Cult means group, tribe, Creed, party, quit, to part, and a group of people.[1]
In political glossary, this word is applied for a part of society which has been separated from the religion or turned to a creed which hasn’t been recognized by all people formally and it is also used negligently for each kind of separatist movement (national, lingual, religious, political and so on).[2]
According to science of discourse, some people are called who have been separated from the followers of a religion due to difference in theological issues and selected special interpretations of that religion. As, there have been various cults during the history of Islam have been separated from Muslims due to various events. These cults can be divided into two groups:
۱) Although some cults differs other Muslims in theological issues or interpreting it and sometimes they act against other Muslims in secondary commandments, but they are united with them in principles and they believe in issues such as monotheism, prophethood, resurrection and etc. and they are acting Hajj, fasting, prayer and tithe. These cults are as follows: Moa’tazeleh, Ashaereh, Zeydiyeh and etc.
۲) Some other cults have been originated from Islam religion, but they have fell away from Islam which they don’t have any subscriptions with Muslims due to extremes of their leaders and followers. They have rejected the Islamic knowledge in the main problems. These cults are as follows: Ishaqieh, Horoufieh, Helmanieh.
The recognition of the right path – the straight way
There are logical criteria in various cults for recognizing reality and the straight way of guidance; and each person is responsible for dominating on each kind of bigotry and obstinacy in order to investigate the truth independently.
The main criteria for the legitimacy of cult and the straight path group:
- a) The originality and the power of supporting by document and referring to primary religious source:
- b) Utmost protection; that is possessing factors and actions which provide the most ability to preserve the religious health and preventing deviation particularly in the basic lines of the religion. The leaders and directors who are the manifestations of religion and displays of its facts.
- c) The lack of contradiction and inner conflict
- d) rationality, balance, comprehensiveness and being away from bigotries and extremes.
- e) welcoming asking religion and being able to answer the complicated and hard problems better.
New Cults
One of the other important and key issues concerning recognizing the contemporary cults is paying attention to their nature and the method of function. The modern definition of cult is each group which uses the psychological function of mind control technique for deceptive recruiting and controlling of its members.
Mind control is a collection of mental techniques which are being applied over the members imperceptably. These techniques as follows:
۱) Deceit: A cult needs to use deceit to recruit and using deceit by people. If people know their real actions and believes in advance, they won’t join them, so it possesses decorated appearance, helps the poor and has kindness, universal peace, human rights, scientific researcher which hides the real nature of the group.
۲) Specialization: The leaders of the cults tell their members to be saved merely by being in their organization and obeying their orders.
۳) fear and frightening. You must be afraid of the cult leader and organization. The cult leaders claim for possessing direct authority from God to control nearly all affairs of sectarian life. The members aren’t allowed to criticize and question the leader because it can be assumed as a sign of riot and stupidity. So, the method of assassination of character of cult members are being used in order to create sense sin in them.
۴) Bombardment of love and controlling the relations of the cults: To Control the members, the technique of controlling the relationships are being used. When for the first time, a member enters into a cult, they perform the action of love bombardment on him/her. They elect urgent friends for him/her, but he/she learns fast that if he/she opposes them all of quit the cult, he/she will lose all of his/her new friends. He/she will be alone and hated.
۵) Controlling data: Those who control data, will control a person. In a mind control cult each kind of data out of the cult will be considered as satanic particularly if it opposes the cult. The members are called not to believe in them and not to read them. They must just keep and vanish them immediately, because just the data presented by the cult will be real.
۶) Reporting structure: Everybody is being encouraged to be careful about other members and obliged to report leader what he/she observes.
۷) Controlling time: Now cults make the members too busy to think about their personal issues, beliefs induced by the cult, friends and relatives.
The deviant cult of Baha’ism
Regarding the above- mentioned definitions concerning cults, Baha’ism is considered as one of the Islamic cults which is null and false and is assumed as the second group kind and is also deviant and misleading. Because its primary leaders were Muslims and were living in Muslim lands. That is, it is of the cults which has rejected Muslims’ principles and consequents. They went out of Muslim groups by their false claims (Imamate and prophethood and divinity) and were going to create differences, disunity and fulfill ominous aims of aliens in Islamic lands. For this reason, Muslims don’t consider Baha’is as of Islamic cults because Baha’ism creed is a forged one and is just related to Islam due to its origin and historical background of its founders, but due to its nature, it is just a forged and man-made creed like hundreds and thousands of schools and creeds created across history. Because the followers of this creed aren’t monotheistic, they are considered as polytheists. If criteria of the legitimacy of a group which were mentioned are exerted on Baha’ism, we will observe that it won’t be adaptable with them. From intellectuality, balance, comprehensiveness, to bigotry avoidance, inner zeal and also originality and supporting by documents of primary religious sources which aren’t in conformity with the deviant cult of Baha’ism. Most thinkers who have abandoned this cult have considered inner contradictions and intellectual contrasts as the main factor for leaving the cult. Although this cult has separated from Islam, but it isn’t in conformity in themes such as main subjects of monotheism, prophethood and resurrection. It is totally out of Islam. If you study the Bayan and the Aghdas books, you will figure out that they are full of irrational materials and nonsenses.
Concerning function, the deviant cult of Baha’ism is quite in conformity with new cults of mind control and their different techniques in recruiting, changing mind, limiting members in an in organizational chart to prevent them exiting, fear and frightening, love bombardment and etc. The deviant cult of Baha’ism possesses all features of a cult:
۱) Deceit: Baha’ism uses it to recruit members; so that, the person will have serious problem to turn against it.
۲) Differentiation: Baha’ism induces that the mere saving version for human being is the cult.
۳) Bombardment of love and controlling relationships in the cult: Through their meetings and organizations, the member relationships are being controlled every week or every nine days and in first sessions of recruiting members, they are welcomed kindly.
۴) Creating fear and frightening: If a person is going to question or to exit the cult, he/she will be threatened seriously, theologically, organizationally or even personal life.
۵) Reporting structure: In each session, all data of members, members’ news and the problems of higher hierarchy are being reported according to city, district and centrality in Tehran and the universal house of tyranny (justice) in Haifa.
۶) Controlling data of members’ time: The extent of development and melting members in cult are being evaluated continually. If a person is questioned and contradicted, they will try to convince him/her using blackmail and mental atmosphere.
۷) Controlling members’ time: Programs during day and week are given to members to present the next session (Rouhi plans).
[۱] Moeen Farsi dictionary, Muhammad Moeen, Tehran, Neda, 1381 S.H., p. 754; Al-Monjad (Arabic to Persian) translated by Muhammad Bandar Rigi, Tehran, Iran publishing house, vol. 2, p.132.
[۲]The political sciences dictionary, Ali Agha Bakhshi, Minoo Afshari; Tehran: Chapar, 1383 S.H., p.611.
