| Topic: |
Religions > Atheism |
| User: |
"A Ph.d" |
| Date: |
19 Jun 2005 09:35:34 AM |
| Object: |
Anyone here once a member of thse groups? Just Curious |
Has anyone here ever been a member of the groups listed on this
website, www.rickross.com
.
|
|
| User: "raven1" |
|
| Title: Re: Anyone here once a member of thse groups? Just Curious |
20 Jun 2005 03:47:35 PM |
|
|
On 19 Jun 2005 07:35:34 -0700, "A Ph.d" <chrisa1981@hotmail.com>
wrote:
Has anyone here ever been a member of the groups listed on this
website, www.rickross.com
Interesting choices of what constitutes a cult, ranging from followers
of Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell, to Mormons and JWs, to Neo-Pagans,
to Amway. What, pray tell, does Ross *not* consider a "cult"?
---
"This is how liberty dies: with thunderous applause"
- Padme Amidala, Episode III
.
|
|
|
| User: "Earle Jones" |
|
| Title: Re: Anyone here once a member of thse groups? Just Curious |
20 Jun 2005 11:12:56 PM |
|
|
In article <vnaeb1dmi5chmdj8dalbcv6o6j9mq5ir67@4ax.com>,
raven1 <quoththeraven@nevermore.com> wrote:
On 19 Jun 2005 07:35:34 -0700, "A Ph.d" <chrisa1981@hotmail.com>
wrote:
Has anyone here ever been a member of the groups listed on this
website, www.rickross.com
Interesting choices of what constitutes a cult, ranging from followers
of Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell, to Mormons and JWs, to Neo-Pagans,
to Amway. What, pray tell, does Ross *not* consider a "cult"?
*
Here in the USA, a 'cult' is a religious group that has not yet
earned its tax exemption from the US Internal Revenue Service.
After that, it is officially a 'religion'.
See, for example, 'Scientology'.
earle
*
.
|
|
|
|
| User: "Jet" |
|
| Title: Re: Anyone here once a member of thse groups? Just Curious |
22 Jun 2005 11:02:52 AM |
|
|
On Mon, 20 Jun 2005 16:47:35 -0400, raven1
<quoththeraven@nevermore.com> wrote:
On 19 Jun 2005 07:35:34 -0700, "A Ph.d" <chrisa1981@hotmail.com>
wrote:
Has anyone here ever been a member of the groups listed on this
website, www.rickross.com
Interesting choices of what constitutes a cult, ranging from followers
of Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell, to Mormons and JWs, to Neo-Pagans,
to Amway. What, pray tell, does Ross *not* consider a "cult"?
Answer: the Unites States Marine Corps. No, really. The USMC has been
using identicle recruiting methods as the most dangerous of cults
(Scientology), and the USMC also killes people and gets its members
killed. The USMC meets every qualification for Issac Bonewitz's cult
evaluation checklist, and most of Mr. Ross' definition of a cult, but
he insists on calling the frightenly similar paralleles "absurd."
So there yah go.
---
"This is how liberty dies: with thunderous applause"
- Padme Amidala, Episode III
.
|
|
|
|
| User: "Charles Wilkins" |
|
| Title: Re: Anyone here once a member of thse groups? Just Curious |
20 Jun 2005 04:37:01 PM |
|
|
raven1 wrote:
On 19 Jun 2005 07:35:34 -0700, "A Ph.d" <chrisa1981@hotmail.com>
wrote:
Has anyone here ever been a member of the groups listed on this
website, www.rickross.com
Interesting choices of what constitutes a cult, ranging from followers
of Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell, to Mormons and JWs, to Neo-Pagans,
to Amway. What, pray tell, does Ross *not* consider a "cult"?
---
"This is how liberty dies: with thunderous applause"
- Padme Amidala, Episode III
Well, I notice that he does not, for one, list the UUA as one of his
"cults," which is a little bit surprising, nor does he list American
Atheists. These two make a LOT of the Fundie Xians lists of "cults" so
maybe Ross has done a little more research than most of them have.
Just out of curiousity, I'd like to see his analysis of Falwell's and
Robertson's groups against Chaz Bufe's 17 properties of a cult that he
applied to AA in "Alcoholics Anonymous: Cult or Cure?"
For those who are unfamiliar with Bufe's anlysis, the 17 points are:
1. Religious Orientation, Supernatural Beliefs
2. Irrationality, Rigidity, Anti-Intellectualism
3. A Charismatic Leader
4. A Hierarchical, Authoritarian Structure
5. Submission of the Individual to the "Will of God"
6. Dogmatism, the Ultimate Truth
7. Separatism
8. Exclusivity (The Only Path To Salvation)
9. Self-Absorption (Primary Focus Is the Cult Itself)
10. Economic Exploitation
11. Possessiveness (Go To Great Lengths to Retain Members)
12. Mind Control Techniques; Intimidation
13. A Closed, All-Encompassing Environment (Physical)
14. Deceptive Recruitment Techniques (Deception; Set Up "Fronts")
15. Manipulation Through Guilt
16. Millennarianism (The End Is Near)
17. Violence and Harassment
It should be noted that Bufe, in his book, found that AA possessed some,
but not all of the characteristics of a religious cult, but was, indeed,
"cultish."
A more complete analysis of Bufe's book and commentary by the reviewer
is available at http://www.positiveatheism.org/rw/ofcourse.htm .
Like I said, I'd be curious to see how Falwell's and Robertson's "cults"
stack up.
Peace,
ninewands
.
|
|
|
| User: "quibbler" |
|
| Title: Re: Anyone here once a member of thse groups? Just Curious |
21 Jun 2005 07:52:08 PM |
|
|
In article <d97cu1$8r12$1@masala.cc.uh.edu>,
says...
raven1 wrote:
On 19 Jun 2005 07:35:34 -0700, "A Ph.d" <chrisa1981@hotmail.com>
wrote:
Has anyone here ever been a member of the groups listed on this
website, www.rickross.com
Interesting choices of what constitutes a cult, ranging from followers
of Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell, to Mormons and JWs, to Neo-Pagans,
to Amway. What, pray tell, does Ross *not* consider a "cult"?
---
"This is how liberty dies: with thunderous applause"
- Padme Amidala, Episode III
Well, I notice that he does not, for one, list the UUA as one of his
"cults," which is a little bit surprising, nor does he list American
Atheists. These two make a LOT of the Fundie Xians lists of "cults" so
maybe Ross has done a little more research than most of them have.
Just out of curiousity, I'd like to see his analysis of Falwell's and
Robertson's groups against Chaz Bufe's 17 properties of a cult
According to the criteria that you list below, Falwell's group would
seem to meet them, though I'm not sure about Robertson. Falwell,
for example, has a separate school -- Liberty University -- and even
wants to establish an entirely separatist community. The only
difficult to verify element would be whether one could prove that
Falwell actively orders violence, though he certainly engages in
harrassment.
--
"Faith, indeed, has up to the present not been
able to move real mountains ... But it can put
mountains where there are none." -- Nietzsche
.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Related Articles |
|
|
