A witch-hunt was traditionally a search for witches or evidence of witchcraft, which could lead to a witchcraft trial involving the accused person. Today such events are recognised as a type of moral panic. Witchhunts still occur in the modern era, in the sense that ignorant or uneducated people, isolated peoples, or people living a traditional lifestyle may persecute people that they believe are witches. The term is now widely used in a modern sense to refer to any search for a perceived or hidden enemy, with the same connotations of ...

Including:

Witch-hunt - Early modern Europe
Witch-hunt - Evidence Witch-hunt - Execution
Witch-hunt - The Burning Times Witch-hunt - Africa Witch-hunt - Other parts of the world Witch-hunt - Sociology Witch-hunt - Modern usage
Witch-hunt - George Orwell Witch-hunt - Arthur Miller
Witch-hunt - Modern witchhunts
Witch-hunt - Religious deprogramming
Witch-hunt - Day care sex abuse
Witch-hunt - Involuntary commitment Witch-hunt - Political confirmation

Read more here: » Witch-hunt: Encyclopedia - Witch-hunt

See also:

Witch-hunt, Witch-hunt - Early modern Europe, Witch-hunt - Evidence, Witch-hunt - Execution, Witch-hunt - The Burning Times, Witch-hunt - Africa, Witch-hunt - Other part of the world, Witch-hunt - Sociology, Witch-hunt - Modern usage, Witch-hunt - George Orwell, Witch-hunt - Arthur Miller, Witch-hunt - Modern witchhunts, Witch-hunt - Religious deprogramming, Witch-hunt - Day care sex abuse, Witch-hunt - Involuntary commitment, Witch-hunt - Political confirmation

Read more here: » Witch-hunt: Encyclopedia II - Witch-hunt - Sociology

In many African societies the fear of witches drives periodic witchhunts during which specialist witch finders identify suspects, even today, with death by mobs often the result. Audrey I. Richards, in the journal Africa relates an instance when a new wave of witchfinders, the Bamucapi, appeared in the villages of the Bemba people. They dressed in European clothing, and would summon the headman to prepare a ritual meal for the village. When the villagers arrived they would view them all in a mirror, and claimed they could ident ...

See also:

Witch-hunt, Witch-hunt - Early modern Europe, Witch-hunt - Evidence, Witch-hunt - Execution, Witch-hunt - The Burning Times, Witch-hunt - Africa, Witch-hunt - Other part of the world, Witch-hunt - Sociology, Witch-hunt - Modern usage, Witch-hunt - George Orwell, Witch-hunt - Arthur Miller, Witch-hunt - Modern witchhunts, Witch-hunt - Religious deprogramming, Witch-hunt - Day care sex abuse, Witch-hunt - Involuntary commitment, Witch-hunt - Political confirmation

Read more here: » Witch-hunt: Encyclopedia II - Witch-hunt - Africa

In religion and sociology, a cult is a cohesive group of people (often a relatively small and new religious movement) devoted to beliefs or practices that the surrounding culture or society considers to be far outside the mainstream. Its marginal status may come about either due to its novel belief system or because of its idiosyncratic practices. In common usage, "cult" has a negative connotation, and is generally applied to a group by its opponents, for a variety of possible reasons. Cult - Definitions ...

Including:

Cult - Definitions of cult
Cult - Definition of cult in dictionaries Cult - Definition by the Christian countercult movement Cult - Definition by secular cult opposition Cult - Points of view regarding definitions
Cult - Cult NRM and the sociology and psychology of religion Cult - Christianity and Cults Cult - Cults and terrorism Cult - Theories about the reasons for joining a cult Cult - Cult leadership Cult - Development of cults Cult - Relationships with the outside world Cult - Cults: genuine concerns and exaggerations
Cult - Stigmatization and discrimination Cult - Leaving a cult Cult - Criticism by former members of purported cults Cult - Allegations made by scholars and skeptics Cult - Other allegations
Cult - Prevalence of purported cults Cult - Cults and governments Cult - Bibliography
Cult - Books Cult - Articles

Read more here: » Cult: Encyclopedia - Cult

By one measure, between 3,000 and 5,000 purported cults existed in the United States in 1995.6 While some of the more well-known and influential of these groups are frequently labelled as cults, the majority of these groups vigorously protest the label and refuse to be classified as such, and often expend great efforts in public relations campaigns to rid themselves of the stigma associated with of the term cult. In order to maintain a neutral point of view, a list of purported cults presents a listing of groups labeled as cult ...

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Cult, Cult - Definitions of cult, Cult - Definition of cult in dictionaries, Cult - Definition by the Christian countercult movement, Cult - Definition by secular cult opposition, Cult - Points of view regarding definitions, Cult - Cult NRM and the sociology and psychology of religion, Cult - Christianity and Cults, Cult - Cults and terrorism, Cult - Theories about the reasons for joining a cult, Cult - Cult leadership, Cult - Development of cults, Cult - Relationships with the outside world, Cult - Cults: genuine concerns and exaggerations, Cult - Stigmatization and discrimination, Cult - Leaving a cult, Cult - Criticism by former members of purported cults, Cult - Allegations made by scholars and skeptics, Cult - Other allegations, Cult - Prevalence of purported cults, Cult - Cults and governments, Cult - Bibliography, Cult - Books, Cult - Articles

Read more here: » Cult: Encyclopedia II - Cult - Prevalence of purported cults

For the main article, see Cults and governments In many countries there exists a separation of church and state and freedom of religion. Governments of some of these countries, concerned with possible abuses by cults, have taken restrictive measures against some of their activities. Those measures were generally motivated by various crimes committed by a string of murderous incidents involving doomsday cults circa 1995. Critics of such measures claim that the counter-cult movement and the anti-cult movement hav ...

See also:

Cult, Cult - Definitions of cult, Cult - Definition of cult in dictionaries, Cult - Definition by the Christian countercult movement, Cult - Definition by secular cult opposition, Cult - Points of view regarding definitions, Cult - Cult NRM and the sociology and psychology of religion, Cult - Christianity and Cults, Cult - Cults and terrorism, Cult - Theories about the reasons for joining a cult, Cult - Cult leadership, Cult - Development of cults, Cult - Relationships with the outside world, Cult - Cults: genuine concerns and exaggerations, Cult - Stigmatization and discrimination, Cult - Leaving a cult, Cult - Criticism by former members of purported cults, Cult - Allegations made by scholars and skeptics, Cult - Other allegations, Cult - Prevalence of purported cults, Cult - Cults and governments, Cult - Bibliography, Cult - Books, Cult - Articles

Read more here: » Cult: Encyclopedia II - Cult - Cults and governments

In the English-speaking countries since about the 1960s, especially in North America, the term cult has taken on a pejorative and sometimes offensive connotation. This largely originated with highly publicized cults which purportedly exploited their members psychologically and financially, or which allegedly utilized group-based persuasion and conversion techniques. These techniques may include "brainwashing", "thought reform", "love bombing", and "mind control", whose scientific validity, modern and historical use, and effectiveness (for religious conversio ...

See also:

Cult, Cult - Definitions of cult, Cult - Definition of cult in dictionaries, Cult - Definition by the Christian countercult movement, Cult - Definition by secular cult opposition, Cult - Points of view regarding definitions, Cult - Cult NRM and the sociology and psychology of religion, Cult - Christianity and Cults, Cult - Cults and terrorism, Cult - Theories about the reasons for joining a cult, Cult - Cult leadership, Cult - Development of cults, Cult - Relationships with the outside world, Cult - Cults: genuine concerns and exaggerations, Cult - Stigmatization and discrimination, Cult - Leaving a cult, Cult - Criticism by former members of purported cults, Cult - Allegations made by scholars and skeptics, Cult - Other allegations, Cult - Prevalence of purported cults, Cult - Cults and governments, Cult - Bibliography, Cult - Books, Cult - Articles

Read more here: » Cult: Encyclopedia II - Cult - Definitions of cult

The problem with defining the word cult is that (1) purported cult members generally resist being called a cult, and (2) the word cult is often used to marginalize religious groups with which one does not agree or sympathize. Some serious researchers of religion and sociology prefer to use terms such as new religious movement (NRM) in their research on cults. Such usage may lead to confusion because some religious movements are "new" but not necessarily cults, and some purported cults are not religious or overtly religio ...

See also:

Cult, Cult - Definitions of cult, Cult - Definition of cult in dictionaries, Cult - Definition by the Christian countercult movement, Cult - Definition by secular cult opposition, Cult - Points of view regarding definitions, Cult - Cult NRM and the sociology and psychology of religion, Cult - Christianity and Cults, Cult - Cults and terrorism, Cult - Theories about the reasons for joining a cult, Cult - Cult leadership, Cult - Development of cults, Cult - Relationships with the outside world, Cult - Cults: genuine concerns and exaggerations, Cult - Stigmatization and discrimination, Cult - Leaving a cult, Cult - Criticism by former members of purported cults, Cult - Allegations made by scholars and skeptics, Cult - Other allegations, Cult - Prevalence of purported cults, Cult - Cults and governments, Cult - Bibliography, Cult - Books, Cult - Articles

Read more here: » Cult: Encyclopedia II - Cult - Cult NRM and the sociology and psychology of religion

Since at least the 1940s, the approach of orthodox or conservative or fundamentalist Christians was to apply the meaning of cult such that it included those religious groups who used (possibly exclusively) non-standard translations of the Bible, put additional revelation on a similar or higher level than the Bible or had practices deviant from those of traditional Christianity. Some examples of sources (with published dates where known) that documented this approach are: Heresies and Cults, by J.Oswald Sanders, pub ...

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Cult, Cult - Definitions of cult, Cult - Definition of cult in dictionaries, Cult - Definition by the Christian countercult movement, Cult - Definition by secular cult opposition, Cult - Points of view regarding definitions, Cult - Cult NRM and the sociology and psychology of religion, Cult - Christianity and Cults, Cult - Cults and terrorism, Cult - Theories about the reasons for joining a cult, Cult - Cult leadership, Cult - Development of cults, Cult - Relationships with the outside world, Cult - Cults: genuine concerns and exaggerations, Cult - Stigmatization and discrimination, Cult - Leaving a cult, Cult - Criticism by former members of purported cults, Cult - Allegations made by scholars and skeptics, Cult - Other allegations, Cult - Prevalence of purported cults, Cult - Cults and governments, Cult - Bibliography, Cult - Books, Cult - Articles

Read more here: » Cult: Encyclopedia II - Cult - Christianity and Cults

The terrorist waves due to Islamic extremist organizations starting with the 1995 Islamist terror bombings in France and Al-Qaeda's acts of terrorism, have resulted in the comparison of Al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups to the ancient Hassan-i-Sabah cult. The Sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway in 1995, by members of Aum Shinrikyo has also raised awareness on the danger of groups that adopt extreme views ...

See also:

Cult, Cult - Definitions of cult, Cult - Definition of cult in dictionaries, Cult - Definition by the Christian countercult movement, Cult - Definition by secular cult opposition, Cult - Points of view regarding definitions, Cult - Cult NRM and the sociology and psychology of religion, Cult - Christianity and Cults, Cult - Cults and terrorism, Cult - Theories about the reasons for joining a cult, Cult - Cult leadership, Cult - Development of cults, Cult - Relationships with the outside world, Cult - Cults: genuine concerns and exaggerations, Cult - Stigmatization and discrimination, Cult - Leaving a cult, Cult - Criticism by former members of purported cults, Cult - Allegations made by scholars and skeptics, Cult - Other allegations, Cult - Prevalence of purported cults, Cult - Cults and governments, Cult - Bibliography, Cult - Books, Cult - Articles

Read more here: » Cult: Encyclopedia II - Cult - Cults and terrorism

Michael Langone gives three different models regarding joining a cult 30: "The definitional ambiguity surrounding the term cult has fueled much controversy regarding why people join cults and other unorthodox groups. Three apparently conflicting models attempt to account for conversion to unorthodox groups. The deliberative model, favored by most sociologists and religious scholars, says that people join because of what they think about the group. The psychodynamic mod ...

See also:

Cult, Cult - Definitions of cult, Cult - Definition of cult in dictionaries, Cult - Definition by the Christian countercult movement, Cult - Definition by secular cult opposition, Cult - Points of view regarding definitions, Cult - Cult NRM and the sociology and psychology of religion, Cult - Christianity and Cults, Cult - Cults and terrorism, Cult - Theories about the reasons for joining a cult, Cult - Cult leadership, Cult - Development of cults, Cult - Relationships with the outside world, Cult - Cults: genuine concerns and exaggerations, Cult - Stigmatization and discrimination, Cult - Leaving a cult, Cult - Criticism by former members of purported cults, Cult - Allegations made by scholars and skeptics, Cult - Other allegations, Cult - Prevalence of purported cults, Cult - Cults and governments, Cult - Bibliography, Cult - Books, Cult - Articles

Read more here: » Cult: Encyclopedia II - Cult - Theories about the reasons for joining a cult

According to Dr. Eileen Barker, new religions are in most cases started by charismatic leaders whom she considers unpredictable. According to Mikael Rothstein, there is in many cases no access to plain facts both about historical religious leaders and contemporary ones, though there is an abundance of legends, myths, and theological elaborations. According to Rothstein most members of any new religious movement have little chance of a personal meeting with the Master (leader) except as a member of big audience when the Master is present on stage. See also Role of charismatic fig ...

See also:

Cult, Cult - Definitions of cult, Cult - Definition of cult in dictionaries, Cult - Definition by the Christian countercult movement, Cult - Definition by secular cult opposition, Cult - Points of view regarding definitions, Cult - Cult NRM and the sociology and psychology of religion, Cult - Christianity and Cults, Cult - Cults and terrorism, Cult - Theories about the reasons for joining a cult, Cult - Cult leadership, Cult - Development of cults, Cult - Relationships with the outside world, Cult - Cults: genuine concerns and exaggerations, Cult - Stigmatization and discrimination, Cult - Leaving a cult, Cult - Criticism by former members of purported cults, Cult - Allegations made by scholars and skeptics, Cult - Other allegations, Cult - Prevalence of purported cults, Cult - Cults and governments, Cult - Bibliography, Cult - Books, Cult - Articles

Read more here: » Cult: Encyclopedia II - Cult - Cult leadership

Barer wrote that peripheral members may help to lessen the tension that exists between some groups and the outside world. 27 In the case where members live in intentional communities, custody disputes (if one parent leaves and one stays) may be a source of confrontation between the cult and the outside world. ...

See also:

Cult, Cult - Definitions of cult, Cult - Definition of cult in dictionaries, Cult - Definition by the Christian countercult movement, Cult - Definition by secular cult opposition, Cult - Points of view regarding definitions, Cult - Cult NRM and the sociology and psychology of religion, Cult - Christianity and Cults, Cult - Cults and terrorism, Cult - Theories about the reasons for joining a cult, Cult - Cult leadership, Cult - Development of cults, Cult - Relationships with the outside world, Cult - Cults: genuine concerns and exaggerations, Cult - Stigmatization and discrimination, Cult - Leaving a cult, Cult - Criticism by former members of purported cults, Cult - Allegations made by scholars and skeptics, Cult - Other allegations, Cult - Prevalence of purported cults, Cult - Cults and governments, Cult - Bibliography, Cult - Books, Cult - Articles

Read more here: » Cult: Encyclopedia II - Cult - Relationships with the outside world

The stigma surrounding the classification of a group as a cult stems from the purported ill effect the group's influence has on its members. The narratives of ill effect include threats presented by a cult to its members (whether real or perceived), and risks to the physical safety of its members and to their mental and spiritual growth. Much of the actions taken against cults and alleged cults have been in reaction to the harm experienced by some members due to their affiliation with the groups in question. Members of alleged ...

See also:

Cult, Cult - Definitions of cult, Cult - Definition of cult in dictionaries, Cult - Definition by the Christian countercult movement, Cult - Definition by secular cult opposition, Cult - Points of view regarding definitions, Cult - Cult NRM and the sociology and psychology of religion, Cult - Christianity and Cults, Cult - Cults and terrorism, Cult - Theories about the reasons for joining a cult, Cult - Cult leadership, Cult - Development of cults, Cult - Relationships with the outside world, Cult - Cults: genuine concerns and exaggerations, Cult - Stigmatization and discrimination, Cult - Leaving a cult, Cult - Criticism by former members of purported cults, Cult - Allegations made by scholars and skeptics, Cult - Other allegations, Cult - Prevalence of purported cults, Cult - Cults and governments, Cult - Bibliography, Cult - Books, Cult - Articles

Read more here: » Cult: Encyclopedia II - Cult - Cults: genuine concerns and exaggerations

The problem with defining the word cult is that (1) purported cult members generally resist being called a cult, and (2) the word cult is often used to marginalize religious groups with which one does not agree or sympathize. Some serious researchers of religion and sociology prefer to use terms such as new religious movement (NRM) in their research on cults. Such usage may lead to confusion because some religious movements are "new" but not necessarily cults, and some purported cults are not religious or overtly religio ...

See also:

Cult, Cult - Definitions of cult, Cult - Definition of cult in dictionaries, Cult - Definition by the Christian countercult movement, Cult - Definition by secular cult opposition, Cult - Points of view regarding definitions, Cult - Cult, NRM and the sociology and psychology of religion, Cult - Christianity and Cults, Cult - Cults and terrorism, Cult - Theories about the reasons for joining a cult, Cult - Cult leadership, Cult - Development of cults, Cult - Relationships with the outside world, Cult - Cults: genuine concerns and exaggerations, Cult - Stigmatization and discrimination, Cult - Leaving a cult, Cult - Criticism by former members of purported cults, Cult - Allegations made by scholars and skeptics, Cult - Other allegations, Cult - Prevalence of purported cults, Cult - Cults and governments, Cult - Bibliography, Cult - Books, Cult - Articles

Read more here: » Cult: Encyclopedia II - Cult - Cult, NRM and the sociology and psychology of religion

The problem with defining the word cult is that (1) purported cult members generally resist being called a cult, and (2) the word cult is often used to marginalize religious groups with which one does not agree or sympathize. Some serious researchers of religion and sociology prefer to use terms such as new religious movement (NRM) in their research on religious groups that may be referred to as cults by other religious groups. Such usage may lead to confusion because some religious movements are "new" but not necessaril ...

See also:

Cult, Cult - Definitions of cult, Cult - Definition of cult in dictionaries, Cult - Definition by the Christian countercult movement, Cult - Definition by secular cult opposition, Cult - Points of view regarding definitions, Cult - Cult NRM and the sociology and psychology of religion, Cult - Christianity and Cults, Cult - Cults and terrorism, Cult - Theories about the reasons for joining a cult, Cult - Cult leadership, Cult - Development of cults, Cult - Relationships with the outside world, Cult - Cults: genuine concerns and exaggerations, Cult - Stigmatization and discrimination, Cult - Leaving a cult, Cult - Criticism by former members of purported cults, Cult - Allegations made by scholars and skeptics, Cult - Other allegations, Cult - Prevalence of purported cults, Cult - Cults and governments, Cult - Bibliography, Cult - Books, Cult - Articles

Read more here: » Cult: Encyclopedia II - Cult - Cult NRM and the sociology and psychology of religion

For several centuries, dominantly Christian societies believed that Satan was acting through human and animal servants. These beliefs can be seen as a reaction to emerging alternatives to the Christian hierarchical order, such as the worldly knowledge and cultural practices brought into a relatively backward Europe from the Middle East by those returning from the Crusades. It had been proposed that the witch-hunt developed in Europe after the Cathars and the Templar Knights were exterminated and the Inquisition had to turn to persecut ...

See also:

Witch-hunt, Witch-hunt - Early modern Europe, Witch-hunt - Evidence, Witch-hunt - Execution, Witch-hunt - The Burning Times, Witch-hunt - Africa, Witch-hunt - Other part of the world, Witch-hunt - Sociology, Witch-hunt - Modern usage, Witch-hunt - George Orwell, Witch-hunt - Arthur Miller, Witch-hunt - Modern witchhunts, Witch-hunt - Religious deprogramming, Witch-hunt - Day care sex abuse, Witch-hunt - Involuntary commitment, Witch-hunt - Political confirmation

Read more here: » Witch-hunt: Encyclopedia II - Witch-hunt - Early modern Europe

For several centuries, dominantly Christian societies believed that Satan was acting through human and animal servants. These beliefs can be seen as a reaction to emerging alternatives to the Christian hierarchical order, such as the worldly knowledge and cultural practices brought into a relatively backward Europe from the Middle East by those returning from the Crusades. It had been proposed that the witch-hunt developed in Europe after the Cathars and the Templar Knights were exterminated and the Inquisition had to tu ...

See also:

Witch-hunt, Witch-hunt - Early modern Europe, Witch-hunt - Evidence, Witch-hunt - Execution, Witch-hunt - The Burning Times, Witch-hunt - Africa, Witch-hunt - Other parts of the world, Witch-hunt - Sociology, Witch-hunt - Modern usage, Witch-hunt - George Orwell, Witch-hunt - Arthur Miller, Witch-hunt - Modern witchhunts, Witch-hunt - Religious deprogramming, Witch-hunt - Day care sex abuse, Witch-hunt - Involuntary commitment, Witch-hunt - Political confirmation

Read more here: » Witch-hunt: Encyclopedia II - Witch-hunt - Early modern Europe

A witchhunt in modern terminology refers to the act of seeking and persecuting any perceived enemy, particularly when the search is conducted using extreme measures and with little regard to actual guilt or innocence. Witch-hunt - George Orwell. the Oxford English Dictionary describes the first recorded use of the term in its metaphorical sense in George Orwell's Homage to Catalonia (1938). The term is used by Orwell to describe how, in the Spanish Civil War, political persecutions became a regular occurrence. < ...

See also:

Witch-hunt, Witch-hunt - Early modern Europe, Witch-hunt - Evidence, Witch-hunt - Execution, Witch-hunt - The Burning Times, Witch-hunt - Africa, Witch-hunt - Other part of the world, Witch-hunt - Sociology, Witch-hunt - Modern usage, Witch-hunt - George Orwell, Witch-hunt - Arthur Miller, Witch-hunt - Modern witchhunts, Witch-hunt - Religious deprogramming, Witch-hunt - Day care sex abuse, Witch-hunt - Involuntary commitment, Witch-hunt - Political confirmation

Read more here: » Witch-hunt: Encyclopedia II - Witch-hunt - Modern usage

Witch-hunt - Religious deprogramming. Hundreds of members of the Unification Church who were caught and harangued by deprogrammers complained of interrogation technique similar to that reported during the European witchhunts. Deprogrammers would tell the detainee that he had been "brainwashed" by the "cult" and threaten to hold him indefinitely unless he "realized" he had been brainwashed. Opponents of deprogramming claim that this parallels the tactic of accusing a prisoner of witchcraft and torturing them until ...

See also:

Witch-hunt, Witch-hunt - Early modern Europe, Witch-hunt - Evidence, Witch-hunt - Execution, Witch-hunt - The Burning Times, Witch-hunt - Africa, Witch-hunt - Other part of the world, Witch-hunt - Sociology, Witch-hunt - Modern usage, Witch-hunt - George Orwell, Witch-hunt - Arthur Miller, Witch-hunt - Modern witchhunts, Witch-hunt - Religious deprogramming, Witch-hunt - Day care sex abuse, Witch-hunt - Involuntary commitment, Witch-hunt - Political confirmation

Read more here: » Witch-hunt: Encyclopedia II - Witch-hunt - Modern witchhunts