Bang or Whimper: How Have Other Cults Have Ended?

by cameo-d 18 Replies latest watchtower scandals

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  cameo-d

  From historical record of other cults, how do the majority of them end?

  Is it usually with great fanfare? (Like Jonestown)

  Or do the old members just die off and no new ones joining causing a natural disintegration?

  Do the leaders just suddenly close shop and disappear in the night?

  Do they usually make an outrageous move which causes government investigation leading to demise?

  Is there a pattern of gradual decline of some kind (membership, financial, etc) before the demise?

  What are some of the other cults we have seen come and go through history and how have they ended?

  Do any show a repeating pattern in their demise?

  Just wondering if we can make some predictions about WT collapse based on historical evidence of other cults.
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  steve2

  Two examples:

  Christadelphians were as busy as bees over a century ago announcing the end of the world. Now they're a notch or two closer to their own end. Anyone who has rubbed shoulders with these dinosaurs knows how much they've dragged their dusty past into their present way of life. Bor-ing.

  Seventh-Day Adventists were once distinctively separate from other faiths and made a lot more noise about the supposedly imminence of Christ's arrival. Now they rub shoulders with other faiths and offer a warm, cosy message which has more in common with the Reader's Digest than the Bible.

  Christadelphians are petering out, whilst the Adventists - at least in third world countries - are still growing.
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  JeffT

  Shakers just died out - as Robert Heinlein once said (words to this effect), religions that are against sex entirely are already on the way to self destruction. He was right, today there are no Shakers.

  The Seventh Day Adventist website says they have 15 million members worldwide. I'd say that mainstreaming seems to have worked well for them.

  The World Wide church of God tried to mainstream and lost most of its members. It would be interesting to find out where they went.

  I think there might be some minimum size that prevents a real bang, it might be hard for a Jim Jones or David Koresh to convince a large group to do something drastic (although that's the plot of the novel I'm trying to get published). I can't think of a large group that's gone out that way.
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  jabberwock

  Shakers just died out...today there are no Shakers.

  It seems there are still some Shakers in the United States.

  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shakers#Modern-day_Shakers

  Notice that the Shakers were already down to only 12 members in 1920. As of 2008 there are still at 4.

  jabberwock
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  wobble

  I think cults generally seem to wither away,especially after the demise or ageing of the original leader (ship)

  Intersting figures for the Adventists, 15 million worldwide,one million baptised INTO CHRIST,the other year and the same number of countries as the Dubs covered by their ministry, I find they are a good answer to the old Dub mantra "We are the only ones preaching"

  Love

  Wobble
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  Black Sheep

  ALL.....

  .....of the cults that I grew up near are still functioning/wimpering. That includes radical nutcase jobs like COG/Branch Davidians/Manson family.

  They don't truly end until the last victim dies.

  Cheers

  Chris
• 

  Heaven

  Notice that the Shakers were already down to only 12 members in 1920. As of 2008 there are still at 4.

  Statisitically, any group must maintain a fertility rate of 2.11 children per year in order to maintain population. If they can't do this, they need to implement 'recruitment' (countries use immigration to keep population numbers up when fertility rates decline). It will be interesting to see if these 4 can maintain the Shaker population. Of course, if they are all men, they're going to have to do something interesting if they want 'born-ins'.

  I do believe that cults will always exist in some form as they fulfill a need for a lot of people. There are a lot of individuals who must belong to a group that makes all their plans and decisions for them as well as people who are looking for that magic something that is missing from their lives. JWs are truly 'Captives of a Concept' (Don Cameron). People want the paradise that is promised them by this group. Mind control is a very interesting study.

  I have often thought lately that the WTS has recently started to sound more and more like they are marching towards handing out the Kool-Aid at the Kingdom Halls. It wouldn't surprise me in the least. Logistically it may be impossible but they do have an awful lot of control over their members.
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  metatron

  The Bible Speaks organization lost a court case that involved a lot of cash and fell.

  The Worldwide Church of God gave up because they were left with a steaming pile of doctrines that they couldn't make any sense of.

  Moonies had mass marriages which pushed their zombies into setting up households which detracted from their cash flow/recruitment needs.

  Hari Krishnas got involved in internal struggles and scandals.

  metatron
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  Black Sheep

  Sorry to disappoint you Metatron, but a quick Google finds current websites for the remnants of all of those cults.

  I am sure that Charlie Manson is only inconsequential because he is behind bars. He gets more fan mail than any other inmate.

  Cults don't die easy

  Cheers

  Chris
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  metatron

  I don't think we are discussing the total death of every cult member in every group. However, their visibility and prominence as cults is over.

  metatron