Message #16005

[kingfisher111]

In response to your points Brock, I totally agree with you.

Cult is defined as a spiritual sect or group.

And modern society, the news, etc. has redefined it as a small group which people are fearful of in someway, and they basically use this word "cult" dismissively and don't analyze more deeply beyond it. 


My definition of "cult" in how I meant it is just any group which is as you call an "in-group" which reinforces the value of being a member and the disgrace or pitiable state of being a "non-member'.  This is what I would call, derogatively, "cult like thinking."

I think a healthy group or family does not speak poorly of non-members.  There are many families which are very open hearted and invite people to join them for dinner and gatherings, and there are others who spend their entire lives never sharing dinner or events with a single person outside of their religion, race, political party, nationality, etc.

A "cult", by how I meant it, keeps Humans separate.  It discourages greater understanding between people who don't have each others' group in common, or a mutual friend already, etc.


Conversely, I think these closed off groups have a "motherly" element of protectiveness.  So, someone deeply rooted inside a group or system which discourages them from communicating with others outside of it or discourages critical analysis in general, in a way, is actually protecting it's members from potential harm.  However, this group will never acknowledge the uncertainty of Life in general, and the fact that it may also have certain dangers, especially when followed blindly/unquestioningly.


To Humanity as a whole, at this time in History more than ever, I think, it is important for us to communicate with those who we disagree with, to understand their perspective and to develop more compassion between everyone, ESPECIALLY those we don't agree with!

Any group which encourages this, I am very grateful for!