May 106 min read

Freaky Friday Files: Why Does The Word "Cult" Carry a Negative Connotation?

Updated: Sep 25

Hi friends! Happy Friday :)

Creepy image of a house in the snow with some ritual going on outside — This was made with AI from Wix

I feel like I haven't been focusing on my Freaky Friday Files enough lately and I thought why not choose a topic that I'm passionate about, interested in, and know a lot about? Cults. Yes, I would say I'm definitely a self-proclaimed cult expert and I want to do more posts like my Behind Closed Doors series. You can read those below:

And I remember some people telling me that I'd never have a career talking about cults, yet here I am, talking about cults on my blog. Who would have thought? I don't know why I didn't start this when I was at university, I feel like my brain would have been good at this back then. Ah well, it's never too late! Anyway, in today's Freaky Friday Files, we are going to discuss why the word "cult" carries a negative connotation.

And I want to be real with you here right now, cults are interesting, I am sooo fascinated by how they work and I don't think they are inherently bad. I definitely think they're creepy and strange, but some people really thrive in cults. Personally, I would not. I quite like Western society, freedom, and a sense of control over myself. But maybe there are some people out there who like a more simple life and who am I to judge them?

Let's start with what Wikipedia says, shall we? That's always a good starting point to help understand something, but that's all it should be used for, a starting point. Don't ever bloody reference Wikipedia in an essay! GRRRRR. Sorry, I think I'm a little bit triggered from some 100 level students who did exactly what I told them not to. Anyway, according to Wikipedia, "In the English-speaking world, the term cult often carries derogatory connotations. In this sense, it has been considered a subjective term used as an ad hominem attack against groups with differing doctrines or practices."

Cult. It just sounds scary, doesn't it? And when you hear about mass deaths and manipulation of followers, how can you not be scared? It's also really close to another derogatory C word but we won't put that here because I think I'd get in trouble. Actually, I'd definitely be in trouble. Maybe Australia is rubbing off on me because that word is used so lightly here.

I must also note that the "cult" is associated with things that go against the "norm" - but is there really a norm? That's a whole philosophical debate for another time though and comment down below if you'd like me to write a piece on social norms or what is normality because I feel like I could probably write something.

The term "cult" typically carries a negative connotation because it's often associated with groups or movements that exhibit extreme or unconventional beliefs, practices, or behaviours. To us, cults aren't normal, they're strange oddities that exist outside of our own lives. Except what happens when you visit one? Well, you can check out my YouTube video "here" about my experiences heading into a NZ cult (to visit, not to live - I don't know why so many people thought I grew up in a cult because I am definitely a Westerner). And if video isn't your style, there's also a blog post "here" I wrote late last year. I'm pretty proud of those two pieces of content I made so do me a favour and check them out when you can!

Cults are often seen as having the following characteristics:

Manipulative leadership: Charles Manson, Jim Jones, David Koresh, Marshall Applewhite - just a few names that come to my head who might be that kind of charming manipulative leader that everyone just loves. I would say that these people sometimes use coercion to maintain control over their people but I would also say that some people tend to just be drawn to these kinds of leaders (especially if they're in a state of relative deprivation).

Isolation: Cults are usually outside of our view, far away on some farmland and many will discourage contact with the "outside world" so they can keep their member's views in check. A worldview that discredits alternative perspectives. And if you leave the cult, you are often ex-communicated, meaning that you can no longer speak to your family. I've actually spoken to someone who's been ex-communicated from their family and it sounds awful.

Exploitation: Cults and their leaders will often exploit their members but it will be portrayed as "building trust and community" - like an example I can think of is Gloriavale has one big shared fund that used to be controlled by the late Hopeful Christian. And it goes even further, where many cult leaders will help people in debt so that they join their group and that could be used against them later on. Other forms of exploitation could be emotional.

Unorthodox beliefs: Such beliefs are seen SOOO different from mainstream society, that we think about cults as being odd, strange, creepy, scary, and something we don't want to go near. But we don't realise how many of these beliefs are sitting right in front of us. Especially when it comes to flat earthers and climate change deniers. But the thing with cults is that they're so far-fetched we couldn't think we'd believe in the same things they do, but it's surprising how many people might fall victim to a cult (even if we think we wouldn't). I don't want to call MLMs a cult because they're an entirely separate thing but I would say they do have some cult-like characteristics and manipulative tactics.

Harmful practices: Yep, some cults will participate in really harmful behaviours, abuse, emotional manipulation, mass deaths, ritualistic abuse, etc., etc. It's hard to know exactly what goes on because the media does a strange job of reporting on it.

Media portrayal: The media do a wonderful job at portraying cults in a really negative and awful manner, even when nothing is going wrong. Take a look at Waco for example. But if you think about cults and you think about what comes up in the media, it's always abuse and it's always ch*ld ab*se and it sucks. Some cults will definitely have that going on but others don't and they're taken advantage of by mainstream media and made out to be something they're not.

Loss of autonomy: When someone joins a cult, they lose control of their own autonomy. Not always, but in most cases, they're so indoctrinated into that worldview, that they forget there are others. Some people may even have their whole daily routine chosen for them.

There are also plenty of other reasons we associate the word "cult" negatively including what behaviours a cult might partake in such as tax evasion, fraud, abuse, psychological manipulation, health issues, and so on.

In conclusion, the word "cult" needs to only be used in certain situations to describe what a cult is and to me, a cult is as follows: a rejection of mainstream/Western society, with a specific leader and specific set of beliefs that deviate from the norm. And yes, it's still vague, but it's all I got right now. And we do have to also make sure we differentiate cults, New Religious Movements (NRMs) and religions in general.

Some readings: