cult

All The World’s A Cult

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Originally published May 2015 and republished this week by Zen Gardner.

cultZen Gardner – It’s funny how people get all self righteous about not being religious or belonging to some group and condemn anyone who they think is or has been. Naturally most people attempt to be careful about what they align themselves with, but do we really see what all of society is made up of and what we’ve each unwittingly participated in to varying degrees?

Religions don’t have a corner on the market. Perhaps all of us have been cult-ivated in some way.

Cult-ure is called just that for a reason. It’s pretty blatant nomenclature. Merriam-Webster defines culture as the following:

– the beliefs, customs, arts, etc., of a particular society, group, place, or time

– a particular society that has its own beliefs, ways of life, art, etc.

– a way of thinking, behaving, or working that exists in a place or organization (such as a business)

That just about includes every societal behavior or activity. So-called cults, the word derived from the Latin colere meaning to cultivate, are mere start-ups of new and old ideas of group conformity for some objective. In the 60’s these were everywhere as groups and individuals attempted to harvest the spiritual awakening and longings of an entire generation looking for alternatives to the mad military industrial complex-bound world around them. Some were labeled cults by the orthodox minded, but these included a wide range of groups, organizations, alternative learning centers, spiritual fellowships, institutes, break away churches or other so-called “new religious movements” as they preferred to be called.

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Exposing Manipulative Media Techniques That Restrict Spiritual Freedom

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The use of propaganda and negative framing techniques is rampant in both print and broadcast media. These techniques are used to portray alternative spirituality in a negative light, manipulating mass media consumers to fear and despise new religious movements as a criminal evil to be avoided at all costs. This article examines the framing techniques used to harm spirituality.

mediaDavid Gardner – When we turn on the news, open a paper or watch our favourite current affairs show, we might expect to be informed, not manipulated. What many may not consider or realise, however, is just how biased and sensationalist these forms of media can be, and how much they can influence our world view.

This is true in the media’s coverage of many aspects of society. Public figures are defamed on a regular basis, with the media knowing on probability that they will not be sued for every falsity or unsubstantiated allegation they publish. When people or groups are exonerated, the media is unlikely or reluctant to print a retraction, or to give it the same level coverage, as positive news is just not “newsworthy” enough to entertain its consumers. Sensationalism and negative coverage breeds curiosity, engages and unites consumers around social norms and orthodoxy and attracts advertisers.

In such a media environment, alternative spirituality is an easy target. It has been targeted and tarnished in the public mind through years of exposure to anti-cult rhetoric in the media following high profile tragedies at WACO and Jonestown. Alternative spirituality is almost always framed in a negative light, with the very idea of it deliberately conflated with controversy and associated with the very small minority of unconnected groups which have committed criminal acts. While the majority of the public have no experience with small spiritual groups, their curiosity is easily evoked by the lurid stories of “brainwashing”, “mind control”, broken families and alleged sexual transgression which the media often lead with when covering so-called “deviant” spiritual minorities. Continue reading →

All The World’s A Cult

~ admin ~ Leave a comment

It’s funny how people get all self righteous about not being religious or belonging to some group. Naturally most people attempt to be careful about what they align themselves with, but do we really see what all of society is made up of and what we’ve each unwittingly participated in to varying degrees?

Religions don’t have a corner on the market. Perhaps all of us have been cult-ivated in some way.

Cult-ure is called just that for a reason. It’s pretty blatant nomenclature. Merriam-Webster defines culture as the following:

: the beliefs, customs, arts, etc., of a particular society, group, place, or time

: a particular society that has its own beliefs, ways of life, art, etc.

: a way of thinking, behaving, or working that exists in a place or organization (such as a business)

That just about includes every societal behavior or activity. So-called cults, the word derived from the Latin colere meaning to cultivate, are mere start-ups of new and old ideas of group conformity for some objective. In the 60’s these were everywhere as groups and individuals attempted to harvest the spiritual awakening and longings of an entire generation looking for alternatives to the mad military industrial complex-bound world around them. Some were labeled cults by the orthodox minded, but these included a wide range of groups, organizations, alternative learning centers, spiritual fellowships, institutes, break away churches or other so-called “new religious movements” as they preferred to be called. Continue reading →