Some Facts About Religious Cults

Pavlos (1982) in his examination of religious cults notes that the term "cult" generally refers to a social movement that is focused on collective behavior. When placed in the context of religion, this is translated to a relatively small religious group whose beliefs, values and practices are at variance with those of dominant or traditional forms of religion" (p. 3). This author goes on to note that while the specific religious beliefs of the cult fall outside of what is considered to be "mainstream" religion, this does not mean that there is chaos or disarray in the organization. In most cults, there are considerable normative structures in place to keep members in line. "It has a normative structure and, usually, a well-established social organization" (p. 3). In most cases, religious cults develop both political and religious practices that satisfy the theoretical underpinnings of the religious context that has been developed by the organization.

Placing this information in the context of Branch Davidians, Wood (1993) notes that this religious cult evolved from the more traditional religious group, the Seventh-day Adventists. According to Wood, during the early 1930s, a many by the name of Victor Houteff, who had emigrated from Bulgaria to the United States at the end of World War I, began a group known as the Davidians in response to his conflicting opinions of the Adventist Church. Houteff located his Davidian religious group on the outskirts of Waco, Texas. The central belief of the Davidian group was that a second coming of Christ was eminent. This coming was supposed to take place in 1959. As a result of this prediction, thousands of Davidians from across the US gathered in Waco. When the coming did not occur, Ben Roden challenged the leadership of the Davidians, creating a splinter group known as the Branch Davidians.

The history of the Branch Davidians clearly demonstrates that this religious cult did indeed break from a more mainstream religious group in order to form its basis. Examining the specific religious context of the organization, Rifkind and Harper (1994) observe that the differences between the Seventh-day Adventists and the Branch Davidians stem from a specific interpretation of a part of the Bible:

Branch Davidians adhere to a distinctive reading of the biblical book of Ezekiel. Particular attention is focused on the passage in which an angel is sent to place a mark on the foreheads of the righteous inhabitants of Jerusalem to spare them slaughter by invaders. The sect believes that the passage applies to the modern Seventh-day Adventist Church, and that the 'destroying angel' will come among its ranks, separating the true believers from the rest. As a result, the sect has taken its beliefs directly to the local Adventist congregations, passing out pamphlets in the parking lots and buttonholing the faithful after their services all the while warning them that the denomination's leadership is corrupt (p. 66).

Thus, while the Branch Davidians follow some of the basic underlying beliefs that are supported by the Seventh Day Adventists, the overall message is that those following the Branch Davidians are the only ones that will ultimately receive salvation. Thus, those choosing to follow any other religion will not receive the blessings of Christ.

When examined in this perspective, it becomes clear that the basic context of the Branch Davidian religion is predicated upon more mainstream beliefs. However, certain aspects of this the mainstream religion supported by the Seventh Day Adventists has been changed to meet the needs of the organization's leadership. In this context, there is ample evidence to suggest that Pavlos' (1982) explication of the religious cult is quite accurate. The Branch Davidians represent a religious order that has broken with mainstream religion. The organization clearly undertook actions and behaviors that meet the religious beliefs of followers. As such, the Branch Davidians are a formidable example of how religious cults evolve.

Using Religion in the Cult

While the basic development of the religious cult as described by Pavlos can clearly be seen in the context of the Branch Davidians, it is important to consider how religion was used as a means to mobilize action and behavior inside the cult, once it has been constructed. Bainbridge and Stark (1987) in their examination of the construction of the cult argue that the cult is developed and maintained based on the religious promises that it makes to followers. According to these authors, cults are able to position themselves in such a way that they are able to provide the individual follower a promise of happiness or salvation for their participation. While this happiness or salvation may not occur until the individual dies, the promise is one that is guaranteed. Bainbridge and Stark argue that for many individuals the uncertainty that accompanies everyday can be so taxing in some cases, that the promise of happiness and/or salvation is one that provides them with the comfort that they need. As a result, even rational minded people can be persuaded to join a religious cult. Bainbridge and Stark assert that: "But for religion especially, many of the resources are cultural in the form of explanations that confer power. Some are supernatural compensators, but other explanations are basic skills of social interaction: how to preach, how to comfort, how to organize assistants, and so on" (p. 171).

When placed in this perspective, it becomes evident that the development of the religious cult is one that is predicated upon the ability of the cult's leadership to provide a basic source of human comfort and trust that simply cannot be achieved in the context of the traditional religious setting. Looking specifically at the Branch Davidians, it is evident that the organization's leader, David Koresh, possessed theses qualities. Because of Koresh's leadership, those who joined the Branch Davidians were willing to give up all of their worldly possessions and follow a religion that would lead them to eternal happiness and salvation.

Further examining this issue, Pavlos (1982) observes that the basic context of the religious cult is to bring about some type of social change. The organization offers, what it believes to be, a utopian view of the world and provides followers with a succinct means to achieve this world. According to this author, "these adherents of the new religious movements seem to share a common search for self-fulfillment and what they construe as success by not drawing upon given traditions and by not embracing mainstream religious ideals, but by faithfully practicing the religious ritual set out for them by their cult authority figure" (p. 13). Pavlos goes on to argue that the basic context of the religious beliefs espoused by the leader of the group provide the basis for the individual to find some degree of comfort in the context of the religious framework that has been constructed.

Lacayo and Cole (1994) in their examination of the leadership provided to the Branch Davidians by David Koresh note that Koresh had the power to transform the individual's beliefs and provide them with a foundation for believing that the Davidian viewpoint was the "right" way to live. "At lengthy sessions of biblical preaching that cult members attended twice a day, Koresh underlined his authority by impressing upon them that he alone understood the Scriptures. He changed his interpretations at will, while his unsteady flock struggled to keep up" (p. 34). Koresh made all of his male followers to practice celibacy, while he took a number of women as his concubines.

Further Koresh was able to convince all of his followers to relinquish their worldly possessions to the church, giving Koresh unlimited access to wealth. Interestingly, Koresh was able to accomplish all of these feats in a religious context. According to Lacayo and Cole: "He was Jesus Christ in sinful form, who because he indulged the flesh could judge mankind with insights that the first, more virtuous Messiah had lacked" (p. 34). In short, Koresh argued that he was the incarnate of Jesus Christ and that in order to understand man and his sins, he himself had to be "human."

Although it is quite evident that Koresh and other leaders in the Branch Davidians were able to provide followers with the promise of a better life by following the Messiah, the reality is that once Koresh had been able to effectively attract followers to his compound in Waco, Texas he employed a number of brutal psychological tactics to keep the followers in line. In particular, Lacayo and Cole note that Koresh typically provided followers with an inadequate diet which further diminished the ability of individual members to leave the organization. In addition to using psychological manipulation, Koresh also used the threat of physical violence to maintain his stronghold on his followers. "In addition to the paddlings, administered in a utility area called the spanking room, offenders could be forced down into a pit of raw sewage, then not allowed to bathe" (p. 35).

Arguably, the context of religion that was used as the basis for both luring individuals into the cult and constructing a framework for the decisions that were made in the organization were indeed an integral part of the manipulation that occurred in the Branch Davidian cult. However, what this analysis clearly demonstrates is that David Koresh was able to use a plethora of methods to assert his control over his followers. When Koresh was not starving his followers, he was using physical punishment as a central means to humble his followers. Thus, it becomes evident that religion, while the basis for the development and establishment of the organization, was not the sole reason as to why Koresh was able to maintain such a strong hold on many of his followers. Rather, Koresh utilized a host of psychological and physical punishments to keep followers in place. Galanter (1990) demonstrates how this process unfolds by noting that: "People are more vulnerable to social influence when they are made to think, sense, and feel differently than usual, when someone or something disrupts their emotional balance. Such changes in subjective experience (or alterations in consciousness) can undermine the psychological matrix in which our views are rooted, so that we lose track of customary internal signposts" (p. 65).

Unfortunately, when placed in this context, it is evident that religion only serves as an underlying foundation for the development and establishment of the cult. Religion provides individual followers with a clear understanding of the goal of the organization and further provides a salient means for the organization to establish the political, economic and social structure of the organization. However, once individuals make the decision to join the organization, the day-to-day activities that take place in the organization are geared toward keeping the follower submissive in all cases. Through physical and psychological manipulation, the organization is able to ensure that its followers remain faithful to both the leader and the religious tradition that has been created.

Summary

When all of the data presented in this investigation is synthesized a more integral picture of the religious cult is elucidated. As noted by this investigation, the religious cult forms as a direct result of problems in mainstream religion. A group of individuals practicing under a particular faith responds to a social, economic or political issue using the context of mainstream religion as a broad basis for expansion. Using religion as a background, this organization develops, what it believes to be, an idealized version of the world that is attainable only through this particular group. By joining this religious organization, the individual is entitled to all of the gifts of the Kingdom of Heaven, simply by adhering to the leadership of the organization. These promises appear so positive and desirable that the follower comes to see the new religious order as one that is a panacea for all of the social ills that plague society.

While the lure of happiness and salvation are critical to both attracting followers and maintaining a framework for behavior in the organization, once the individual has made the decision to join the organization, other tactics are used to ensure compliance. Specifically, mental and physical abuse are necessary to ensure that followers maintain their position in the organization. However, it is important to note that all of the actions taken toward followers have a religious root. In short, the religious cult bases all of its practices on the religious doctrine that it has created. As such, even though an act may seem somewhat cruel or unusual, there is typically a religious reason for this practice. When developed in this context, religious cults, like the Branch Davidians can justify psychological and physical abuse as practices that occur in the name of God or Jesus Christ.

Conclusion

When an overall picture of the religious cult is presented, it becomes evident that religion is only one component of this process. Specifically, in the context of the Branch Davidians and David Koresh, the true nature of manipulation is revealed as one that focused more on the psychological and physical abuse perpetuated in the organization, rather than an adherence to religious principles. While the abuse was ultimately codified as related to the larger religious doctrine, the reality is that the specific acts of manipulation-i.e. food rationing, celibacy, and paddling-had little to do with religion and more to do with maintaining the status quo. When examined in this context, it is evident that while religious cults may use religion as the basis for the foundation and development, more coercive tactics are used for ensuring the faith of followers.

References

Bainbridge, W.S., & Stark, R. (1987). A Theory of Religion. New York: Peter Lang.

Galanter, M. (1990). Cults: Faith, Healing and Coercion. New York: Oxford University Press.

Lacayo, R., & Cole, W. (1993). In the grip of a psychopath. Time, 141(18), 34-36.

Pavlos, A.J. (1982). The Cult Experience. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.

Wood, J.E. (1993). The Branch Davidian standoff: An American tragedy. Journal of Church & State, 35(2), 233-241.