The Pros And Cons Of A Cult

Other groups who are against the church say its a cult. There are different factors that can tell you if a religious group have become cult-like or not. First, their preacher, who was Phelps, became absolute leader since the beginning. Although, he and members of the church did not believe he was a prophet or incarnation of the holly spirit as many cult leaders believe themselves to be. Another cult aspect is the restriction of what member scan do in their every day lives. For example, the WBC holds its members to very strict standards that revolves around all aspects of their lives, including their appearance. It is mentioned that they forbid styling their hair and piercing their ears. Cults usually separate themselves from anyone outside of their group. …show more content…
“Those who left the WBC are completely cut off, unable to retain any sort of relationship with family members that still operated within” (Beyer). When witnessing protests by the church, it becomes pretty clear members have a polarized worldview. Believing people are condemned to hell, including people who disagree with them and family members who defect. “They see themselves as representatives of God waging spiritual war on a culture that freely embraces sin” (Beyer). The term “Cult”, is highly seen as something you only see in movies and TV shows, but in reality they exist, although, not as crazy as some Hollywood films like to make you believe. Some other comparisons are the small group size, shunning, and conformity. Overall, the WBC does lack in dramatic themes to be considered a “Dangerous” cult. However, the extreme participation of its members along with the conformity that follows makes the term “cult” not unreasonable