Cultic Studies Journal, Volume 17, 2000, Page 99
responsibilities of men and women is often the rule. Men exercise power within the group
women are relegated to subservient roles or confined to the family. As a means of gaining
prestige or power weddings can be arranged. For instance, marrying the daughter of a
politically strong member may be the best way for a young man to gain access to the elite.
Philosophy of Purity
Philosophy of purity is an exacerbation of the philosophy of separation. Purity is the central
concept of this philosophy, the maxim of which could be: “our only goal is attaining purity.”
In this manner, all things --material and spiritual --are judged according to the criteria of
purity and impurity. Such groups expect members to strive for purity in every moment of
their existence. Human characteristics, such as emotions, sexuality, and bodily needs, are
deemed impure. Consequently, members are expected to exercise extreme vigilance in
controlling such expressions at all times. Moreover, because of the dichotomous quality of
the pure/impure criteria, they must constantly struggle with themselves to demonstrate
their purity in their own eyes. As such, purity becomes a continuous pass-or-fail measure
that puts a lot of stress on daily living. The Heaven‘s Gate group appears to have functioned
according to such a philosophy.
Leadership
Often leadership is in the hands of a sole person deemed, or sometimes elected, as the
purest soul of the community. Since power is restricted to one person, totalitarian rule is
often present. Such a power structure can lead to arbitrary rule becoming the norm. This
can be all the more accepted within the group since power has been attributed in a
consensual manner to the individual who is judged to be the purest, hence the wisest. The
leader is thus regarded as the supreme brother, the only one who may exercise power and
hold responsibilities. All decisions are left to the leader, who becomes the incarnation of the
Law, the Truth, and sole judge of the pure and the impure.
Membership
A philosophy of purity encourages the creation of a brotherhood-type community. All
members see themselves as equal and sometimes even interchangeable. Members are
expected to entertain good relationships with each other in an unindividualized way. Neither
friendships nor animosities are tolerated, as these would signify emotional attachment, an
impure phenomenon. A blending and leveling of individual personalities occurs and is even
overtly encouraged as individuality is viewed as vanity or egoism. Moreover, strong group
cohesion is sought as it demonstrates the attainment of each individual‘s detachment from
his impure nature. This continuous process of denial of bodily needs, emotional ties, and
subjective realities puts a heavy strain on each member. Hence, the ritualization of
relationships and daily activities becomes a means of attaining purity while controlling every
potential expression of individual differences. In some cases, this ritualization becomes so
excessive that talking, looking at others, or thinking one‘s own thoughts are considered
major faults.
Children
Since sexuality and procreation are deemed impure and, consequently, forbidden, these
communities often do not accept children. When they are present, for instance because a
parent becomes a member, children are expected to act in the least childlike way possible.
In fact, they are expected to act like the adults of the group. Because of their inability to do
so, children are usually segregated so as not to disturb the adults‘ devotion to purity.
In those communities that accept them, children are at risk of being physically abused
because corporal punishment may be aimed at eliminating their impure behavior. Severe
neglect in the form of insufficient food, water, sleep, warmth, or medical attention may also

Cultic Studies Journal, Volume 17, 2000, Page 100
occur since children are expected to shun bodily needs in the same way as adults. Usually,
however, children are excluded from philosophy of purity groups since they symbolize
impurity through their genesis, uncontrollable bodily and emotional needs, and fundamental
immaturity.
Rituals
All aspects of daily life are often highly ritualized since ritualization aims at controlling
manifestations of impurity. Because impurity is virtually always present, rituals prescribe
correct and detailed ways of being, doing, thinking, sleeping, etc.
One of the main aims of excessive ritualization is to keep one‘s mind occupied, for impurity
is felt to be most perniciously experienced in one‘s thoughts. The constant repetition of
meditation, prayer, song or hymn singing keeps impure thoughts at bay. Since impurity is
often equated with individuality, a never-ending battle with trivial and seemingly inoffensive
thoughts is fought within each individual through strict observance of rituals that often take
on an obsessive-compulsive quality.
Other group rituals aim at the purification of the soul. The leader usually leads these
ceremonies for the whole community. Whether such rituals resemble a public confession of
each one‘s impure acts and thoughts or is based on a private confession of one‘s sins, the
final aim of this type of practice is to rid members' souls, at least for a second, of all
impurities.
Doctrine
Doctrinal emphasis is put on severing all bonds between body and soul. When a holy book is
the basis of the doctrine, all passages that highlight spirituality, condemn bodily functions,
and idealize purity are considered dogma. If the doctrine is novel, its elements will stress
the fundamental distance between body and soul, the highest form of life being a pure soul
detached from all bodily ties. Deities will also be idealized as entities that are completely
detached from all that is material. Consequently, doctrinal imperatives will value asceticism
in all its forms. Since pleasure is associated with emotion and bodily satisfaction, food will
be kept simple and maybe even cooked so as to be tasteless and bland. Also, it will most
likely be eaten in sparse quantity.
Moreover, fear of contamination from impure elements is often of central concern. Rituals
meant to purify food, clothes, and bodily functions may be the rule as all that is connected
to bodily needs is shunned. For the same reason, medical treatment may be rejected
because such a philosophy views the body as a hindrance more than an asset. In such a
philosophy, the less one thinks or takes care of one‘s body the better. Also, in some groups
that adopt a philosophy of purity, physical ailments may be seen as a sign of impurity,
making members hide symptoms, or even adamantly deny their evident presence.
Additionally, medical help is often rejected because of the fear of contamination either from
impure material elements or from contact with non-members, who are deemed impure.
Finally, for some members of these groups, as for some groups as a whole, death is equated
with the liberation from bodily ties, and hence is seen as a deliverance from the daily
struggle to stay pure. In such cases, major physical illness is often experienced as a relief
because it signifies imminent death of the body and liberation of the soul.
Spatial Organization
These groups tend to live outside mainstream society. Their tendency to segregate
themselves from others in order to avoid contamination makes them choose isolated areas
or secluded retreats. Sometimes the group seeks more and more geographically isolated
regions in an effort to find an area that is not contaminated. Quite paradoxically, as they