williams@kirk.DEC (John Williams 223-3402) (01/26/85)
>> One of the reasons people refer to Mormans (sic) >> as a cult is because they believe that they will become god. > Cult: a system of religious belief and ritual > -Webster > So what religion isn't a cult? If you really meant occult, I > don't see how it applies. One good modern translation of the word `` cult '' is: A religious organization that believes to have privileged information concerning the nature of the universe, and thereby believes to have an advantage over other diciplines. Of this, most religions apply. The concept of people acting as cells in unity as a god like entity is not a new one, as neither is the concept of using ignorance as a means of enforcing obedience. Unfortunately, the instant answer society has more mouth than brains. It's ultimately just a different set of measurements to promote artificial selection. No wonder we're screwed up. Oh, BTW, I hope you're not still stuck on Webster. Oh, you'll excuse me, but as a side note about myself, I tend to promote anarchy. Not that I believe that it would work completely, but overorganization is just as dangerous. All the real catchy words belong to organization, so anarchists are kind of frowned on out of ignorance. I could talk for hours about this, but it tends to be the kind of thing that people fight when they fail to understand it. You know, peer pressure, approval, closed mind attitudes. People tend to rave on about coordination, cooperation, unity, and shit, without ever realizing the kind of competition necessary on all levels for healthy existence. Now, the `` cults '' introduce criteria for competition and measurement, and become eventually overspecialized. If this seems a little extreme to you, perhaps it is because I am trying to compensate for the truth in the opposite direction. Any comers? ----{ john williams }----