Assess the View That Cults and Sects Are Only Fringe Organisations That Are Inevitably Short Lived and of Little Influence in Contemporary Society Essay

It screwing be argued that fads and sects ar only fringe organisations that argon inevitably absolutely lived and of little specify in contemporary society, however some may deliver sees to contrast this idea. A sect is an organization, which usually breaks off from an open up religion, which finds itself in disagreement with beliefs and values of wider society and refuses to tolerate the beliefs of others. Although the desire to be a member is voluntary, as oppose to being born into, ilk religion, sects be rejected by society and claim strong arrangement and commitment by its members.A sect is an extremely narrow-minded organisation, which is frequently led by a charismatic draw. Whereas, in contrast, a cult does not progress from a mainstream religion and does not reject or challenge societal norms. However, as tolerant of other beliefs as they be, they let off attract a great deal of negative press, for workout brainwashing. Members in a cult are usually more like customers than followers. An example of a cult is Heavens gate, which is a destructive doomsday cult, touch in California.There is a mass of supporting depict that cults and sects are short lived and insignificant to wider society. Nevertheless, it must be maintained that the matter is coordination compound as there are some(prenominal) sects and cults, which identify themselves differently.There is evidence to support this grab of a short-lived nature of sects. This is due to many reasons. World rejecting sects, due to their nature and succeeding societal rejection and stigma of freehanded press, must be able to compromise with society and becoming a denomination and therefore cease to be a sect, if this is not through then the sect will die out. There is also an pipeline that sects cannot move over a great deal of affect upon society all everyplace a long term period as they cannot survive chivalric the charismatic attractors lifetime and therefore sustain themselves over more than ane generation.The American theologian Niebuhr theorises that another reason for transitoriness of sects is that they rarely live past the 1st generation because the 2nd generation usually lacks the belief of the 1st. In this way, theirmembership dwindles as the 2nd generation chooses to leave the sect and hold other views in wider society.However Wilson disagrees with Neibuhrs view and says that he overates his case and chooses to not pay attention to groups who did preserve a distinct sectarian stance. Similarly, evidence proves to discredit the belief that a sect fails to live on past their leaders death. For example, The Mormons have continued for many generations and also the Amish- however this could be attributed to the protective isolation-like in which they live. There is also a possibility that the Moonies surviving is due to the leader preparing for his son to take over his position as the charismatic leader after his death, however this is yet to be see n.Cults have seen a crowing incline in their number recently and because they are more pass judgment of wider society and despite receiving bad press, offer a practical closure to peoples issues and wishes, seem less likely to die out due to refusal and disapproval. They are also financially alternatively stable, the Church of Scientology for example has an estimated income of over 200m per year. This is overcome to the consumer attitude of cults. There is also a mass of evidence for their sizeableness in society in a sense that audience cults have a mass market of self help therapy there are many books available for example, tarot reading, crystals and reflexology regularly appear on the ruff seller list and often more room is devoted to these books rather than Christianity books themselves. The view that cults are fringe movements is less supported than that for sects.Sects very infrequently continue on as sects but cults such as scientology are not only prosperous but also have a huge celebrity following trend admired by the commonplace for example Tom Cruise.There is also evidence that sects and cults can be of great influence to society though it is debatable as to whether or not that is possible today in a society as apparently secular as ours. Weber suggests in his Theodicy of Disprivilege that because they offer a solution to problems justification and explanation for life and its problems, to marginalisedgroups such as dropouts or ethnic minorities, world rejecting sects that offer status appeal to people. An example of this is handout Theology which was for the poorer people which had great influence upon the priorities of the Catholic Church in Latin America (though it has become more conservative, it continues to represent human rights and democracy).Bruce argues that it is not a religion and is instead a shallow, meaningless thing. Due to the elements of select it offers, the choice about which bits to believe and whether to take its re adings into account, it does not require commitment. This he argues prevents it having religious status. Post Modernists see it as being spiritual obtain it is part of a consumerist culture. Despite not necessarily being a religion, there is lots of evidence to immortalize that it has influenced society as a whole and, some sociologists would claim, aided secularisation. There is also evidence to show that it is unlikely to be particularly short lived as it fits in so well with our Capitalist, consumerist society and our individualistic values and is so profitable.Therefore, though there is strong evidence to show that sects and cults are fringe organisations, there is suitable evidence to suggest that nevery are short lived in themselves either through the Sectarian cycle or demand and supply (though sects tip to become denominations) and also to suggest that the influence of sects and cults on society is great than expected though the influence of sects and cults is exemplifi ed by older examples and so one cannot be sure as to how successful they will be in todays society, except in regards to specific sects and cults.In conclusion, the view that cults, sects are fringe organisations that are inevitably short-lived and of little influence in modern-day society, is on the whole not wholly localize but has some strength in that the permanency of all is moot as is their status as fringe organisations.