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Religious Cults Are Just a Matter of Perspective

Ng Cheng Hor (B2201196)

Ngai Chew Wen (B2101044)

Wong Ying Hsin (B2201316)

HELP Matriculation Centre, HELP University

FDCTS001: Critical Thinking Skills 

Ms. Kavitha V.Gokulachandran 

February 27, 2023

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Outline

I. Introduction
A. Opener:
B. Thesis statement: This research paper aims to reveal the reason why cults are just a
matter of perspective.

II. Religious cults are seen as weird, abnormal, and wrong as they are different from
mainstream religions.
A. Us vs Them mentality (Blue eyes Brown eyes study by Jane Elliott 1968)
B. Group pressure and conformity (Asch conformity experiment)

III. Religious cults use brainwashing or coercive persuasive tactics to give people a sense
of false information.
A. Total mind control and lost of personal freedom
B. Convince people to acknowledge a certain loyalty, order or practice
C. Persuade people isolation from others and consequent mental instability

IV. Following a religious cult while being oblivious to reason and misplaced faith can
result in terrible harm.

V. Conclusion
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Religious Cults Are Just a Matter of Perspective

Religious cults are a phenomenon that has captured the attention of the public and

media alike. They are often characterized by extreme and controlling beliefs, practices, and

behaviors that are odds with mainstream religions or social norms. Cults can take a variety of

forms, from small, secretive groups to large, well-known organizations. They often have a

charismatic leader who exerts a great deal of influence and control over their members.

According to many psychologists and sociologists, there is no certain type of individual who

might join a cult and it can be anyone of us. This research paper aims to reveal the reason

why religious cults are just a matter of perspective.

One might wonder how a group of people gets labeled as cults. When they are

perceived as misleading, flawed, dangerous, or opposing basic values of their society, they

are labelled as “cults” (Cult Info since 1979 - What Messages behind Cults, n.d.). This also

implies that religious cults are seen as weird, abnormal and wrong as they are different from

mainstream religions. This can be further proven with the “Blue eyes Brown eyes”

experiment done by Jane Elliott in 1968 when prompted with the assassination of Martin

Luther King Jr.

Elliot’s intentions were to make her students feel the impact and brutality of racism

(Bloom, 2022). She split her students into two groups, brown eyes and blue eyes. On the first

day, students with blue eyes were told to be genetically inferior to the brown-eyed students.

They were informed that brown-eyed students were also smarter, nicer, and cleaner. They

were also not allowed to play on swings or have second helpings for lunch. On the second

day, Elliot switched the roles of her students. The results of the experiment were compelling.

Immediately, the brown-eyed students were discriminatory towards their classmates and

refused to hang out with the blue-eyed students. The brown-eyed students who previously

struggle with their studies started to do better while the blue-eyed students who often do well
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started to make blunders. Brown-eyed students were also more socially active while the blue-

eyed students became shy and quiet (Stevens, 2022). This experiment clearly shows when a

particular group believes they are more superior than others, they will begin to discriminate

and belittle those who they believed to be inferior.

Additionally, cults are also known to separate their members with their former past

life, inevitably causing them distress and at last, they fall deeper into the controls of the cult.

The mere fact that they were separated and all alone makes them susceptible to group

pressure and conformity. According to Solomon Asch’s Conformity Experiment in the 1950s,

people mostly conform for two reasons. They were either eager to fit into the group or they

believe the group is better informed than they are (Mcleod, 2018). Cult leaders use this as

their advantage to manipulate members into further form bonds with the cult; thus,

strengthening their faith.

According to research by Brown (1991), religious cults use brainwashing or coercive

persuasive tactics to give people a sense of false information. The purpose of brainwashing is

to subjugate a person by manipulating their thoughts. The most serious accusation is that the

techniques of cults go through lead to total mind control, and loss of personal freedom.

Members eventually become mindless zombies since the cult has complete control over their

thoughts and actions. Not only that, cult members also behave and act in accordance with the

norms of their particular group. To illustrate that, cults convince people to acknowledge a

certain loyalty, order, or practice. To add on, the final outcomes of these tactics are to

persuade people to be isolated from others and consequent mental instability. Therefore,

Brown (1991) stated that the most serious result of being subjected to a cultic brainwashing

environment is the cult's domination of the individual's will and the subsequent destruction of

the object in order for engaging independent choices. A cult is detrimental to its participants,

a religion, and also society in general because it supports moral decay and lower values
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(Tucker, n.d.). To conclude, religious cult members are frequently brainwashed into adopting

unusual and strange ways to achieve fulfilment in life.

However, there are some reasons why people choose to join cults. When one takes an

outsider's perspective, it is quite difficult to understand why anyone would choose to join a

cult. There are many people all over the world who choose to join because they have no idea

it’s a cult. Dr. Margaret Thaler Singer, a clinical psychologist has studied the psychology of

brainwashing and cults for many years. She found that many of them were unaware that the

group they were joining was actually a cult (Quinn, 2017). The majority of people don’t

know that cults are not necessary to be a religion. A business, political, or lifestyle cult could

also fit the bill. Singer explains that brainwashing frequently takes place, that people do not

know what is going on (Quinn, 2017). Besides, people who are fed up with society would

choose to join cults. According to Quinn (2017), Kristina Jones, a woman born into a cult

called The Children of God (Originally named “Teens for Christ”), wrote about why some

people choose to join these groups. She explains that her father does not want to be a part of

the society after he saw the injustices during the Vietnam War.

Following a religious cult while being oblivious to reasoning and misplaced faith can

result in terrible harm. Their practice and beliefs have a significant negative impact on

people’s superstitious attitudes which is extremely dangerous for humanity (Maiti, 2015).

They manipulate their followers into believing that their cult leaders are powerful and guide

them to the wrong path. Bavarian Illuminati is one of the main Illuminati groups. Although

this cult resisted superstition, obscurantism, and religious influence on public life, and abuses

of state authority, they are regarded as the biggest conspirator in the world (Maiti, 2015).

Many powerful people in this cult control world affairs by planting spies in government and
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corporations to obtain political power and influence and set new global norms (Maiti, 2015).

Thus, religious cults are a matter of perspective.

To sum it all up, a cult and a religion, are very distinct from each other. There are

many flaws in religious cults behind their sugar-coated promises to their members. On the

contrary, a religion encourages questioning and is more receptive to learning new things.

Unlike a cult, which restricts its members' interactions with the outside world. Research has

shown that cults are dangerous because they brainwash their followers by twisting and

corrupting their morals and values in life as well as their faith in God. Therefore, there is no

doubt that cults are just a matter of perspective.

VI.
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References

Bloom, S. G. (2022, September 13). A second look at the blue-eyes, Brown-eyes experiment
that taught third-graders about racism. The Conversation.
https://theconversation.com/a-second-look-at-the-blue-eyes-brown-eyes-experiment-
that-taught-third-graders-about-racism-177430

Brown, L. B. (1991). He who controls the mind controls the body ... - valparaiso university.
https://scholar.valpo.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?
httpsredir=1&article=2159&context=vulr 

Cult Info Since 1979 - What Messages Behind Cults. (n.d.). Www.icsahome.com.

https://www.icsahome.com/articles/what-messages-behind-cults-zimbardo

Maiti, A. (2015, August 22). 11 Religious Cults That Are Extremely Dangerous For

Humanity. Storypick. https://www.storypick.com/dangerous-cults/

Mcleod, S. (2018, December 28). Solomon Asch - Conformity experiment. Simply

Psychology. https://www.simplypsychology.org/asch-conformity.html

‌Quinn, S. (2017, April 4). 10 Psychological Reasons Why People Join Cults. Listverse. 

https://listverse.com/2017/04/04/10-psychological-reasons-why-people-join-cults/

Stevens, K. (2022, April 1). The Impact of Jane Elliott's Brown Eyes vs. Blue Eyes
Experiment. Study.com. https://study.com/academy/lesson/group-prejudice-jane-
elliotts-brown-eyes-vs-blue-eyes-experiment.html

‌Tucker, R. A. (n.d.). Another gospel. Google Books.  https://books.google.dm/books?

id=ZzHsXbXOab0C&printsec=copyright#v=onepage&q&f=false