Of over ten thousand new religious movements across the globe, less than twenty are considered destructive cults. The contemporary definition of cult refers to a relatively small group of people whose religious beliefs and practices depart from the conventional standards of society. Most cults that have surfaced in the United States since the 1960's have been indicated by a revived interest in mysticism and Asian religions, while others have Christian origins. They appear to suit the needs of urban, middle-class youth and are often associated with the counter culture. Amid sociologists, religious groups are pigeonholed as ecclesiae, denominations, cults or sects, though this sorting of course depends on the society in which the group exists, particularly the location and time period. By this standard, a cult is a group with a high degree of tension with surrounding society merged with novel religious ideas.
[...] Furthermore, Asahara promised members heaven on earth, saying he would free them from society's evils, parental pressure and having to work for conventional corporations. Aum attracted a considerable number of young graduates from Japan's elite educational institutions, coming from sound middle-class backgrounds, though entire families and the elderly also joined, appeared to be a masterful storyteller who was quite adept at assessing the emotional needs of his audience and, in turn, delivering to them exactly what they sought” (Rinehart 98). [...]
[...] Moreover, they've both had problems with the law, even before they founded two of the most notorious doomsday cults. It's clear that they were able to gain the trust and attention of many people, but the reasons why remain uncertain. Aum's methods of recruitment were certainly more forceful and successful, but Heaven's Gate still remains a fascinating mystery that will never be completely understood. Violence has always played a huge role in religion and this trend certainly continues on in [...]
[...] According to Asahara, the route to Final Realization is a multitude of small enlightenments that each elevates the consciousness of the practitioner to a higher level. The stages are as follows: Raja Yoga, Kundalini Yoga, Mahamudra, Mahayana Yoga, Astral Yoga, Causal Yoga, and Ultimate Realization. Rigorous training sessions were often augmented by the use of hallucinatory drugs, like LSD. He advocated information intake control, encouraging his followers to refrain from consuming low quality knowledge from entertainment magazines and comedic shows and instead to read scientific literature. [...]
[...] They even used the new internet phenomenon to recruit members, fear that the Web could seduce naïve web-users into joining suicide cults was exacerbated by the fact that the stereotype of the typical heavy Web user matched that of the typical New Religious Movement member: young, well educated, with few responsibilities or social attachments” (Siegler 109). Many of the now over a thousand followers left the group after the failed prophecy of the expected arrival of a spaceship and disapproving press coverage. [...]
[...] In February 1998, Humphreys tried again and succeeded. The sole survivor, Rio DiAngelo, was the subject of a 2007 LA Weekly cover article, detailing Heaven's Gate, and this certainly won't be the last the public hears of this bizarrely fascinating UFO cult. Aum Shinrikyo was established in 1987 by Shoko Asahara and became the fastest growing religious group in Japan's history. In 1995, at the height of the movement, Aum Shinrikyo boasted a net worth of more than a billion dollars and roughly ten thousand members in Japan and forty thousand worldwide, mostly concentrated in Russia. [...]
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