Posted by: Tanoro
- January 05, 2007
Intro
Children of today's society who discover the path
of the Old Religion are often the subject of unjustified restriction by,
not only friends, but family as well. I've heard all too many stories of
children who discover the Pagan or Wiccan path with much enthusiasm, only
to be forcefully discouraged by their Christian parents who are totally
uneducated on the subject. I've even known children who were introduced
to the path by friends, only to be restricted by their parents from seeing
such friends again. One of the big reasons why parents of this sort are
so paranoid by their children having Pagan connections is because of the
fear of their kids being led into a dangerous cult. Many even go as far
to confuse the term "cult" with "occult." The word "occult" simply means
that which is hidden or obscured from view. For example, the casting of
spells is done in private and many casters never reveal their spells to
others. These are part of occult practice, but have nothing to do with
cults.
What is a "Cult?"
The word "cult" is defined as, "a system or sect
of religious worship or ritual." This naturally includes Christian monasteries
and convents. However, in past decades, there have been cases of such cults
dedicated to unusual, false, or non-mainstream worship for the purpose
of a single charismatic leader or council to gain power through influenced
followers. Much of the time, cults are led by either a single leader or
small group of leaders who consider themselves above the rest of the sect
and hold more authoritative power than the lesser members.
The Guyana Tragedy at Jonestown (1978) was one such
religious cult which stemmed from Christianity. For those of you not familiar
with the Guyana Tragedy, it was led by the charismatic Rev. James Jones.
As an officially ordained minister, Rev. Jones established The People's
Temple, one of the first inter-racial Christian sects of the time. The
temple later came under a series investigations for alleged illegal actions,
so Rev. Jones moved his temple and 914 followers to Jonestown, Guyana.
Some sources say that Jonestown was ran in a similar fashion to concentration
camps and some members were being held against their will. Authorities
were sent to investigate, only to be shot down by armed guards from the
temple as they tried to leave. Jones then instructed his followers to commit
a mass suicide, ending the lives of 638 adults and 276 children. Some of
the members refused the order and tried to flee only to be shot down during
their escape. Very few members managed to escape with their lives. This
was one of history's worst religious tragedies.
Illegitimate cults are often open to anyone who
wishes to join, using equality as a powerful boast, but often avoid public
advertising. Their primary means of advertising is normally word-of-mouth
among existing members and their friends and family. Illegitimate cults
often jump at the chance to recruit members from the younger crowd. Some
cults are known to include an initiation of sorts, usually containing undignified
or embarrassing practices of no particular spiritual significance. Finally,
most illegitimate cults have a questionable or confidential set of by-laws
if any at all. Many such by-laws may be dogmatic or illogical. It is fairly
common for the leadership of such cults to make up new rules as things
develop to suit their own agenda, leaving the lesser members to learn what
is right and wrong as they go.
What is a "Coven?"
A coven, quite simply, is a group of practitioners
in the occult arts. Most covens are quite small when compared to the cult
at Jonestown. The biggest coven that I've ever been a part of had only
12 active members and less then 30 inactive affiliates. Covens are very
small and are usually led by a council and almost never led by a single
person. Covens are very liberal and all who join are free to leave if they
so choose. Consistent inactivity can often be subject to removal from membership,
but nothing more.
Covens are very difficult to find and even more
difficult to join. They are almost never open to public view and almost
always avoid public advertising. They advertise among legitimate circles,
applicable communities, and in ways that seasoned practitioners know how
to locate them (i.e. festivals, public celebrations, and holiday gatherings).
Coven rituals involve magickal practices and ceremonies, some of a secretive
nature, used for the benefit of the members and others; therefore anyone
who is less than totally committed is not permitted into the coven. Those
who are committed and those that are not are weeded out during the difficult
task of locating and joining the coven. It is fairly common for members
to be affiliated with a group of coven members for as long as a year before
being invited to join. This ensures the new members of the genuine nature
of the group. Initiation is ceremonial and dignified with great honors.
No members are expected to perform undignified or embarrassing tasks as
part of initiation.
Covens always demonstrate a strict set of by-laws
that are carefully taught to each member. These by-laws are open for all
to access and learn about and are encouraged to suggest improvements. The
by-laws are for the good of all members and not just the leadership. The
council generally includes a High Priest and/or High Priestess, a founder
or chairperson, and any other official considered necessary by the coven
(i.e. treasurer, secretary, etc.). Leadership is often democratic in many
covens so all members have a say in who leads.
Covens take great care to make rituals reverent,
serious, and productive. However, they allow much freedom and room to learn
all that its members wish to learn about the practice they share. Not all
covens are the same and many follow very different traditions of the Craft
than others. An individual seeking to join a coven may have to consider
a few groups before finding one suitable to their tastes.
Determining the Difference
The differences between cults and covens are quite
simple to pick out and much of it is common sense. The paranoia parents
use to shield their children from Pagan contacts for fear of cults is rooted
in their own fear of their children's potential lack of common sense, which
is a lesson given by the parents, mainly. No matter which way you look
at it, it's unjustified and an expression of parents' fear and not children's
safety.
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Illegitimate Cults
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Covens
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Led by a single person or group, usually the founding member(s).
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Led by a coven-elected council, adaptable based on the availability of
suitable members.
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Contains unclear or loosely interpreted by-laws, set by the leadership.
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Contains set of specific by-laws enforced by leadership, but adaptable
based on coven's needs.
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Is open to anyone who wants to join, regardless of commitment.
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Is not open to the public and takes time and effort to warrant an invitation
to join.
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Initiations, if any, appear to have no significant connection to the cause
and often involve performing undignified tasks.
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Initiations are ceremonial and do not involve undignified or unusual tasks.
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Avoid public advertising to avoid public notice of questionable activities.
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Avoid public advertising to avoid uncommitted or merely curious seekers.
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Are vague to explain the significance of questionable activities or asked
that questionable activities be done out of faith.
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Are open to explaining the significance of anything that appears questionable
(i.e. skyclad rituals).
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Happily welcomes young members with or without parental consent.
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Requires parental consent for all new members under 18 and encourages parents
to be involved in activities.
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Discourages new members from questioning the way of things.
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Encourages new members to bring new ideas.
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Enforces consequences or punishment for cult-interpreted betrayal or "lack
of loyalty."
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Allows members to come and go as they please and have no consequences for
any wrong-doing beyond loss of membership.
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Boasts a means of giving you what you spiritually desire the most in life
and uses this desire as a means of discouragement.
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Will merely aid you in obtaining your deepest spiritual desires based on
your own commitment, but will not boast an easy path.
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With all of this in mind, you begin to understand
how to tell the difference between a trustworthy coven and those who just
want to lead you into something you don't really care about or even strive
for. If you discover a group and you don't know or don't agree with its
cause, then by all means, do not join. Never let a boast of faith steer
you wrong.
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Article Posted by: Tanoro
