time, was taken from his Jewish family and raised in seminaries.
He subsequently became a priest. The scandal of this event united Jewish communities
across Europe and the United States in protest.
References
Cultism: A conference for scholars and policy makers. (1986). Cultic Studies Journal, 3 (1),
117-134.
Halperin, D.A. (1983). Group processes in cult affiliation and recruitment. In D.A. Halperin
(Ed.), Psychodynamic perspectives on religion, sect and cult (pp. 223-234). Boston:
John Wright, PSG Inc.
Hankoff, L.D. (1983). Religious innovation in the Jewish revolt against Rome. In D.A.
Halperin (Ed.), Psychodynamic perspectives on religion, sect and cult (pp. 1-30).
Boston: John Wright, PSG Inc.
Isser, N., &Schwartz, L.L. (1988). The history of conversion and contemporary cults. New
York: Peter Lang.
Lindholm, C. (1990). Charisma. Cambridge, MA: Basil Blackwell.
Meerloo, J.A.M. (1956). The rape of the mind. Cleveland: World Publishing.
Ofshe, R. (1989). Coerced confessions: The logic of seemingly irrational action. Cultic
Studies Journal, 6(1), 1-15.
