Cult

Cults: Est. 1613 and Changing Ever Since By Johnny Franceski In 1997, thirty-nine people were found dead outside of a Santa Fe Mansion. They were members of the Heaven’s Gate cult. The absurd reason for their suicides was to go live in a spaceship traveling behind comet Hale-Bopp. Because of the media, people today associate cults with eccentric people with seemingly irrational interests such as the Heaven’s Gate Cult. However, the actual meaning of the word is not what the media portrays. One way to examine the original meaning of cult is to look at the dictionary definitions and roots of the word.

Before examining the word cult, we must see where it is derived from. Cult is derived from French culte and Latin cultus. These roots demonstrate the word did not just appear out of thin air at the time of first usage and has grounds in older roots. The Merriam-Webster dictionary provides a range of definitions for the word cult (noun). Definitions range from “formal religious veneration (Cult, 2013a)”, to “a system of religious beliefs and ritual and its body of adherents (Cult, 2013a)”, and even, “a religion regarded as unorthodox (Cult, 2013a).” Why does one dictionary provide so many definitions for the same word? It is immediately evident that the concept of cult is not one that is easy to grasp. The Oxford English dictionary provides two, more straightforward, definitions of a cult including “a system of religious veneration and devotion directed towards a particular figure or object (Cult, 2013b, p.1613)”, and “a person or thing that is popular or fashionable among a particular group or section of society(Cult, 2013b, p.1613).” The second Oxford definition hints at the modern usage of cult. The phrase “section of society” implies that a cult is a group of people with a particular interest as opposed to a broad religious ideology. Some synonyms that appear for cult on thesaurs.com (thesaurus.com, 2013) are sect, clique, and clan. So if these words are similar to cult, then what is the defining characteristic of a cult? All three synonyms refer to a group of people in their respective definitions. However, in the all the definitions of cult, the word “group” never appears. A cult is “a system” or “ideology”, not a group. This inconsistency is puzzling, considering that in modern times cult is used to describe a group of people. Antonyms of cult include “discipleship” and “fandom”. These words both describe external or weak support. Cult members are clear-cut in their beliefs. Members also do not sway from their beliefs because their beliefs are deep-rooted and internal. Being a fan can change from one day to the next, and discipleship means taking everything without question. Cults are not simply brought together by one leader, rather by deep intrinsic brotherhood.

As previously stated, today the word cult is used excessively by the media. It is used to mean an intense group with strange beliefs. The question this paper goes after is, why and how did the change in the meaning of cult happen over time?  The word first appears in 1617 at Cambridge as used by Samuel Collins. Collins writes “You tell us most absurdly of a divine cult..for so cult you are, or so quilted in your terms.” In context, Collins says the man is “cult” as if to describe the man’s personality or character. The first use in 1617 reinforces the idea that a cult is an ideology or characteristic and not necessarily a physical group.  So if cult was intended to be a religious and apollonian ideology, then why has it come to mean a group of radicals who gather around an absurd interest? In 1874, John Pentland Mahaffy uses the word in its modern sense, “the cult of Aphrodite.” This usage, shows that within 250 years, cult transformed from meaning an ideology of some religious doctrine to meaning a group of followers with a Dionysian passion. The word cult is not unique to the English language. It appears in almost every language across the world. The word cult spread across the world in a fairly short period of time in a linguistic sense; considering that it was not commonplace in any language before 1617. There could be a number of reasons for this phenomenon.  Between 1617 and 1874, religion evolved drastically. The word cult was originally tied to a religious ideology, hence people began to associate the word with religious groups as these groups began to emerge and separate all over Europe. Many people with radical religious views moved across the Atlantic to flee religious discrimination in Europe. Many also moved east. These traveling groups were indeed “cults” because they all held a common ideology and believed in the same religious values. However, people just associated them as a group instead of people with similar intrinsic beliefs. By 1867, religious groups had settled down in new areas, and now these people who had moved all over the world to seek religious freedoms were referred to as cults.  The preceding paragraph is a possible explanation as to how and why the meaning of the word cult changed overtime. However, while this theory is supported by historical evidence, the true reasons that words change meaning over time is unknown. Next time you hear someone use the word “cult”, know that the context is superficial and the word cult was designed to encompass more than just a radical group. Cult represents an ideology of shared values of religious worship. Groups today have often become so polarized, that now cults and groups are nearly synonymous. Not all groups are cults and that there are so many different types of groups in existence as McGrath (A Typology of Groups, 1984) points out. In studying human groups, we know extreme polarization can occur within our own social strata. We must carefully watch to make sure that our groups do not become too cut off from the rest of society. Otherwise, the context of the group in larger society is lost and we may even be viewed as a cult member. According to modern association, cult is not something we want to be associated with. However, two hundred fifty years ago that may have not been such a horrid fate.

Bibliography and Credits: Cult - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary. (n.d.). Dictionary and Thesaurus - Merriam-Webster Online. Retrieved September 25, 2013, from []

Home : Oxford English Dictionary. (n.d.). Home : Oxford English Dictionary. Retrieved September 25, 2013, from []

McGrath, J. E. (1984). Groups: interaction and performance. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall.

Cult Synonyms, Cult Antonyms | Thesaurus.com. (n.d.). Thesaurus.com | Find Synonyms and Antonyms of Words at Thesaurus.com. Retrieved September 27, 2013, from http://thesaurus.com/browse/cult

