| Section
Five - Fringe Religon |
A - Z Guide to Cults
From The Observer. A somewhat jaded look at many of the religions
classically considered cults.
Doomsday,
Destructive Cults
From The Ontario Center for Religous Tolerance. Essays on the "doomsday"
cults, their missions, and what to expect as the millenium nears.
Opus Dei - The Unofficial
Homepage - Opus Dei a fundamentalistic cult which operates in a Catholic
environment. Officially it is part of the Catholic church and so they claim
that they are not a cult.
NRM
on UFO Cults
From New Religous Movements. Sociological study on the phenomena of UFO cults.
Informative and non-judgmental. Sources included.
Christian Coalition Home
Page
Official home page for this conservative political organization. Current
news and opinion from the Religious Right. A very comprehensive and engaging
site regardless of your leanings.
Walk Away
Support to those wrestling with the fear and guilt often associated with
Christian fundamentalism.
Cults
'R Us
Outrageous, dark, and humorous site. Information and opinion on serial killers
and a number of cult organizations you may not be familiar with. Check out
their "morgue"!
Endtime
Deception
"Exposing the Satanic Conspiracy of the Illuminati's New World Order".
Mostly anti-Freemason diatribes, with exposes' of Robert Schuller, Kenneth
Copeland, Billy Graham and Norman Vincent Peale as Masons. Do the Masons
worship Satan? This group thinks so.
Free Minds
Watchers of the Watchtower - a non-profit group keeping an eye on the Jehovah's
Witnesses. The author would like to mention that he does not feel the men
who comprise the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses are evil people,
rather, they are misguided by their own designs.
Jesus
of the Week
Peter Gilstrap is keeping track of the ways we portray Christ.
The LDS Home Page
Home page of the Church of the Latter-day Saints (the Mormons). Beliefs,
facts, statistics, and policies of the Church and geneology links.
The Lure of the Cult
April 7 Time Magazine article by Richard Lacayo discusses the "modern era
of cultism". Eighteen years after Jonestown, suicide cults have entered the
category of horrors that no longer qualify as shocks. We have seen the
Beast of the Apocalypse. It's Bambi in a tunic. (Text)
McChurch Home Page
A hilarious spoof on religion, McChurch is a REAL religion, complete with
iconographic images suitable for worship, a martyred saint, snappy advertising
slogans, and easy to understand spiritual truths that make McWorship as easy
as picking up a burger and fries on the way home from work! Over 43,702 saved!
Operation Clambake: What
is Scientology?
Expose on the cult founded by L. Ron Hubbard.
Order
of the Solar Temple
Among the members of the Solar Temple cult who were found dead in Switzerland
last October was a mayor, a journalist, a civil servant and a sales manager.
For them, heaven would be the star Sirius, nine light-years from Quebec,
where they will reign forever, weightless and serene.
Outline
of the Tibetan Horoscope
A real Tibetan astrologer's explanation of unique cultural methods for problem
solving. In important matters, Tibetans seek advice from oracles or request
a divination from a high llama. They also rely on astrological calculations.
Recovery from
Mormonism
A collection of the stories of those who have left the Mormon church. The
site also contains documentation and links on topics concerning Mormonism.
The
Skeptic's Dictionary and Guide for the New Millenium
From Acupuncture to Zombies - skeptical definitions, essays and references.
Probably one of the first books written expressly for publication on the
World Wide Web - a very intriguing and humorous reality check.
Totalism:
Behavior Modification
An insightful text piece by Jan Groenveld on mind control methods often used
by groups such as cults.
The
Tower of Darkness
Are there subliminal drawings and symbols in the handout literature of the
the Watchtower Society, the New York-based headquarters for Jehovah's Witnesses?
Watchman
Fellowship's 1997 Index of Cults and Religions
The 1997 Watchman Expositor Index contains brief definitions, descriptions
or cross references on over 1,100 religious organizations and beliefs.
What
is a Cult?
Thought Reform Consultant Carol Giambalvo discusses the characteristics of
cults. Her site offers encouraging information on recovery issues in addition
to cults. (Text)
Homepages of various Fringe Religions
The
Aetherius Society
From The Aetherius Society. Info and resources from the UFO cult.
The Eckankar
Homepage
From ECKANKAR. Internet home of the Minnesota-based Temple of Eck.
Friends of
Osho
From the Friends of Osho. Cult centered on the philosophies of Osho.
The
DOMA Way
Daughters of Ma home page. The Way believes that we were genetically
modified by a race of intergalactic beings called The Elohim. According to
The Way, our purpose in life is to rejoin The One.
Hare Krishna Home
Page
From The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International. Home of the Hare Krishna
cult on the Internet.
Babalawos Come
to Seattle
Discover which Orisha is your guardian angel. Through Ifá Divination.
A rare chance for you to go to the high priests of the Santeria religion
to find out who your orisha or 'Guardian Angel' is.
The Center for Millenial
Studies
The world may not end, but major changes are coming.
Heaven's
Gate
From Heaven's Gate. The homepage of the Heaven's Gate cult. Maintained by
the surviving members of the HG cult.
House of
Yahweh
From The House of Yahweh. Resources and info from the House of Yahweh, a
"doomsday" cult centered in Abeline, TX.
Neo-Tech/Zonpower
Homepage
From Neo-Tech. Group which offers "romantic love, power, and money".
Anti- Cult
AFF Cultic Studies
From American Family Foundation, Inc. Non-profit group studying the
effects of cultic activity. Excellent resource for those trying to
break out of a cult.
Alt.support.ex-cult
Usenet newsgroup for ex-members of various cults and their supporters. Also
offers tips on how to get loved ones away from a cult.
Counter-Cult/Anti-Cult
Movement
Some groups practice kidnapping and brainwashing for large sums of money.
And these are the anti-cult groups. Where is the line drawn on religious
tolerance? (text only)
Cult
Information Centre
Lots of information, here - definition of a "cult", mind control techniques,
recommended reading list and links to other sites.
Cultic
Studies Journal
From the American Family Foundation. AFF's mission is to study psychological
manipulation and cultic groups, to educate the public and professionals,
and to assist those who have been adversely affected by a cult experience.
Traumatic
Abuse in Cults
From Daniel Shaw, social worker and former member of the SYDA cult. Essay
details the type of abuses often suffered by cult members and ways of helping
those effected.
Understanding Cult
Mind Control
From Stephen A. Hassan. Resources for helping those under the influence of
a cult, and combatting cults in our society. Special focus on the Moonies.
Cult/Sect Reading
"360
Cults"
From Peel E-zine. Article on the influence of cults on the Internet.
Alternative Considerations of Jonestown & The Peoples'
Temple
From The University of North Dakota. A number of articles and essays discussing
Jonestown, Jim Jones, and the 1979 massacre.
Ashes
of Waco
From Dick J. Reavis. Book detailing the attack on the Branch Davidian Compound
at Waco, TX. Looks at both the BD and FBI stories.
The
Internet and Cults
From CNN Interactive. May 1997 report on the use of the Internet by cult
recruiters. Scary story.
Must Reading
Avoiding Abuses and Pitfalls
Along the Path
This article by Steven Hassan and Lama
Surya Das is very helpful in identifying and combatting cults.
UseNet
Newsgroups contain alot of rumor, flames, and chaos, but they can also be
a vital source of the latest news. The group names are self-explanatory.
alt.religion.christian.boston-church
alt.apocalypse
alt.astrology
alt.bible.prophecy
alt.magick
alt.paranet.metaphysics
alt.pagan
alt.paranet.paranormal
alt.prophecies.nostradamus
alt.religion.wicca
