originally posted by: CryHavoc
At what point does a Movement, an Organization, or other type of Group, become a Cult, a Gang, a Hate Group, other criminal group?
I think many groups start out with good intentions. But then they turn.
Why?
Cult - This has several definitions. One definition is basically a system of religious beliefs. Under this broad swath of the brush any
religious organization can be considered a cult. In fact in Spanish religions are called "cults" interchangeably.
There are cults of personality. There are groups of people with weird ideas who usually have a charismatic leader and close themselves off to
outsiders, this is another definition of a cult. If you claim you are Jesus and then get people to follow you as the Messiah, and then start ordering
them around you are the leader of a "cult." The followers are cult members. This would obviously exclude the real Jesus who is in heaven and is not
returning to the earth in the flesh, but in spirit body to destroy all the ungodly people, with hosts of angels.
Most people in the world, by any sense of the definition are a part of a cult.
I have seen many members on this site use the word as an insult and use it to harass and disparage others whom they disagree with or hate because of
believing in the Bible for example.
Gang
A group of persons working to unlawful or antisocial ends. This is probably the definition you are looking for. How many people makes up a group? I
think even 2 or 3 people can be a group of people. So whenever thee get together to commit crime they have formed a gang.
Of course you can just have a gang of people, with no bad connotation connected with it..I'm hangin' out with the gang tonight.
Hate Group Seems to me that in reality this wold be a gang of people, or even an organization that ostrozises a certain class of people. The
Nazis are a good example of a hate group. They practiced and still practice and teach hatred of Jews, anti-whites.
I think because of social and political agenda groups which are not in fact hate groups are labeled as such. And as you can see when a "gang" or "hate
group" like the Nazis get into power, they can legislate into law their hate-filled agendas and carry them out. This is till happening, and will
happen in the future.
Criminal group Is basically a group or an organization that is outlawed by a government because of banned practices. So they are groups that go
against the law. Many criminal organizations are bad and commit bad upon society and should be outlawed. That doesn't always mean that a criminal
group is actually bad though.
For example, in Nazi controlled Germany, Jehovah's Witnesses were banned as a "criminal group" because they would not fight for Hitler, although
breaking no other rule or law, based on their Bible-trained conscious that it is wrong to kill a fellowman.
I will add in here that in this case any group of people can become criminal at any time once you get a dictator into power, or take away the freedom
of the people. Things that you once thought were harmless, such as speaking about politics can become criminal activity. Look at modern-day China as a
good example of this.