Mon 22 May 00 18:37
Surprised by Cult Violence? Don't Be
By Norm Sperling
The murder/suicide last Friday of more than 500 members of a cult in
Uganda once again provided a shocking wake-up call to the dangers of
fringe groups.
But is it so shocking that acts like this happen? Many of us have
seen this coming for a while. Anybody remember Heaven's Gate -- the
group with poisonous cocktail and black Nikes? How about Aum
Shinrikyo -- the attackers of that Tokyo subway station five years
ago? And what about the Order of the Solar Temple, which committed
murders and suicides in 1994, 1995 and 1997?
How many times do you have to be surprised before you're not
surprised anymore?
As a scientist, I'm particularly sensitive to the issue of cults.
When I taught astronomy at Berkeley, my students would bring
leaflets from cults to class and ask me if what these groups claimed
was true. Typically, the questions came in the form of: "If the
planets are aligning, does that mean there will be massive
earthquakes here?" Usually I could inform them about contrary
evidence. But it left a great impression on me that society doesn't
pay enough attention to such fringe groups.
I know, these recent murder/suicides happened outside the country.
But a real threat from cults exists today in the United States. With
freedom of religion canonized in the First Amendment, cults are able
to practice their own "religions" pretty much the way they want.
Right now, about 5,000 cults take advantage of this climate to
practice in the United States, says Margaret Singer, an emeritus
adjunct professor of psychology at Berkeley.
The vast majority of these groups do not commit murder and suicide.
But that's no reason to ignore the ones that do. Since 1978, Singer
says there have been 23 major events of cult violence -- that's a
lot more than most people remember.
Most cults too are anything but secretive. Their posters and
preachers abound around the colleges where I taught. Cult leaflets
and posters are pushed everywhere, announcing meetings for new
recruits. Yet, sadly, the mass media only focus on cult leaders and
their groups when they recruit relatives of famous people -- or
after big tragedies. By then, it's too late.
Make no mistake, all cults -- to some degree or other -- prey on the
minds of the weak and those with vulnerable constitutions. Largely,
they seek money and power. That's why so many cult leaders order
followers to sell their possessions. Once shorn of their other
resources, participants depend all the more on the group and its
leaders.
It's disheartening to watch people give away their money and souls
to groups that are clearly selling false explanations. But unless we
pay more attention to this problem, these cults will continue to
thrive.
And then we shouldn't be surprised when tragedy strikes again.
AltaVista Science Editor Norm Sperling developed the Astroscan
telescope and The Stars Above starfinder. He is based in Palo Alto
and can be reached at norman.sperling@altavista.com
* Origin: Jesus thinks you are a jerk. (1:124/9005)
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Steve Quarrella
Cult violence
AltaVista Science Editor
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