The Spiritualist Movement and the Need for a Redefinition of Cult
The need for a refined concept of cult emerged as the result of an attempt to analyse the Spiritualist movement in terms of the church-sect typology. Previous definitions of cult also appear inadequate when applied to the analysis of Spiritualism. This paper argues the need for a refined concept of...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Published: |
[1969]
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| In: |
Journal for the scientific study of religion
Year: 1969, Volume: 8, Issue: 1, Pages: 152-160 |
| Further subjects: | B
Church unions
B Buddhism B Traditions B Spontaneity B Social Movements B Expulsion B Cults |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (Resolving-System) Volltext (doi) |
| Summary: | The need for a refined concept of cult emerged as the result of an attempt to analyse the Spiritualist movement in terms of the church-sect typology. Previous definitions of cult also appear inadequate when applied to the analysis of Spiritualism. This paper argues the need for a refined concept of cult, and proposes a definition of cult in terms of one basic criterion--that cults are religious movements which make a fundamental break with the religious tradition of the culture--and two subordinate criteria--that cults are composed of individuals who have had or seek mystical, psychic, or ecstatic experiences, and that they are concerned with the problems of individuals. It also proposes a typology of cults, and an explanation of the origin and development of cults in terms of a continuum from cult to new religion. |
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| ISSN: | 1468-5906 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal for the scientific study of religion
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.2307/1385263 |
