A
10:002 or 10:003 Unit ~ Cults and Controversy
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MoviesI’m not very hip with the movies, but here are some suggestions and notes on what I included. Contact : last 30 minutes or so especially, which I showed in class. The Apostle: I showed this one in class. I’d recommend it. The lead character, Sonny (Robert Duvall) is sufficiently complex as to generate spirited class discussion (Is he a big fraud? Why? Is he the real thing? Why?). His evangelical-style preaching is pretty gripping. Stigmata : deals with incredulity and really out-there religious experiences. Holy Smoke : about a cult deprogrammer (Harvey Keitel). The Holy Ghost People : I also showed this one in class. I saw it when I was an undergraduate and it impressed me greatly. It’s about snake handlers in West Virginia, filmed in the 1960s. The problem is that the university’s copy, available through the anthropology department, is a film reel that is very old. It broke twice during our class, and despite my valiant efforts to mend it, we only got about half-way through it. If you can get your hands on a copy that works, I’d highly recommend it.) Web SitesYou might direct students to these in the initial exercise, in which they are asked to survey various definitions of “cult.” There are probably myriad sites on the topic, but here are some diverse and helpful choices: http://religiousmovements.lib.virginia.edu Perhaps the most helpful web-site, run by Jeffrey K. Hadden at the University of Virginia. Hadden’s bias tends toward religious freedom and first-amendment rights. The site’s best feature is the compendium of cults and new religious movements (organized alphabetically) and live links to the groups’ own recruitment materials. Self-defined as a site dedicated to “strange beliefs, amusing deceptions, and dangerous delusions.” This site defines cults as extremist groups yet it argues that these cults do not “brainwash” its members. A vigilantly anti-cult site with links to articles by well-known cult researchers. This site defines its purpose as “counseling for ex-cult members.” It contains a long list of cults with information on each under “groups.” http://religioustolerance.org/cults.htm This site supports religious tolerance as a means to peace, diversity and avoiding religious-based wars. http://www.cultawarenessnetwork.org This site is interesting, in that it sounds like an unbiased source; the materials on the site argue in favor of religious tolerance. However, the site is actually an arm of the Church of Scientology. http://washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/cult/cultmain.htm “The Cult Controversy” provides a history of cults since the 1950s as well as information on cult coercion and “brainwashing.” It takes an anti-cult stance. |