Cults as a Social Problem in The United States (Essay Sample)

Cults as a Social Problem in The United States Student’s Name Institutional Affiliation Course Name and Number Instructor’s Name Date of Submission Cults as a Social Problem in The United States Over many decades, the United States has been a fertile ground for new religions. Ideally, the new religions form in two primary ways. First, new religions result from a split of traditional and mainstream religious bodies. Alternatively, they can stem from the introduction of a new religious, psychological, or social doctrine that is not premised on mainstream teachings. In both cases, there is the potential adverse outcome in the formation of cults, a social problem whose prominence in the United States has continued to spread over the years. From a personal perspective, the issue of cults is significant in the sense that it shows the ability of some people to influence the behavior and actions of other people. The selection of this topic for discussion, therefore, is justified because it can help the dynamics of cults, the causes, the contemporary trends, and offer possible solutions to reduce its prevalence and overcome the potential social problems in society. Most cults in the United States originate from religious movements or are based on religious teachings. The history of cults in the United States, therefore, correlates with the history of religious freedom. Notably, the United States has one of the world’s most liberal constitutions concerning protecting religious freedoms. Specifically, the United States Constitution prohibits Congress from passing laws that would protect particular religions or prohibit people from practicing or expressing their religious convictions (Stein, 2012). The freedom of religion has played a critical part in the historical evolution of cults. For example, one of the most prominent cults in the United States, Heaven’s Gate, premised its practice on Evangelicalism teachings, albeit with alterations to fit the convictions of the promoters. The central belief, leading to the mass suicide of the Heaven’s Gate cult members, was that one of the techniques of getting to the next level was to abandon their human bodies (Fieldstadt & Learish, 2021). Consequently, the members committed mass suicides in what is to be their way of mimicking the actions of Jesus Christ as articulated in the bible. The observation, therefore, is that cults in the United States have a foundation in religious freedom. Although the historical foundation of cults in the United States is religious, some groups have exhibited criminal-like practices. For example, the Manson Family-led cult executed numerous murders in the United States (Fieldstadt & Learish, 2021). In this case, therefore, the foundation of the cult was criminal actions and personal vengeance and not any religious doctrine. Other cases of criminal practices masked in cults include the Branch Davidians, led by David Koresh (Fieldstadt & Learish, 2021). The notable difference is that despite the Branch Davidians beings on religious teachings just like the Heaven’s Gate cult, the latter was involved in criminal activities such as murder, rape, and civil disobedience. Indeed, the culmination of the Branch Davidians was a standoff with the government, leading to the death of many of its members (Fieldstadt & Learish, 2021). The deduction is that the historical evolution of cults in the United States is religious as well as criminal. Cults have major effects on individuals and society as a whole. At the individual level, the primary effect of cults on the participants is the deterioration in mental health. Cult leaders seek to brainwash their members to the effect that they do not hold independent opinions (Rousselet et al., 2017). For example, the Manson Family brainwashed the members and induced them to commit crimes including rape and murder. In this case, the extensive involvement in the crimes by an individual induces more mental-health-related problems to the members (Rousselet et al., 2017). Another effect for an individual is the loss of social and economic autonomy. Ideally, cults encourage communal living whereby members are prohibited from independent things and participating in economic activities that would maximize personal economic welfare. Ultimately, this makes individuals dependent on the cult leaders. At the broader societal level, the remarkable effects include an increase in social disorder mainly from civil and criminal disobedience, tax evasion, and violation of immigration laws. Additionally, the education system fails to achieve the desired outcomes since cults prohibit the members from joining the mainstream education system. The primary modern development for cults in the United States is the advent of technology, specifically the rise in the use of social media. Traditionally, cult promoters such as the Manson Family and David Koresh encouraged communal living, whereby the cult members would live in the same house (Dawson, 2013). However, with the advent of technology, cults are not limited to specific locations within the United States and the globe. For example, individuals can now have social media accounts such as YouTube and Facebook and use these platforms to promote personality or message-driven cults (Miller, 2021). Unlike traditional cults, where the leaders could monitor the actions of their followers, the modern environment implies that the followers can operationalize the cult message using their techniques. The implication is that it is becoming increasingly challenging for government agencies to identify potential and active cults within the United States since some of the influence could be coming from outside the United States and shared using social media (Miller, 2021). Consequently, the issue of cults is still important today and different stakeholders including the government, church leaders, and policymakers would be interested in the current developments. Based on the preceding problems of cults in the United States, there are several recommendations on how to mitigate their spread. Firs...