Assess the view that cults and sects are inevitably short-lived and of little influence in contemporary society.

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Assess the view that cults and sects are inevitably short-lived and of little influence in contemporary society.

Cults are religious groups, unlike sects because they believe their teachings are just one of many paths towards the pursuit of the truth. They are also more open to the outside world. There is a pursuit of the inner self and emphasis on experiencing inner power. A sect is usually fairly small in membership and very exclusive in their acceptance of members. They place great stress on obedience and strict conformity to the rules of the sect. They believe that only they know the correct way to Heaven. There are many explanations put forward to describe the future of sects/cults; one being that they have little influence and are short-lived.

The loss of new generation can stop the sect from continuing as they were not converted into the sect but merely born into it. As a result they are unlikely to show the same enthusiasm and commitment as their parents. They are less likely to make compromises and be less critical of the wider society. The loss of a leader can spell the end for a sect. For example the Branch Dravidians leader David Koresh and several of his followers committed suicide when they were attacked by the FBI. After this happened, the sect ended. Unconventional lifestyles can destroy themselves and be destroyed by society, for example, the Jim Jones People's Temple were the actions in Jonestown were viewed as a mass-suicide it is one of the largest such mass suicides in history.
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Cults can be popular for certain periods of time only, as modern culture is fast moving, trends can rapidly change and peoples interests can change. Some people only join when in crisis and leave when the crisis is over. Others are like businesses where there is a high turnover of members for example, scientology where celebrities have publicized the cult in the media by joining then donating large amounts of money.

The very nature of their isolation from society means they will have little chance to influence it. Some sects and cults move away from society to ...

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