Author: Dmitry
November 12, 2016 10:38
Tags: sect facts
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sociologists have not yet decided on the definition of the word “sect.” Some define it as a religious group that is not widely recognized. Others say that a sect is an ideological association of people under the leadership of a charismatic leader. One way or another, the word “sect” today often becomes synonymous with the word “death.” Here is a list of the 10 most dangerous sects in the world. Let's start from the last place.
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Ho-no-Hana ("teaching of the flower").
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Japanese neo-Buddhist sect. Founded in 1987. "Teacher" Hogen Fukunaga is supposedly endowed with magical powers and can read people's past and future from their feet. The top of the sect was engaged in extortion: predicting cancer or other fatal diseases, it forced people to participate in special cleansing events that cost $900 per session. After being accused of fraud, Fukunaga was brought to trial and paid a fine of about $1 million. The sect continues to recruit adherents under a different name: Yorokobi Kazoku no Wa.
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"Neo-Pentecostals"
The list of sects in Russia should be continued with a story about an organization that is currently considered the largest in the country. This is the sect of “Neo-Pentecostals”, or, as they are also called, “Charismatics”. According to some reports, it has about 300,000 adherents in our country, which is almost half of all sectarians in Russia. This organization originated in America in the seventies of the 20th century. They rent concert halls and stadiums for their meetings. Everything is carried out in the form of a well-staged show in a purely American manner.
Raeliano sect. Raelians.
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The Raeliano sect arose in France in the 70s of the last century. Founder Claude Volilhon, better known as Rael, a former sports columnist, said that on December 13, 1973, in the crater of an extinct volcano in the center of France, he met with aliens, one of whom called himself God (Elohim, one of the words in the Torah denoting God). Elohim told him that life on Earth was created by aliens through genetic engineering, including cloning. Rael attracts people to his sect, promising them eternal life, the secret of which he allegedly possesses. The “teacher” preaches sexual freedom. One of the followers of the “church” appeared in the media in 2003 with a statement that she was the world’s first clone. The sensation was soon refuted by scientists.
Adamites: naked and slutty
The Christian sect of the Adamites originated in Antiquity, but its heyday came in the Middle Ages. It was especially popular in the Czech Republic and Bulgaria. The Adamites fought the spread of Catholicism and preached a return to heavenly innocence in the image of Adam and Eve before the Fall, who “were naked and not ashamed of it.” Adamites still consider clothing an obstacle to communication with God and therefore conduct services in the nude. In addition, the Adamites preach other attributes of the heavenly, in their opinion, human condition: community of property, naturalness and shamelessness of sensual relationships. Medieval Adamites did not recognize family, private property, or the official church with its rituals. And this, of course, cast a shadow on the followers. They were often accused of witchcraft, Satan worship, and debauchery.
Adamites. (Pinterest)
But, despite this, the religious movement was able to survive to this day. There are Adamites in Russia too. Modernity has left a certain imprint on its followers. Now they do not oppose official marriages and private property.
"Order of the Temple of the Sun".
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Some media, for example, the newspaper “Top Secret”, indicate its activities in Russia. Founded in 1984 by neo-Nazi, Belgian Luc Jouret. The teachings of the "Order of the Temple of the Sun", originating from the mystical order of the Templars and some groups of Rosicrucians, are a mixture of astrology, alchemy, mysticism, yoga and cabalism. According to the teachings of the sect, the Earth is inevitably approaching the apocalypse, while death does not exist, being nothing more than an illusion. Adherents believe that rebirth awaits them in the afterlife. On December 22, 1995, in the French Alps, not far from Grenoble, in a forest clearing, there was a mass ritual self-immolation of 16 adherents of the Order of the Temple of the Sun, including one girl and two boys from 2 to 6 years old. One of the children was the child of a local policeman. Some of the victims were shot in the head and then set on fire.
Countermeasures
The state uses all means at its disposal to protect the population from such influence. Legal authorities have given a specific definition of what a sect is, whose activities pose a danger to citizens. A list of them has been compiled and regularly updated.
Particular attention is paid to totalitarian and destructive religious organizations. A number of legislative measures have also been developed to prevent and eradicate their activities. The media are involved in the fight, covering such facts and conducting preventive work among the broadest sections of the population.
Sect of Bhagawan Shri Rajneesh (Osho).
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Rajneesh deeply despised humanity and did not consider it necessary to hide his aspirations; perhaps even more than in the stories of other sects, here the reasons that motivated the newly-minted guru - greed, lust, vanity and thirst for power - are brought to the surface with undisguised cynicism. It is worth adding that the cult of Rajneesh is difficult to attribute even to pseudo-Hindu new formations - it is absolutely an “author’s work” operating in the area of the New Age movement. In 1966, Rajneesh left the university and began to preach his own teaching, which was a paradoxical mixture of bits of Jainism, Tantrism, Zen Buddhism, Taoism, Sufism, Hasidism, Nietzscheanism, psychoanalysis, popular “psycho-spiritual” therapies and the teachings of Krishnamurti and Gurdjieff. Having no initiation into any of the mystical traditions, he reinterpreted everything in his own way, adapting it to his own needs. The main postulate of Rajneesh’s “only religion” can be expressed by paraphrasing the famous patristic saying: “Love God and do what you want.” The sect became especially widespread in the USA. Presumably, it was he who poisoned hundreds of people in Dallas in 1984 using the Salmonella bacterium. After being deported from the United States, Rajneesh tried to stay in any country where he had followers, but 21 countries either banned him from entering or expelled him without any particular explanation (such as Greece). There are now about 200 Osho meditation centers in the world. On the territory of the former Soviet Union there are Osho centers in St. Petersburg, Voronezh (operating since 1996 under the name “Tantra Yoga”), Odessa, Krasnodar, Minsk, Tbilisi, Riga and Moscow, where, in addition to the “Osho Rajneesh” center , there is also the “Eastern House” center, created by the Russian Igor. In the early 90s, he completed a course of study in Pune and returned from there as a sannyasin, Swami Anand Toshan.
Where does blind fanaticism lead?
The history of the Temple of Nations sect is the most terrible example of the blind fanaticism of believers. The leader of this community was the persecutor Jim Jones. He believed that the United States somehow controlled the minds of its people. Of course, only his teaching could save people from the harmful influence of the state.
Having collected enough funds, he and his sect moved to live in the forests of Guyana (South America). Unfortunately, over the years, his teachings began to show cracks, and some followers of the Temple of Nations decided to flee from him. Unable to resist such betrayal, he ordered all sectarians to commit suicide.
As a result, more than 900 community members died in one day. Of these, a third were children and teenagers who were just starting to live. Jim Jones himself died along with him, but it is not yet known whether he committed suicide or was shot by someone else.
Manson sect.
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A maniac who imagined himself to be a prophet declared war between the black and white races. Charles Manson was accused in 1969 of several murders, including of director Roman Polanski's wife, actress Sharon Tate. According to the court's verdict, he was supposed to be executed in the gas chamber, but in 1977 the California Supreme Court declared the death penalty unconstitutional, so it was replaced with life imprisonment. He was denied parole last year.
A nightmare from the recent past
Let's highlight the most famous organizations. “White Brotherhood” is a sect whose name was widely circulated in the media in the recent past. It became public knowledge when its leaders appeared in court. The organizer of the sect was a former KGB officer, head of the department involved in the development of methods of influencing the consciousness of the masses, Yu. A. Krivonogov. It is known from the investigation materials that after their dismissal they were given some prototypes of the equipment. In addition, he received training in psychological influence and hypnosis.
Heaven's Gate sect.
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In 1997, Applewhite managed to persuade 39 followers of his sect to commit suicide due to the imminent collision of the Earth with comet Hale-Bopp. He promised his followers that they would leave their earthly bodies and travel on a spaceship. Members of the sect dressed in hoods and gloves, so as not to even accidentally come into contact with each other and not be inflamed with sinful desires, obeyed thousands of rules, and intensively studied the Bible. There were also periods when they could only communicate with each other in writing. The family had to be forgotten once and for all. Each had a “watching partner” and, in turn, also watched someone else. After the Internet became widely available, a corresponding website for a sect called “Gates of Heaven” appeared on it. In preparation for suicide, they drank lemon juice, thereby ritually cleansing their bodies. They also believed that their mass suicide would contribute to the popularity of the Internet (many members of the sect worked as web designers). The bodies of 39 people were found on March 26, 1997 at their villa in Rancho Santa Fe (near San Diego, California). 18 men and 21 women sedated themselves with phenobarbital mixed into pudding or fruit jelly. All this was washed down with vodka; Then they pulled plastic bags over their heads in such a way that they would suffocate in their sleep. The faces and upper bodies of the "monks" (as they called themselves) were carefully covered with a square purple blanket. All 39 people were dressed identically - black shirts, black trousers and black sneakers.
The danger of such organizations
Sectarians are very diverse people, both in their social affiliation and in the reasons that led them to break with the church. Sometimes the desire to find your own personal path to knowing God plays a role. In these cases, Christian sects are formed that subjectively interpret the Holy Scriptures, and their members, suffering from their own errors, do not pose a danger to society. There are quite a lot of them in the country. These are a kind of “Protestant sects” that came into conflict with official dogmas. But sometimes their search for God leads them into extremely dangerous structures. They are called totalitarian sects.
Their leaders are usually strong personalities with pronounced charisma and the ability to influence the consciousness of the masses in the direction they need. Sometimes these abilities are innate, sometimes they are developed through special training, including psychology and even hypnosis. Such training, in combination with natural data, becomes an effective means of subjugating the will of the masses. Such individuals and the religious sects they created pose a real threat to society.
"Aum Shinrikyo"
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The sect was formed in Japan, and separate groups also operate in Russia, although its activities are prohibited in many countries. The teachings of Aum Shinrikyo, supposedly based on the texts of Buddhism, essentially combine a perverted understanding of the views of Buddhism and yoga. Shoko Asahara, the leader of the sect, came to Russia several times and met with political and religious leaders. Aum Shinrikyo prepared several terrorist attacks in Japan, including in the Tokyo subway, which killed 12 people. The court found Asahara (whose real name was Chizuo Matsumoto) guilty of 13 of 17 charges and sentenced him to death in 2004. However, according to Japanese law, it is not announced when the sentence will be carried out. The crimes of Aum Shinrikyo caused shock throughout the world, but the Japanese authorities failed to outlaw the apocalyptic sect. Currently, it has changed its name to “Aleph” and, along with the “Circle of Light” sect that broke away from it, continues to exist under the open supervision of the special services. According to official data, more than 6 thousand people are members of these religious associations.
Reasons for the growth of sectarianism in recent years
Religious sects in Russia have received a powerful impetus for their development over the past two decades. An important role here was played by the deterioration of the economic situation of a number of segments of the population and the political instability of recent years. Apologists of various sectarian movements, using these internal difficulties, try to exploit them, attracting new members to their ranks. Converted members of such sects who believe the propaganda promises come under severe psychological pressure. Often the result of their gullibility is severe mental illness, loss of property, and separation from family.
Children of God: a destructive cult that appeared in the USA
“Children of God” are actually real children of the 1970s, the hippie generation. The movement's founder and spiritual leader, David Berg, preached that Jesus must be loved in every sense of the word. Thus, in 1974, the movement first tried out a new method of “evangelism” called “flirt fishing.” Its essence was to lure people into the sect using sex as a way of demonstrating God’s love for man. It also served as a way to make money: the women of the movement played the role of prostitutes.
"Children of God." (Pinterest)
“Flirting fishing” was compared to so-called religious prostitution. This practice was stopped in 1987. Between 1974 and 1987, cult members had sexual relations with a total of 223,989 people. It should also be noted that before Berg's death, the Children of God practiced pedophilia. After the death of the founder of the sect, the post of cult leader was taken by his wife Karen Zerby, who banned all such practices.
Modern "children" believe that they are the true soldiers in the war between good and evil. And they are sure that they are living in the “last days,” that is, the Antichrist will soon appear and rule the earth. But then Jesus will come and the “Battle of Armageddon” will happen. Jesus will defeat the enemy, and then his “Millennium” will begin.
