Is Your School a Cult?

 Greetings,

The following is a discussion of cults, as the title suggests, it is intended both to be useful as an identifying mechanism for highlighting elements, or even groups, where there are similarities to cults. There is also the intent to show that there are both positive and negative attributes which need to be noted, the positive which should be embraced, the negative which should be removed. There is a lot which has been said in the media about cults, most of it is misleading, it is hoped that the reader will peruse the following with open eyes.

Definition

 

“In modern English, a cult is a social group that is defined by its unusual religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs, or by its common interest in a particular personality, object, or goal. This sense of the term is controversial, having divergent definitions both in popular culture and academia, and has also been an ongoing source of contention among scholars across several fields of study.”[1]

 

The definition given above comes from the Wikipedia, on the page entitled “Cult” and as noted there is contention about the definition. There is different emphasis on what a cult is depending on who is talking about it. Some have a specific religious focus, some have a more general focus, historically the focus has been more religious, so that is where most of the definitions tend to lie. For the purposes of this investigation, the definition above is sufficient as it covers more interest groups.

Types

Now we need to have a look at some types of cults to realise that not all cults are the Branch Davidian, People’s Temple, Aum examples. These are destructive cults and made headlines due to their destructive effects upon people’s lives, primarily the deaths of many people. Another that can be added to that list is Charles Manson’s family. These are not the only cults out there. We don’t hear about the quiet ones, with their different views of the world, who go along with everyone else, or sequester themselves away quietly, or the approximately 3,000 cults which are currently operating in Australia,[2] and that was ten years ago. The restriction of cults simply to the religious version limits our understanding of them.

According to the definition, any group which has a common interest in a particular object or goal can be classified as a cult. Fencing clubs have a common interest in the goal of learning how to fence, according to that definition, they can be classified as cults, and it is exactly why this discussion is being made. We unfortunately believe that cults are all like the ones seen in the media, but they are not.

Historically, cults have been around for millennia, they can be traced back at least as far as the Ancient Greeks and the cults of Gods who were not in the mainstream. Again, this is primarily religious veneration for a holy representative. Later in the ancient era we have the Imperial Cults, the cult of the emperor, a state-sanctioned cult, one that was supported by the empire because it venerated and deified the status of the leader. We see the same sort of thing if we examine the Kim dynasty in Korea, or the veneration of Mao Zedong in China; not so unoriginal. Not destructive for the people and state, but positive.

Identification

There are four recognised, identifying features of a cult, which can be seen in cults around the world, and in all the ones that we hear about. These four features are the four structural features to find first.

 

1.     Charismatic Leader

This individual is likely the originator of the idea that created the group. They are the individual who leads the group to their goal. Being charismatic, they can talk the group around into doing things for them, because it is good for the group. They convince members of the group that their way is the best way, and all the real power resides with them, they make the final decisions.[3]

2.     Belief

There is a belief system of some kind which the group follows believing that it will lead them to a better place. In a religious group this is obvious, even in a political group this can be their political agenda. For others it is what they believe in, where they are all striving to be in the end their goal.

3.     System of Control

There are ways that the group can control its members to bring them further and further into the fold. There are further study sessions required, more practice at a particular thing. The group requires more and more time, and the view of the group is adopted over previous views. The new worldview is used to cut people off from the past. More activity required to remain a member, less and less of the old life remains.

4.     System of Influence

Mechanisms in place in the group where an older member takes a newer member under their wing to show them how things are, and how to behave. They change the reality, show them that there is no achievement beyond what is found within the group. There are no other explanations beside what can be found within the group. The belief system of the group is the individual’s belief system there are no other answers.

 

These are the four recognised identifying markers of a cult. You may read some of these and find them familiar, you may find them eerily familiar in their description. If this is the case, you may have found yourself within an organisation which could be called a cult.

Through these mechanisms there are expectations of sacrifice and donation. The individual is expected to sacrifice time they would have spent doing other things to do it with the group, they will have to donate in some form or another, whether it is time, expertise, or actual money. This is also a characteristic, which falls under one of the systems of control, highlighted above.

The organisations that a person should truly watch out for oppose critical thinking, penalise members for leaving and having periods away for any reason, and deliberately separate them from their original communities. These actions are so the cult is the only answer. There is a list of other violations which may be present in such organisations, if you find these, leave.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

There is a long list of attributes of cults, and they need to be examined honestly without any sort of bias to colour a person’s impression. Without this all a person will see is, how cults abuse their members and keep them contained within them, how they recruit new members, how they are a threat to society. There are good elements which can be found in this sort of group organisation, but there are also the bad and the ugly.

The Ugly

First the ugly, there is the clear chance for an extreme abuse of power by a leader of such an organisation. If they have the power to control such a group and get them to do what they want them to do, then there is very little limit to what they can convince them to do, especially with the correct belief system to follow. Here we highlight evidence from every destructive cult there has ever been. Their ends have been the result of an abuse of power, and extreme delusions of grandeur.

The same abuses can be committed by the people who the leader puts in charge with their “will” due to the power bestowed upon them. They can act with the “will of the leader” and perform acts which may not actually be what the leader wants, but in his name, the same has been seen throughout history where many have acted with God’s blessing.

The Bad

If this is the ugly, what can the bad be? The bad are those things which will cause the group to fail, or to fail in achievement of their goal. In such a situation, power is not the problem, the problem is a lack of critical thinking. A dynamic group which is working toward a goal does not need mindless obedience, it needs individuals who can think for themselves. It needs individuals who can look at a problem and think creatively to solve the problem.

Likewise, the death-knell of the dynamism of such a group is sounded at the appearance of groupthink, where everyone agrees with everything, with no reason to do so. People should have their own opinions about things, they should disagree, argue, but also present alternatives to what has been presented. Groupthink has been the cause of some of history’s greatest disasters and moving past it has been the cause of some of its greatest achievements.

The Good

What can be found within the concept of a cult which is good, and useful? What can we use from the concept of a cult to make us stronger? For some, especially with the ugly and bad highlighted, it would seem that there is little left, especially with the highlighted identifiable attributes of a cult which have been presented. There is something to be found, you just have to look at things from the correct perspective.

Look inside to how the cult works, see how they turn their members toward a single project and focus them on it, this can be used to advantage. Think about a school which could focus its members on the training and education of its students, to the exclusion of everything else, wouldn’t this school be powerful, would they not gain a great advantage? The structure of the cult can be advantageous, if not some of the other overtones, or religious zealotry. The same is used in some small businesses.

Conclusion

You need to look within the structure, pull the emotion away, remove what the cult does, and see how they do what they do. They are effective at attracting a group of individuals they want. They are effective at convincing the individuals they want to remain with the group. They are effective at convincing that staying with the group will be to the advantage of the individuals they have attracted. If a school could harness these skills, they could gain the students and grow to become effective and powerful.

Part of this process is understanding how cults do what they do, how they gain and keep their members. It requires honest research, research to educate yourself on what’s going on really. Do some research on cults and their methods, it is well worth the effort to identify their techniques and methods.

If you suspect that your school is a cult, think whether this is a good thing or a bad thing. If it is a bad thing, then you should be making directions toward exiting. Ask yourself whether the school is giving as much as it is taking, whether it is destructive or not. These are the real questions that need to be answered. These are the questions that decide whether it matters if it is a cult or not.

This has been the briefest discussion on this subject, one that I hope provokes some thought in some people. Go do some research about cults. Do it with open eyes. Find out some real information. Go past the media and look deeper. There is information out there.

 

Cheers,

 

Henry.

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[1] Wikipedia “Cult” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation Inc., 2021, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cult, 17 January 2021

[2] McKenny, L. “Economic climate a breeding ground for cults.” The Sydney Morning Herald, 2 November 2011, https://www.smh.com.au/national/economic-climate-a-breeding-ground-for-cults-20111101-1mu6i.html, 29 August 2022

[3] Meyer, H. “What makes a cult a cult?” Tennessean, 2016, https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/religion/2016/09/15/what-makes-cult-cult/90377532/. 17 January 2021.
All four of the identifying elements come from Meyer, but are paraphrased, and somewhat changed to suit the current circumstances.