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Most have only a few members, some have thousands, and only very few have more than a million. [5] The word cult in current usage is a pejorative term for a new religious movement [6] or other group whose beliefs or practices are considered abnormal or bizarre by the larger society, often without a clear or consistent definition. [7] [8]
To combat destructive mind control, he has developed the Strategic Interaction Approach. This approach is designed to free the cult member from the group's control over his or her life." [109] New York Magazine characterized Hassan as, "one of the country's leading experts on cults and mind control."
Heaven's Gate was an American new religious movement known primarily for the mass suicides committed by its members in 1997. Commonly designated a cult, it was founded in 1974 and led by Marshall Applewhite (1931–1997) and Bonnie Nettles (1927–1985), known within the movement as Do and Ti.
Scholars have estimated that NRMs now number in the tens of thousands worldwide. Most have only a few members, some have thousands, and very few have more than a million. [5]: 17 Academics occasionally propose amendments to technical definitions and continue to add new groups. [1]: vii–xv
The anti-cult movement, abbreviated ACM and also known as the countercult movement, [1] consists of various governmental and non-governmental organizations and individuals that seek to raise awareness of religious groups that they consider to be "cults", uncover coercive practices used to attract and retain members, and help those who have become involved with harmful cult practices.
At the height of the counter-cult movement and ritual abuse scare of the 1990s, some governments published lists of cults. [b] Groups labelled "cults" are found around the world and range in size from local groups with a few members to international organizations with millions. [61] While these documents utilize similar terminology, they do not ...
Audience cults which have hardly any organization because participants/consumers lack significant involvement. Client cults, in which the service-providers exhibit a degree of organization in contrast to their clients. Client cults link into moderate-commitment social networks through which people exchange goods and services.
Dianetics was an immediate commercial success and sparked what Martin Gardner calls "a nationwide cult of incredible proportions". [119] Following the prosecution of Hubbard's foundation for teaching medicine without a license and Hubbard's loss of the rights to Dianetics, in 1953 Hubbard rebranded as Scientology, an explicitly religious movement.