A Philosophical Inquiry into Cults and New Religious Movements

Cults have been a subject of hot debates in recent decades. Especially since the
1960s, cults have multiplied themselves and have attracted plenty of converts. This is a
strange phenomenon, given that people are becoming less and less religious due to the era
of advanced consumerism (liberalism and secular humanity). The philosophy of our age,
no doubt, is that of materialism and hedonism: people think they can buy their happiness,
that happiness and pleasure are the same, and finally, that this is the meaning of life- to
possess as many material things as possible. Cults emerged as an opposition to this
philosophy, as a way (although deviated) to search for spiritual principles, a form of
living based on spirituality. At the same time, traditional religion (particularly
Christianity) is on the decline, with many young people leaving the Church and searching
for other ways to experience God. Thus, Cults have been successful in offering these
young people different, non-traditional ways to grasp the divine and communicate with
God.
However, this is the picture that the naïve observer can see in the beginning. The
external appearance of cults as an organization, as practices, and as behavior is relatively
positive. But when we go deeper into their structure, when we begin analyzing their
beliefs and principles of moral conduct, we realize that there is something wrong with
them. Many cases of suicide, violence, and sexual abuse, have provoked the attention of
our society. Politicians and scientists have proposed many solutions, theories, and
hypotheses in the last fifty years.