Cults and Other Concerns About Alternative Religions
By Catherine Beyer, About.com Guide
Many people encountering a new belief system are concerned about potentially dangerous beliefs or practices. News media, horror tales and other sources make us wary of "cults." This can be particularly disturbing when a child or other loved one expresses interest in a new, unfamiliar religion.
This section is meant to address some common concerns about a variety of alternative religions that are frequently painted in a negative light, as well as offering guidance in evaluating religious groups in general.
Tips for Identifying Dangerous Religious Groups
There are many religions available to us today that may appear strange, even bizarre. Are these simply radically different belief systems, or are they something dangerous, something to avoid and urge others to also avoid? Below are a series of articles to help people better understand the potential dangers of religious groups.
- What Is a Cult?
- Evaluating Religions as Dangerous Cults
- Things to Avoid When Evaluating a Potential Dangerous Cult
- Tnevnoc "Cult" - Dangers of Hastily Labeling a Practice as a Cult
Suspicious Religious Practices
The following practices leave many people suspicious about those who follow them. Learn more about what these practices actually entail as well as the reasons behind them.
Satanism
Few things invoke more terror in terms of religion than Satan and Satanists. The fact is "Satan" can mean many things to different Satanists, but rarely does it mean anything close to Christian understandings of the term.
- Is (LaVeyan) Satanism a Cult?
- Who is Satan?
- Satanic Ritual Abuse
- Satanic Panic
- Introduction to LaVeyan Satanism
Scientology
Scientology is one of the largest of the highly-controversial religions. Sources such as South Park have provided high profile mocking of their beliefs. In the news, Scientology has had to deal with repeated revelations from ex-members as well as stories of conflicts with multiple national governments which struggle to decide whether Scientology should be classified as a religion.