Parents of students who left college to become full-time missionaries created a secular opposition to “cults.” Later, other targets were added.
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The Anti-Cult Movement. 2. Counter-Cult vs. Anti-Cult
There is an important difference between counter-cultists as heresy hunters motivated by sectarian reasons, and the more secular anti-cultists.
The Anti-Cult Movement. 1. “Cults” or “Sects”?
Terminology is essential. “Cult” should be translated into other languages as “secta,” “Sekte,” “secte”—and vice versa.
Are Apostates Reliable? 5. Why Some Become Apostates
Ex-members who become apostates often “learn” their role from anti-cult movements.
Are Apostates Reliable? 4. Not All Ex-Members Are Apostates
Unfortunately, media often confuse two very different categories, ex-members of religious organizations and apostates. Most ex-members are not apostates.
Are Apostates Reliable? 3. Disaffiliation and Captivity Narratives
There is a substantial difference between the scholarly study of disaffiliation and anti-cult tales which resembles old stories of white maidens kidnapped by Native Americans.
Are Apostates Reliable? 2. False Apostates
Some who claim to have been members of a religion or movement, and privy to its secrets, are simply lying.
Are Apostates Reliable? 1. The Problem of Apostasy
Apostates are ex-members of religions or religious movements who become sworn enemies of the faith they have left. They have existed for centuries.
The Order of the Solar Temple. 9. Learning from the Tragedy
What does the homicides and suicides tell us about which among thousands of pacific new religious and esoteric movements may turn violent?
The Order of the Solar Temple. 8. But Was It a “Typical Cult”?
Few days after the 1994 tragedy, Swiss media had already to deal with the problem that it did not look like the average “cult.”