Cult

==Subcategories==

===Destructive cults===
[[File:Rev. Jim Jones, 1977 (cropped)2.jpg|thumb|right|[[Jim Jones]], the leader of the [[Peoples Temple]]]]
''Destructive cult'' generally refers to groups whose members have, through deliberate action, physically injured or killed other members of their own group or other people. The [[Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance]] specifically limits the use of the term to religious groups that "have caused or are liable to cause loss of life among their membership or the general public."<ref>{{cite web |last=Robinson |first=B.A. |title=Doomsday, destructive religious cults |work=[[Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance]] |date=<!-- last updated -->25 July 2007 |url=http://www.religioustolerance.org/destruct.htm |access-date=18 November 2007}}</ref> [[Psychologist]] [[Michael Langone]], executive director of the anti-cult group [[International Cultic Studies Association]], defines a destructive cult as "a highly manipulative group which exploits and sometimes physically and/or psychologically damages members and recruits."<ref>{{cite book |last=Turner |first=Francis J. |author2=Arnold Shanon Bloch, Ron Shor |title=Differential Diagnosis & Treatment in Social Work |edition=4th |publisher=Free Press |date=1 September 1995 |page=1146| chapter =105: From Consultation to Therapy in Group Work With Parents of Cultists |isbn=0028740076}}</ref>

[[John Gordon Clark]] argued that [[totalitarianism|totalitarian]] systems of governance and an emphasis on [[money]] making are characteristics of a destructive cult.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Clark, M.D. |first=John Gordon |author-link=John Gordon Clark |title=The Effects of Religious Cults on the Health and Welfare of Their Converts |journal=[[Congressional Record]] |volume=123 |issue=181 |pages=Extensions of Remarks 37401–03 |publisher=[[United States Congress]] |date=4 November 1977 |url=http://www.csj.org/infoserv_articles/press_jones_congress.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051216095942/http://www.csj.org/infoserv_articles/press_jones_congress.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=16 December 2005 |access-date=18 November 2007 }}</ref> In ''Cults and the Family'', the authors cite Shapiro, who defines a ''destructive cultism'' as a [[Psychopathy|sociopathic]] [[syndrome]], whose distinctive qualities include: "behavioral and [[personality changes]], loss of [[personal identity]], cessation of scholastic activities, estrangement from family, disinterest in society and pronounced mental control and enslavement by cult leaders."<ref>{{cite book |last=Kaslow |first=Florence Whiteman |author2=Marvin B. Sussman |title=Cults and the Family |publisher=Haworth Press |year=1982 |isbn=0917724550 |page=34}}</ref>

In the opinion of sociology professor [[Benjamin Zablocki]] of [[Rutgers University]], ''destructive cults'' are at high risk of becoming abusive to members, stating that such is in part due to members' [[adulation]] of [[charismatic authority|charismatic leaders]] contributing to the leaders becoming corrupted by power.<ref>[[Benjamin Zablocki|Zablocki, Benjamin]]. 31 May 1997. "A Sociological Theory of Cults" (paper). ''Annual meeting of the [[American Family Foundation]]''. Philadelphia.

{{cite web|title=Ben Zablocki's Homepage|url=http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~zablocki/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050308091637/http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~zablocki/|archive-date=8 March 2005|access-date=29 March 2005}}</ref> According to Barrett, the most common accusation made against destructive cults is [[sexual abuse]]. According to [[Reender Kranenborg|Kranenborg]], some groups are risky when they advise their members not to use regular medical care.<ref name="Kranenborg-1996">[[Reender Kranenborg|Kranenborg, Reender]]. 1996. "Sekten... gevaarlijk of niet? [Cults... dangerous or not?]" (in Dutch). ''Religieuze bewegingen in Nederland'' 31. [[Vrije Universiteit|Free University Amsterdam]]. {{ISSN|0169-7374}}. {{ISBN|9053834265}}.</ref> This may extend to physical and psychological harm.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.reveal.org/library/psych/The%20Impact%20of%20Cults%20on%20Health.pdf|title=The impacts of cults on health}}</ref>

Writing about [[Bruderhof communities]] in the book ''[[Misunderstanding Cults (book)|Misunderstanding Cults: Searching for Objectivity in a Controversial Field]]'', Julius H. Rubin said that American religious innovation created an unending diversity of sects. These "new religious movements…gathered new converts and issued challenges to the wider society. Not infrequently, public controversy, contested narratives and litigation result."<ref name=ZablockiRobbins>{{cite book |last1=Zablocki |first1=Benjamin David |author-link=Benjamin Zablocki |last2=Robbins |first2=Thomas |title=Misunderstanding Cults: Searching for Objectivity in a Controversial Field |publisher=University of Toronto Press |year=2001 |isbn=0802081886 |page=473|author2-link=Thomas Robbins (sociologist) |title-link=Misunderstanding Cults (book)}}</ref> In his work ''Cults in Context'' author [[Lorne L. Dawson]] writes that although the [[Unification Church]] "has not been shown to be violent or volatile," it has been described as a destructive cult by "anticult crusaders."<ref>{{harvnb|Dawson|1998|p=349}}</ref> In 2002, the German government was held by the [[Federal Constitutional Court]] to have [[defamation|defamed]] the [[Osho movement]] by referring to it, among other things, as a "destructive cult" with no factual basis.<ref>Seiwert, Hubert. 2003. "[https://archive.today/20120708164142/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0SOR/is_3_64/ai_109568884/pg_4 Freedom and Control in the Unified Germany: Governmental Approaches to Alternative Religions Since 1989]." ''[[Sociology of Religion (journal)|Sociology of Religion]]'' 64(3):367–375, p. 370.</ref><ref>[https://www.bundesverfassungsgericht.de/SharedDocs/Entscheidungen/EN/2002/06/rs20020626_1bvr067091en.html;jsessionid=1B78999D09E269D60A4E889B92797A2C.1_cid393 BVerfG, Order of the First Senate of 26 June 2002, 1 BvR 670/91, paras. 1-102]. paras. 57, 60, 62, 91–94;

"[https://web.archive.org/web/20130514063442/http://www.bundesverfassungsgericht.de/pressemitteilungen/bvg68-02.html Zur Informationstätigkeit der Bundesregierung im religiös-weltanschaulichen Bereich]" {{in lang|de}}. ''Press release'' 68(2002). [[Federal Constitutional Court|Federal Constitutional Court Press Office]]. 30 July 2002. Archived from the [http://www.bundesverfassungsgericht.de/pressemitteilungen/bvg68-02.html original] on 14 May 2013.</ref>

Some researchers have criticized the term ''destructive cult'', writing that it is used to describe groups which are not necessarily harmful in nature to themselves or others. In his book ''Understanding New Religious Movements'', [[John A. Saliba]] writes that the term is overgeneralized. Saliba sees the [[Peoples Temple]] as the "paradigm of a destructive cult", where those that use the term are implying that other groups will also commit [[mass suicide]].<ref name="saliba">{{cite book |last=Saliba |first=John A. |author2=[[J. Gordon Melton]], foreword |title=Understanding New Religious Movements |publisher=Rowman Altamira |year=2003 |isbn=0759103569 |page=144}}</ref>

===Doomsday cults===
{{Main|Doomsday cult}}
''Doomsday cult'' is an expression which is used to describe groups that believe in [[Apocalypticism]] and [[Millenarianism]], and it can also be used to refer both to groups that predict [[disaster]], and groups that attempt to bring it about.<ref name="jenkins">{{cite book |last=Jenkins |first=Phillip |title=Mystics and Messiahs: Cults and New Religions in American History |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]], US |year=2000 |pages=216, 222 |isbn=0195145968}}</ref> In the 1950s, American [[social psychology|social psychologist]] [[Leon Festinger]] and his colleagues observed members of a small [[UFO religion]] called the Seekers for several months, and recorded their conversations both prior to and after a failed prophecy from their charismatic leader.<ref name="stangor">{{cite book |last=Stangor |first=Charles |title=Social Groups in Action and Interaction |publisher=Psychology Press |year=2004 |pages=42–43: "When Prophecy Fails" |isbn=184169407X}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Newman |first=Dr. David M. |title=Sociology: Exploring the Architecture of Everyday Life |publisher=Pine Forge Press |year=2006 |isbn=1412928141 |page=86}}</ref><ref name="petty">{{cite book |last=Petty |first=Richard E. |author2=John T. Cacioppo |title=Attitudes and Persuasion: Classic and Contemporary Approaches |publisher=Westview Press |year=1996 |isbn=081333005X |page=139: "Effect of Disconfirming an Important Belief"}}</ref> Their work was later published in the book ''[[When Prophecy Fails|When Prophecy Fails: A Social and Psychological Study of a Modern Group that Predicted the Destruction of the World]]''.<ref name="festinger">{{cite book |last1=Festinger |first1=Leon |author-link2=Henry Riecken |author1-link=Leon Festinger |last2=Riecken |first2=Henry W. |last3=Schachter |first3=Stanley |author3-link=Stanley Schachter |title=When Prophecy Fails: A Social and Psychological Study of a Modern Group that Predicted the Destruction of the World |publisher=University of Minnesota Press |year=1956 |url=http://www.whenprophecyfails.org/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030203224945/http://www.whenprophecyfails.org/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=2003-02-03 |isbn=1591477271 }}</ref> In the late 1980s, doomsday cults were a major topic of news reports, with some reporters and commentators considering them a serious threat to society.<ref>[[Philip Jenkins|Jenkins, Philip]]. 2000. ''Mystics and Messiahs: Cults and New Religions in American History.'' Oxford University Press. pp. 215–216.</ref> A 1997 psychological study by Festinger, Riecken, and Schachter found that people turned to a cataclysmic [[world view]] after they had repeatedly failed to find meaning in mainstream movements.<ref name="pargament">{{cite book |last=Pargament |first=Kenneth I. |author-link=Kenneth Pargament |title=The Psychology of Religion and Coping: Theory, Research, Practice |publisher=Guilford Press |year=1997 |pages=150–153, 340, section: "Compelling Coping in a Doomsday Cult" |isbn=1572306645}}</ref> People also strive to find meaning in global events such as the turn of the millennium when many predicted it prophetically marked the end of an age and thus the end of the world.<ref name=":2" /> An ancient Mayan calendar ended at the year 2012 and many anticipated [[2012 phenomenon|catastrophic disasters would rock the Earth]].<ref>[[Matthew Restall|Restall, Matthew]], and Amara Solari. 2011. ''2012 and the End of the World: the Western Roots of the Maya Apocalypse''. [[Rowman & Littlefield]].</ref>

====Aum Shinrikyo====

In 1995, members of the Japanese doomsday cult [[Aum Shinrikyo]] murdered a number of people during a [[Tokyo subway sarin attack|sarin attack on the Tokyo subway]]. Aum Shinrikyo has been involved in several violent incidents. In 1990, members of Aum Shinrikyo murdered the family of a lawyer who was involved in a legal action against them. There were several other murders besides that brought the death toll associated with this group's acts to 27. Some were surprised by the group's ability to recruit educated young people. Scholars have attempted to explain the cause of this as feelings of social alienation that make young Japanese vulnerable to mind control techniques.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Bouma |first1=Gary |last2=Ling |first2=Rodney |last3=Pratt |first3=Donald |title=Religious Diversity in Southeast Asia and the Pacific: National Case Studies |date=2010 |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-90-481-3388-8 |page=27}}</ref>

===Political cults===
{{further information|Political extremism}}
[[File:EAP demonstrerar mot EU - 2008-05-01 - 1.jpg|thumb|[[LaRouche Movement]] members in [[Stockholm]] protesting against the [[Treaty of Lisbon]]]]
A political cult is a cult with a primary interest in [[Politics|political action]] and [[ideology]].<ref name=":3">Tourish, Dennis, and [[Tim Wohlforth]]. 2000. ''[[On the Edge: Political Cults Right and Left]]''. Armonk, NY: [[M. E. Sharpe]].</ref><ref>[[Janja Lalich|Lalich, Janja]]. 2003. "'[https://web.archive.org/web/20131029210722/http://www.icsahome.com/infoserv_bookreviews/bkrev_onedgeandtabernaclehate.htm On the Edge' and 'Tabernacle of Hate']" (review). ''[[Cultic Studies Review]]'' 2(2). Archived from the [http://www.icsahome.com/infoserv_bookreviews/bkrev_onedgeandtabernaclehate.htm original] on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 6 June 2020.</ref>  Groups that some have described as "political cults", mostly advocating [[Far-left politics|far-left]] or [[Far-right politics|far-right]] agendas, have received some attention from journalists and scholars. In their 2000 book ''[[On the Edge: Political Cults Right and Left]]'', Dennis Tourish and [[Tim Wohlforth]] discuss about a dozen organizations in the United States and Great Britain that they characterize as cults.<ref name=":3" /><ref>Tourish, Dennis. 1998. "[https://www.academia.edu/24768857/Ideological_Intransigence_Democratic_Centralism_and_Cultism_A_Case_Study Ideological Intransigence, Democratic Centralism and Cultism: A Case Study from the Political Left]." ''[[Cultic Studies Journal]]'' 15:33–67.</ref> In a separate article, Tourish says that in his usage:<ref>Tourish, Dennis. [1998] 2003. "[http://www.whatnextjournal.org.uk/Pages/Back/Wnext27/Intro.html Introduction to 'Ideological Intransigence, Democratic Centralism and Cultism']." ''What Next?'' 27. {{ISSN|1479-4322}}.</ref> {{blockquote|The word cult is not a term of abuse, as this paper tries to explain. It is nothing more than a shorthand expression for a particular set of practices that have been observed in a variety of dysfunctional organisations. }}

In 1990, Lucy Patrick commented:<ref>Patrick, Lucy. 1990. ''[[Library Journal]]'' 115(21):144. Mag.Coll.: 58A2543.</ref>{{blockquote|Although we live in a democracy, cult behavior manifests itself in our unwillingness to question the judgment of our leaders, our tendency to devalue outsiders and to avoid dissent. We can overcome cult behavior, he says, by recognizing that we have dependency needs that are inappropriate for mature people, by increasing anti-authoritarian education, and by encouraging personal autonomy and the free exchange of ideas.}}

====Ayn Rand Institute====
{{Main|Ayn Rand Institute}}
Followers of [[Ayn Rand]] have been characterized as a cult by economist [[Murray N. Rothbard]], and later by [[Michael Shermer]].<ref name="rothbard">[[Murray Rothbard|Rothbard, Murray]]. 1972. "[https://www.lewrockwell.com/1970/01/murray-n-rothbard/understanding-ayn-randianism/ The Sociology of the Ayn Rand Cult]." Retrieved 6 June 2020. Revised editions: ''[[Liberty (1987)|Liberty]]'' magazine (1987), and [[Center for Libertarian Studies]] (1990).</ref><ref>[[Michael Shermer|Shermer, Michael]]. 1993. "The Unlikeliest Cult in History." ''[[Skeptic (U.S. magazine)|Skeptic]]'' 2(2):74–81.</ref><ref>[[Michael Shermer|Shermer, Michael]]. [1993] 1997. "The Unlikeliest Cult." In ''[[Why People Believe Weird Things]]''. New York: [[W.H. Freeman and Company|W. H. Freeman and Company]]. {{ISBN|0716730901}}.</ref> The core group around Rand was called the "Collective", which are now defunct; the chief group which is disseminating Rand's ideas today is the [[Ayn Rand Institute]]. Although the Collective advocated an [[Individualism|individualist philosophy]], Rothbard claimed that it was organized in the manner of a "[[Leninism|Leninist]]" organization.<ref name="rothbard" />

====LaRouche movement====
{{Main|LaRouche movement}}
The [[LaRouche movement]] is a political and cultural network promoting the late [[Lyndon LaRouche]] and [[Views of Lyndon LaRouche and the LaRouche movement|his ideas]]. It has included many organizations and companies around the world, which campaign, gather information and publish books and periodicals. It has been called "cult-like" by ''The New York Times''.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Severo|first=Richard|date=2019-02-13|title=Lyndon LaRouche, Cult Figure Who Ran for President 8 Times, Dies at 96|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/13/obituaries/lyndon-larouche-dead.html|access-date=2021-07-07|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

The movement originated within the radical leftist student politics of the 1960s. In the 1970s and 1980s hundreds of candidates ran in state [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] primaries in the United States on the 'LaRouche platform', while Lyndon LaRouche repeatedly campaigned for [[Lyndon LaRouche U.S. presidential campaigns|presidential nomination]]. However, the LaRouche movement is often considered far-right.<ref name=King132-133>King 1989, pp.&nbsp;132–133.</ref><ref>{{cite news |newspaper = The New York Times |last=Toner|first=Robin |url = https://www.nytimes.com/1986/04/04/us/larouche-savors-fame-that-may-ruin-him.html |title=LaRouche savors fame that may ruin him |date=April 4, 1986 |page=A1 }}</ref><ref name="Bennett1988">{{cite book |last=Bennett|first=David Harry|title=The party of fear: from nativist movements to the New Right in American history |year=1988|publisher=UNC Press Books|isbn=978-0807817728|page=362}}</ref><ref name="King1984">{{Cite news|last1=King|first1=Dennis|last2=Radosh|first2=Ronald|date=19 November 1984|title=The LaRouche Connection|magazine=[[The New Republic]]}}</ref> During its peak in the 1970s and 1980s, the LaRouche movement developed a private intelligence agency and contacts with foreign governments.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Mintz|first=John|date=1985|title=Some Officials Find Intelligence Network 'Useful'|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/cult/larouche/larou1.htm|access-date=2021-07-07|newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Jindia|first=Shilpa|title=Here's an insane story about Roger Stone, Lyndon LaRouche, Vladimir Putin, and the Queen of England |work=Mother Jones |url=https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2018/12/lyndon-larouche-roger-stone-russia-robert-mueller/|access-date=2021-07-07 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name="King1984" />

====New Acropolis====
{{Main|New Acropolis}}
An Argentinian [[esoteric]] group founded in 1957 by former [[theosophist]]<ref name="ts">{{cite web|title=The Theosophical Society's Position on New Acropolis|url=http://www.kelebekler.com/cesnur/txt/theosophy.htm|date=2004-06-09|publisher=International Secretary Office The Theosophical Society Adyar|via=Centre for the Study of New Religions|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200205002148/http://www.kelebekler.com/cesnur/txt/theosophy.htm|archive-date=2020-02-05|access-date=2020-05-25}}</ref> [[Jorge Ángel Livraga Rizzi|Jorge Angel Livraga]], the New Acropolis Cultural Association has been described by scholars as an ultra-conservative, [[neo-fascist]] and [[white supremacist]] [[paramilitary group]].<ref name="país">{{cite news |last1=Martínez |first1=Jan |title=Un profesor de instituto enseña teorías racistas a menores |url=https://elpais.com/diario/1997/02/14/madrid/855923054_850215.html |access-date=29 January 2019 |newspaper=El País}}</ref><ref name="theos 2">{{cite web|title=Letter to the Vice-Chairman of the European Council from Theosophical Society Secretary General|url=http://theos-talk.com/archives/199802/tt00311.html|last=Palmeri|first=Juan Carlos|date=1998-02-22|via=Theos Talk|access-date=2020-05-25}}</ref><ref name="goodrick-clarke2003">{{cite book|last=Goodrick-Clarke|first=Nicholas|author-link=Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke|year=2003|title=Black Sun: Aryan Cults, Esoteric Nazism, and the Politics of Identity|publisher=New York University Press|isbn=978-0814731550|page=86|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xaiaM77s6N4C&pg=PA86|quote=A recent example of the neo-fascist potential in Theosophy is provided by Nouvelle Acropole movement of Jorge Angel Livraga (b. 1930), the charismatic Argentinian Theosophist who by the 1980s had built up an argent youth following in more than thirty countries. The structure, organization and symbolism of the Nouvelle Acropole is clearly indebted to fascist models.}}</ref> The group itself denies such descriptions.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.acropolis.org/en/frequently-asked-questions|title=New Acropolis – Frequently Asked Questions|website=acropolis.org|access-date=2019-01-29}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.acropolis.org/en/assembly-resolutions|title=New Acropolis – Assembly Resolutions|website=acropolis.org|access-date=2019-01-29}}</ref>

====Unification Church====
{{Main|Unification Church}}
Founded by North Korea-born [[Sun Myung Moon]], the [[Unification Church]] (also known as the Unification movement) holds a strong anti-Communist position.<ref name="moon-peace">{{cite book |last=Moon |first=Sun Myung |title=As a Peace-Loving Global Citizen |publisher=Gimm-Young Publishers |year=2009 |isbn=978-0716602996}}</ref><ref>[http://www.tparents.org/Moon-Books/sm-gww/GWW-07.htm The Way of Restoration], (April, 1972)</ref>  In the 1940s, Moon cooperated with members of the [[Communist Party of Korea]] in the [[Korean independence movement]] against [[Imperial Japan]]. However, after the [[Korean War]] (1950–1953), he became an outspoken anti-communist.<ref name="moon-peace"/>  Moon viewed the [[Cold War]]  between democracy and communism as the final conflict between [[God]] and [[Satan]], with divided Korea as its primary [[front line]].<ref>''Christianity: A Global History'', David Chidester, HarperCollins, 2001, {{ISBN|978-0062517708}}, pp. 514–515</ref>  Soon after its founding the Unification movement began supporting anti-communist organizations, including the [[World League for Freedom and Democracy]] founded in 1966 in [[Taipei]], [[Republic of China]] (Taiwan), by [[Chiang Kai-shek]],<ref>''The World's Religions: Continuities and Transformations'', Peter B Clarke, Peter Beyer, Taylor & Francis, 2008 {{ISBN|978-1135211004}}</ref>  and the [[Korean Culture and Freedom Foundation]], an international [[public diplomacy]] organization  which also  sponsored Radio Free Asia.<ref name="Korean denies influence peddling">{{cite news|title=Korean denies influence peddling|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2457&dat=19761102&id=y6kzAAAAIBAJ&pg=3422,903462|newspaper=Bangor Daily News|access-date=21 March 2012}}</ref>

In 1974 the Unification Church supported [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] [[President of the United States|President]] [[Richard Nixon]] and rallied in his favor after the [[Watergate scandal]], with Nixon thanking personally for it.<ref>Introvigne, Massimo, 2000, ''The Unification Church Studies in Contemporary Religion'', Signature Books, Salt Lake City, Utah, {{ISBN|1560851457}}, [http://www.signaturebooks.com/excerpts/unification.htm excerpt] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030429161208/http://www.signaturebooks.com/excerpts/unification.htm |date=2003-04-29}} page 16</ref>  In 1975 Moon spoke at a government sponsored rally against potential North Korean military aggression on [[Yeouido Island]] in Seoul to an audience of around 1 million.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8t-9yx3oG4kC&q=yoido+rally |title=Richard Quebedeaux, Lifestyle : Conversations with Members of Unification Church |access-date=9 October 2012|isbn=978-0932894182 |last1=Quebedeaux |first1=Richard |year=1982 |publisher=Erick Rodriguez }}</ref>  The Unification movement was criticized by both the [[mainstream media]] and the [[Alternative media|alternative press]] for its anti-communist activism, which many said could lead to [[World War Three]] and a [[nuclear holocaust]].<ref name="Give and Forget">Thomas Ward, 2006, [http://www.tparents.org/Library/Unification/Publications/SMM-Communism-060300/giveforget.html#chap2a Give and Forget]</ref><ref name="The Resurrection of Reverend Moon">{{cite web |url=http://www.mediachannel.org/originals/moontranscript2.shtml |title=The Resurrection of Reverend Moon |date=21 January 1992 |work=Frontline |publisher=PBS | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110107084418/http://www.mediachannel.org/originals/moontranscript2.shtml|archive-date=7 January 2011}}</ref><ref name="Sun Myung Moon Changes Robes">[https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CEEDB1F3FF932A15752C0A964958260 Sun Myung Moon Changes Robes], ''[[The New York Times]]'', 21 January 1992</ref>

In 1977, the [[Subcommittee on International Organizations of the Committee on International Relations]], of the [[United States House of Representatives]], found that the South Korean intelligence agency, the [[National Intelligence Service (South Korea)|KCIA]], had used the movement to gain political influence with the United States and that some members had worked as volunteers in Congressional offices. Together they founded the Korean Cultural Freedom Foundation, a nonprofit organization which acted as a [[public diplomacy]] campaign for the [[Republic of Korea]].<ref name="books.google.com">[https://books.google.com/books?id=AabywLOknbsC&pg=PA59&q=fraser%20kcia Spiritual warfare: the politics of the Christian right], [[Sara Diamond (sociologist)|Sara Diamond]], 1989, [[Pluto Press]], Page 58</ref> The committee also investigated possible KCIA influence on the Unification Church's campaign in support of Nixon.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=f7ITAAAAIBAJ&sjid=KeADAAAAIBAJ&pg=6935,979096 Ex-aide of Moon Faces Citation for Contempt], [[Associated Press]], ''[[Eugene Register-Guard]]'', August 5, 1977</ref>

In 1980, members founded [[CAUSA International]], an [[Anti-communism|anti-communist]] educational organization based in [[New York City]].<ref name="ReferenceE">"Moon's 'Cause' Takes Aim At Communism in Americas." ''[[The Washington Post]]''. August 28, 1983</ref> In the 1980s, it was active in 21 countries. In the United States, it sponsored educational conferences for [[Evangelical Christianity|evangelical]] and [[Fundamentalist Christianity|fundamentalist]] Christian leaders<ref name=christianitytoday37>[http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2001/augustweb-only/8-6-37.0.html Sun Myung Moon's Followers Recruit Christians to Assist in Battle Against Communism] ''[[Christianity Today]]'', June 15, 1985</ref> as well as seminars and conferences for [[United States Senate|Senate]] staffers, [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic Americans]] and conservative activists.<ref name="washingtonpost.com">[https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/cult/unification/image.htm Church Spends Millions On Its Image], ''[[The Washington Post]]'', 1984-09-17. "Another church political arm, Causa International, which preaches a philosophy it calls "God-ism," has been spending millions of dollars on expense-paid seminars and conferences for Senate staffers, Hispanic Americans and conservative activists. It also has contributed $500,000 to finance an anticommunist lobbying campaign headed by John T. (Terry) Dolan, chairman of the National Conservative Political Action Committee (NCPAC)."</ref> In 1986, CAUSA International sponsored the documentary film ''[[Nicaragua Was Our Home]]'', about the [[Miskito people|Miskito]] Indians of [[Nicaragua]] and their persecution at the hands of the Nicaraguan government. It was filmed and produced by USA-UWC member [[Lee Shapiro]], who later died while filming with anti-Soviet forces during the [[Soviet–Afghan War]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/07/29/movies/on-13-sandinistas-vs-miskitos.html|title=On 13, Sandinistas Vs. Miskitos|first=John|last=Corry|newspaper=The New York Times|date=29 July 1986|access-date=19 January 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.envio.org.ni/articulo/3245|title=Revista Envío – How to Read the Reagan Administration: The Miskito Case|website=envio.org.ni|access-date=19 January 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://fair.org/|title=FAIR|access-date=19 January 2019}}</ref><ref>[https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F40717F738590C7B8EDDA90994DF484D81 2 Americans Reported Killed In an Ambush in Afghanistan] ''[[The New York Times]]'', 1987-10-28</ref>

In 1983, some American members joined a public protest against the [[Soviet Union]] over its shooting down of [[Korean Airlines Flight 007]].<ref>[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/08/29/PK2812ETF2.DTL] ''[[San Francisco Chronicle]]'', September 3, 1983 "For a second day, the Soviet Consulate in Pacific Heights was the scene of emotional protests against the shooting down of a Korean Air Lines jumbo jet. About 300 people held demonstration yesterday morning. Among them were members of the Unification Church, or "Moonies," whose founder is the Rev. Sun Myung Moon, the controversial South Korean who has melded a fierce anti-communism into his ideology. Eldridge Cleaver, the onetime black radical who recently has had ties with the Moonies, spoke at the rally. Many pickets carried signs accusing the Soviet Union of murdering the 269 passengers and crew aboard the airliner. In another development, San Francisco attorney Melvin Belli filed a $109 billion lawsuit against the Soviet Union on behalf of the 269 victims."</ref> In 1984, the HSA–UWC founded the Washington Institute for Values in Public Policy, a [[Washington D.C.]] [[think tank]] that underwrites conservative-oriented research and seminars at [[Stanford University]], the [[University of Chicago]], and other institutions.<ref name="Church Spends Millions On Its Image">[https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/cult/unification/image.htm Church Spends Millions On Its Image], ''[[The Washington Post]]'', 1984-09-17.</ref> In the same year, member [[Dan Fefferman]] founded the International Coalition for Religious Freedom in [[Virginia]], which is active in protesting what it considers to be threats to [[religious freedom]] by governmental agencies.<ref name="Ribadeneira-ire">{{cite news |last=Ribadeneira |first=Diego |title=Ire at school Star of David ruling unites ACLU, Pat Robertson |work=[[The Boston Globe]] |page=B2 |publisher=[[The New York Times Company]] |date=August 21, 1999}}</ref> In August 1985 the [[Professors World Peace Academy]], an organization founded by Moon, sponsored a conference in [[Geneva]] to debate the theme "The situation in the world after the fall of the communist empire."<ref name="goliath.ecnext.com">[http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/gi_0199-14440148/Projections-about-a-post-Soviet.html Projections about a post-Soviet world-twenty-five years later.] // Goliath Business News</ref>

In April 1990, Moon visited the [[Soviet Union]] and met with President [[Mikhail Gorbachev]]. Moon expressed support for the political and economic transformations underway in the Soviet Union. At the same time, the movement was expanding into formerly communist nations.<ref name="query.nytimes.com">[https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CE5D61F39F937A25752C1A966958260&sec=&spon= EVOLUTION IN EUROPE; New Flock for Moon Church: The Changing Soviet Student] from ''[[The New York Times]]''</ref>  In 1994, ''[[The New York Times]]'' recognized the movement's political influence, saying it was "a theocratic powerhouse that is pouring foreign fortunes into conservative causes in the United States."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Goodman |first=Walter |date=January 21, 1992 |title=Review/Television; Sun Myung Moon Changes Robes |periodical=New York Times |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CEEDB1F3FF932A15752C0A964958260&sec=&spon=}}</ref> In 1998, the Egyptian newspaper ''[[Al-Ahram]]'' criticized Moon's "ultra-right leanings" and suggested a personal relationship with conservative Israeli prime minister [[Benjamin Netanyahu]].<ref>[http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/1998/403/op1.htm The same old game] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090215193404/http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/1998/403/op1.htm |date=2009-02-15}}, ''[[Al-Ahram]]'', November 12–18, 1998, "The Washington Times is a mouthpiece for the ultra conservative Republican right, unquestioning supporters of Israel's [[Likud]] government. The newspaper is owned by Sun Myung Moon, originally a native of North Korea and head of the Unification Church, whose ultra-right leanings make him a ready ally for Netanyahu. Whether or not Netanyahu is personally acquainted with Moon is unclear, though there is no doubt that he has established close friendships with several staff members on The Washington Times, whose editorial policy is rabidly anti-Arab, anti-Muslim and pro-Israel."</ref>

During the presidency of [[George W. Bush]], [[Dong Moon Joo]], a Unification movement member and then president of ''The Washington Times'', undertook unofficial diplomatic missions to North Korea in an effort to improve its relationship with the United States.<ref name = "beast2712">[http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/02/07/the-bush-administration-s-secret-link-to-north-korea.html The Bush Administration's Secret Link to North Korea], Aram Roston, ''[[The Daily Beast]]'', February 7, 2012</ref> Joo was born in North Korea and is a citizen of the United States.<ref name = "yonhap122611">[http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/northkorea/2011/12/26/79/0401000000AEN20111226008351315F.HTML Unification Church president on condolence visit to N. Korea], ''[[Yonhap News]]'', December 26, 2011</ref>

The Unification Church also owns several news outlets including ''[[The Washington Times]]'', ''[[Insight on the News]]'',<ref>[https://www.cjr.org/politics/insightmag_a_mustread.php Insightmag, a Mustread] ''Columbia Journalism Review'' 2007-01-27</ref> [[United Press International]]<ref name="in sorrow">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/12/24/books/upi-look-back-in-sorrow.html|title=U.P.I.: Look Back in Sorrow (book review of ''Down to the Wire: UPI's Fight for Survival'' By Gregory Gordon and Ronald E. Cohen)|author=Atwater, James D.|date=December 24, 1989|work=The New York Times|access-date=March 15, 2011}}</ref><ref name="old dog">{{cite news|url=https://www.forbes.com/forbes/1998/0601/6111047a.html|title=Old dog, new tricks?|author=Spiegel, Peter|date=June 1, 1998|work=Forbes|access-date=March 15, 2011}}</ref> and the [[News World Communications]] network.<ref name="Washington Post-ghosts">{{cite news |first= Frank |last=Ahrens |title=Moon Speech Raises Old Ghosts as the Times Turns 20 |date=May 23, 2002|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&contentId=A60061-2002May22 |access-date=2009-08-16}}</ref><ref name="wrmea.com">[http://www.wrmea.com/backissues/1297/9712060.html As U.S. Media Ownership Shrinks, Who Covers Islam?], ''[[Washington Report on Middle East Affairs]]'', December 1997</ref> ''The Washington Times'' [[opinion editor]] [[Charles Hurt]] was one of [[Donald Trump]]'s earliest supporters in [[Washington, D.C.]]<ref>{{Cite news|last=Lowry|first=Rich|url=https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/07/the-trump-show-214075|title=The Trump Dynasty Takes Over the GOP|date=July 20, 2016|work=[[Politico Magazine]]|access-date=May 3, 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161027122711/https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/07/the-trump-show-214075|archive-date=October 27, 2016|author-link=Rich Lowry}}</ref> In 2018, he included Trump with Ronald Reagan, [[Martin Luther King Jr.]], [[Margaret Thatcher]], and [[Pope John Paul II]] as "great champions of freedom."<ref>{{Cite book|last=Boot|first=Max|title=The Corrosion of Conservatism: Why I Left the Right|publisher=Liveright Publishing|year=2018|isbn=978-1631495670|page=124|chapter=The Cost of Capitulation|lccn=2018036979|author-link=Max Boot}}</ref> In 2016 ''The Washington Times'' did not endorse a  candidate for United States president, but endorsed Trump for reelection in 2020.<ref>''The Washington Times'', 10/26/2020, [https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/oct/26/editorial-donald-trump-for-reelection Donald Trump for Reelection] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201027152248/https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/oct/26/editorial-donald-trump-for-reelection/ |date=October 27, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Campbell |first1=Joe |last2=Fogarty |first2=Kevin |title=In Pennsylvania woods, church in 'spiritual battle' to re-elect Trump |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-church-idUSKBN27E2U2 |access-date=19 December 2020 |publisher=Reuters |date=29 October 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Story about Moon church 'alarming' |url=https://www.mcall.com/opinion/readers-react/mc-omalley-sanctuary-church-ar15-20180609-story.html |access-date=19 December 2020 |newspaper=Morning Call |date=10 June 2018}}</ref>

====Workers Revolutionary Party====
{{Main|Workers Revolutionary Party (UK)}}
In Britain, the [[Workers Revolutionary Party (UK)|Workers Revolutionary Party]] (WRP), a [[Trotskyism|Trotskyist]] group which was led by [[Gerry Healy]] and strongly supported by actress [[Vanessa Redgrave]], has been described by others, who have been involved in the Trotskyist movement, as having been a cult or a group which displayed cult-like characteristics during the 1970s and 1980s.<ref>[[David North (socialist)|North, David]]. 1991. ''Gerry Healy and His Place in the History of the Fourth International''. [[Mehring Books]]. {{ISBN|0929087585}}.</ref> It is also described as such by Wohlforth and Tourish,<ref>Wohlforth, Tim, and Dennis Tourish. 2000. "Gerry Healy: Guru to a Star." pp. 156–172 in ''[[On the Edge: Political Cults Right and Left]]''. Armonk, NY: [[M. E. Sharpe]].</ref> to whom Bob Pitt, a former member of the WRP, concedes that it had a "cult-like character" though arguing that rather than being typical of the [[Far-left politics|far left]], this feature actually made the WRP atypical and "led to its being treated as a pariah within the revolutionary left itself."<ref name="Pitt">Pitt, Bob. 2000. "[https://web.archive.org/web/20051229051436/http://www.whatnextjournal.co.uk/Pages/Back/Wnext17/Reviews.html 'Cults, Sects and the Far Left']" (review). ''What Next?'' 17. {{ISSN|1479-4322}}.</ref>

====Other groups====
[[Gino Perente]]'s [[National Labor Federation]] (NATLFED)<ref>Solomon, Alisa. 26 November 1996. "Commie Fiends of Brooklyn." ''[[The Village Voice]]''.</ref> and Marlene Dixon's now-defunct [[Democratic Workers Party]] are an examples of political groups that have been described as "cults". A critical history of the DWP is given in ''[[Bounded Choice]]'' by [[Janja Lalich]], a sociologist and former DWP member.<ref>[[Janja Lalich|Lalich, Janja A.]] 2004. ''[[Bounded Choice|Bounded Choice: True Believers and Charismatic Cults]]''. Berkeley: [[University of California Press]]. {{ISBN|978-0520240186}}.</ref> [[Lutte Ouvrière]] (LO; "Workers' Struggle") in France, publicly headed by [[Arlette Laguiller]] but revealed in the 1990s to be directed by [[Robert Barcia]], has often been criticized as a cult, for example, by [[Daniel Cohn-Bendit]] and his older brother Gabriel Cohn-Bendit, as well as by ''[[L'Humanité]]'' and ''[[Libération]]''.<ref>{{cite news |title=Arlette Laguiller n'aime pas le débat |date=11 April 2002 |work=[[L'Humanité]] |url=http://www.humanite.presse.fr/journal/2002-04-11/2002-04-11-32049 |language=fr |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050629070722/http://www.humanite.presse.fr/journal/2002-04-11/2002-04-11-32049 |archive-date=29 June 2005}}</ref>

In his book ''Les Sectes Politiques: 1965–1995'' (''Political cults: 1965–1995''), French writer Cyril Le Tallec considers some religious groups that were involved in politics at that time. He included the [[Cultural Office of Cluny]], [[New Acropolis]], the [[Divine Light Mission]], [[American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property|Tradition Family Property (TFP)]], [[Longo Maï]], the Supermen Club, and the Association for Promotion of the Industrial Arts (Solazaref).<ref>{{cite book |author=Cyril Le Tallec |title=Les sectes politiques: 1965–1995 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-l1QQOEQKXUC&q=%22les+sectes+politiques%22 |language=fr |year=2006 |publisher=Harmattan |access-date=28 August 2009|isbn=978-2296003477}}</ref>

Several former leaders of the [[Groyper]] movement{{snd}}an [[alt-right]] faction that infuses [[white supremacy]], [[Christian nationalism]], and [[Incel]] ideology{{snd}}have accused [[Nick Fuentes]] of leading it like a cult, describing him as abusing and demanding absolute loyalty from his followers.<ref>Hayden, M. E. (2022, June 2). Pro-trump white nationalist group facing key desertions. Southern Poverty Law Center. Retrieved August 21, 2022, from https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2022/06/02/pro-trump-white-nationalist-group-facing-key-desertions</ref><ref>Owen, T. (2022, June 7). They Love Jesus, Bon Iver, and Incels. Inside America's New Ultranationalist Youth Movement. VICE. Retrieved August 21, 2022, from https://www.vice.com/en/article/epzgb4/groyper-young-christian-nationalists-movement</ref> Fuentes praised having a "cult-like... mentality" and admitted to "ironically" describing his own movement as a cult.<ref>Gais, H. (2021, March 11). Far-right extremists gather in Florida for CPAC spinoff alongside sitting congressman. Southern Poverty Law Center. Retrieved August 21, 2022, from https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2021/03/11/far-right-extremists-gather-florida-cpac-spinoff-alongside-sitting-congressman</ref>

===Polygamist cults===
{{further information|Polygamy}}
{{see also|Mormonism and polygamy|Mormon fundamentalism|Current state of polygamy in the Latter Day Saint movement}}

Cults that teach and practice [[polygamy]], marriage between more than two people, most often [[polygyny]], one man having multiple wives, have long been noted, although they are a minority.  It has been estimated that there are around 50,000 members of polygamist cults in North America.<ref>Bridgstock, Robert. 2014. ''The Youngest Bishop in England: Beneath the Surface of Mormonism''. [[See Sharp Press]]. p. 102.</ref> Often, polygamist cults are viewed negatively by both legal authorities and mainstream society, and this view sometimes includes negative perceptions of related mainstream denominations, because of their perceived links to possible [[domestic violence]] and [[child abuse]].<ref>Cusack, C. 2015. ''Laws Relating to Sex, Pregnancy, and Infancy: Issues in Criminal Justice''. [[Springer books|Springer]].</ref>

From the 1830s to 1904, members of [[Mormonism]]'s largest denomination, [[the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] (LDS Church), performed polygamous marriages. These were called [[Mormonism and polygamy|plural marriages]] by the church. In 1890, the [[president of the Church (LDS Church)|president]] of the LDS Church, [[Wilford Woodruff]], issued [[1890 Manifesto|a public manifesto]] announcing the cessation of new plural marriages. [[Anti-Mormonism|Anti-Mormon sentiment]] waned, as did opposition to statehood for Utah. The [[Smoot Hearings]] in 1904, which documented that members of the LDS Church were still performing new polygamous marriages, spurred the church to issue a [[Second Manifesto]], again claiming that it had ceased the practice. By 1910, the LDS Church [[excommunicate]]d those who entered into or performed new polygamous marriages.<ref name="UHE-Polygamy">Embry, Jessie L. 1994. "Polygamy." In ''Utah History Encyclopedia'', edited by A. K. Powell. Salt Lake City: [[University of Utah Press]]. {{ISBN|0874804256}}. {{OCLC|30473917}}.</ref> Enforcement of the 1890 Manifesto caused various [[Schism (religion)|splinter groups]] to leave the LDS Church in order to continue the practice of religious polygamy.<ref>[http://attorneygeneral.utah.gov/polygamy/The_Primer.pdf "The Primer"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050111224555/http://attorneygeneral.utah.gov/polygamy/The_Primer.pdf |date=11 January 2005}} – Helping Victims of Domestic Violence and Child Abuse in Polygamous Communities. A joint report from the offices of the Attorneys General of Arizona and Utah. (2006)</ref> Such groups are known as [[Mormon fundamentalism|Mormon fundamentalists]]. For example, the [[Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints]] is often described as a polygamist cult.<ref>Alex Hannaford, [https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/oct/13/woman-escaped-cult-hq-flds-refuge "The woman who escaped a polygamous cult – and turned its HQ into a refuge"], ''[[The Guardian]]'', 13 October 2018.</ref>

===Racist cults===
{{further information|Racism}}
[[File:Ku Klux Klan members and a burning cross, Denver, Colorado, 1921.jpg|thumb|[[Cross burning]] by [[Ku Klux Klan]] members in 1921]]

Sociologist and historian [[Orlando Patterson]] has described the [[Ku Klux Klan]], which arose in the [[Southern United States|American South]] after the [[American Civil War|Civil War]], as a heretical Christian cult, and he has also described its persecution of [[African Americans]] and others as a form of [[human sacrifice]].<ref>[[Orlando Patterson|Patterson, Orlando]]. 1998. ''Rituals of Blood: Consequences of Slavery in Two American Centuries.'' New York: [[Basic Civitas Books]].</ref> During the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the existence of secret [[Aryan race|Aryan]] cults in Germany and Austria strongly influenced the [[Völkisch movement]] and the rise of [[Nazism]].<ref>[[Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke|Goodrick-Clarke, Nicholas]]. 1993. ''[[The Occult Roots of Nazism]]''. New York: [[New York University Press|NYU Press]].</ref> Modern-day [[white power skinhead]] groups in the United States tend to use the same recruitment techniques as groups which are characterized as destructive cults.<ref>Perry, Barbara. 2012. ''Hate and Bias Crime: A Reader''. [[Routledge]]. pp. 330–331.</ref>

Vibert L. White, Jr., a former member of the [[Nation of Islam]] and a former leading advisor to it, characterized the organization as a cult, accusing its leader [[Louis Farrakhan]], along with other organizational leaders, of using [[black nationalism]] and religious dogma to exploit [[black people]] for personal and political gain.<ref>White, V. L. (n.d.). Inside the nation of Islam : A historical and personal testimony by a Black Muslim. University of Missouri-St. Louis Libraries. Retrieved August 21, 2022, from http://link.umsl.edu/portal/Inside-the-Nation-of-Islam--a-historical-and/_dVsNFm_eaM/{{Dead link|date=May 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> The Nation of Islam preaches black supremacy, that its founder [[Wallace Fard Muhammad]] was a Messiah and his successor [[Elijah Muhammad]] was a divine messenger, and that white people were a race of devils to be overthrown apocalyptically.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Nation-of-Islam | title=Nation of Islam &#124; History, Founder, Beliefs, & Facts &#124; Britannica }}</ref><ref>Southern Poverty Law Center. (2022). Nation of Islam. Southern Poverty Law Center. Retrieved August 21, 2022, from https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/group/nation-islam</ref>

===Terrorist cults===
{{further information|Terrorism}}
In the book ''Jihad and Sacred Vengeance: Psychological Undercurrents of History'', [[psychiatrist]] [[Peter A. Olsson]] compares [[Osama bin Laden]] to certain cult leaders including [[Jim Jones]], [[David Koresh]], [[Shoko Asahara]], [[Marshall Applewhite]], [[Luc Jouret]] and [[Joseph Di Mambro]], and he also says that each of these individuals fit at least eight of the nine criteria for people with [[narcissistic personality disorder]]s.<ref name="piven">{{cite book |last=Piven |first=Jerry S. |title=Jihad and Sacred Vengeance: Psychological Undercurrents of History |publisher=iUniverse |year=2002 |pages=104–114 |isbn=0595251048}}</ref> In the book ''Seeking the Compassionate Life: The Moral Crisis for Psychotherapy and Society'' authors Goldberg and Crespo also refer to Osama bin Laden as a "destructive cult leader."<ref>{{cite book |last1=Goldberg |first1=Carl |last2=Crespo |first2=Virginia |title=Seeking the Compassionate Life: The Moral Crisis for Psychotherapy and Society |publisher=Praeger/Greenwood |year=2004 |isbn=0275981967 |page=161}}</ref>

At a 2002 meeting of the [[American Psychological Association]] (APA), [[Anti-cult movement|anti-cultist]] [[Steven Hassan]] said that [[Al-Qaeda]] fulfills the characteristics of a destructive cult, adding, in addition:<ref name="dittmann">{{cite news|last=Dittmann|first=Melissa|date=10 November 2002|title=Cults of hatred: Panelists at a convention session on hatred asked APA to form a task force to investigate mind control among destructive cults.|volume=33|page=30|work=Monitor on Psychology|publisher=[[American Psychological Association]]|number=10|url=http://www.apa.org/monitor/nov02/cults.html|access-date=18 November 2007}}</ref>

{{blockquote|We need to apply what we know about destructive mind-control cults, and this should be a priority in the [[War on Terror]]ism. We need to understand the psychological aspects of how people are recruited and indoctrinated so we can slow down recruitment. We need to help counsel former cult members and possibly use some of them in the war against terrorism.}}

In an article on Al-Qaeda published in ''[[The Times]]'', journalist [[Mary Ann Sieghart]] wrote that al-Qaeda resembles a "classic cult:"<ref>{{cite news|last=Sieghart|first=Mary Ann|author-link=Mary Ann Sieghart|date=26 October 2001|title=The cult figure we could do without|work=[[The Times]]}}</ref>

{{blockquote|Al-Qaeda fits all the official definitions of a cult. It indoctrinates its members; it forms a closed, [[Totalitarianism|totalitarian]] society; it has a self-appointed, messianic and charismatic leader; and it believes that the ends justify the means.}}

Similar to Al-Qaeda, the [[Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant]] adheres to an even more extremist and [[Puritans|puritanical]] ideology, in which the goal is to create a [[Sovereign state|state]] governed by ''[[shari'ah]]'' as interpreted by its religious leadership, who then [[Brainwashing|brainwash]] and command their able-bodied male subjects to go on [[Suicide attack|suicide missions]], with such devices as [[car bomb]]s, against its enemies, including deliberately selected civilian targets, such as churches and [[Shia Islam|Shi'ite]] [[mosque]]s, among others. Subjects view this as a legitimate action; an [[obligation]], even. The ultimate goal of this [[Stratocracy|political-military]] endeavour is to eventually usher in the [[Islamic eschatology|end of the world in accordance with their Islamic beliefs]] and have the chance to participate in their version of the [[Last Judgment#In Islam|apocalyptic final battle]], in which all of their enemies (i.e. anyone who is not on their side) would be annihilated.<ref>Barron, Maye. 2017. ''18JTR'' 8(1).</ref> Such endeavour ultimately failed in 2017,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/oct/21/isis-caliphate-islamic-state-raqqa-iraq-islamist |title=Rise and fall of Isis: its dream of a caliphate is over, so what now? |work=The Guardian |last=Burke |first=Jason |date=21 October 2017 |access-date=22 July 2021 |url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171021230705/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/oct/21/isis-caliphate-islamic-state-raqqa-iraq-islamist |archive-date=21 October 2017 }}</ref> though hardcore survivors have largely returned to [[insurgency]] terrorism (i.e., [[Iraqi insurgency (2017–present)|Iraqi insurgency, 2017–present]]).

The [[Shining Path]] [[guerrilla]] movement, active in [[Peru]] in the 1980s and 1990s, has variously been described as a "cult"<ref>Stern, Steven J., ed. 1998. ''Shining and Other Paths: War and Society in Peru, 1980–1995''. Durham, NC: [[Duke University Press]].</ref> and an intense "[[cult of personality]]".<ref>Palmer, David Scott. 1994. ''Shining Path of Peru'' (2nd ed.). New York: [[St. Martin's Press]].</ref> The [[Tamil Tigers]] have also been described as such by the French magazine {{Lang|fr|[[L'Express (France)|L'Express]]}}.<ref>[[Gérard Chaliand]]. "[http://livres.lexpress.fr/entretien.asp/idC=8382/idR=5/idTC=4/idG=0 Interview]." ''[[L'Express (France)|L'Express]]'' {{in lang|fr}}</ref>