Cults are not only something of the past but are thriving in modern day society and of the variety of people that join them; businessmen and lawyers are the most shocking as well as the most frequent. It is now not only a practice of the hopeless and spiritual but is becoming customary. The Secret History of Cults written by Peter Haining emphasizes the dangers and types of strange rituals that take place in twenty-one different cults in recent history. The aim of education is clear as the book has a bias against these dangerous cults but also clarifies the misconceptions with several cults, such as witchcraft, that are not harmful but have been given a negative reputation. From the Jonestown massacre that took thousands of lives to the Holocaust which took millions the “how” and “why” all seem to follow a common trend. Fatality is a regular out come in most of these cults along with masochistic leaders who use the powers of manipulation and blind faith to gain followers. Haining does an exceptional job informing readers not just of the history and events but also of the consequences that joining such a devotion can bring. However, the book does not inform of what the end result of some of these cults were, such as Jim Jones who was the leader of Jonestown, was never mentioned again and the reference of where they are now is never explained. Cults are an interesting phenomenon and often are studied in phycology but could also be listed under religion. The practices that are performed in cults may be much different from religions that are commonly known such as Christianity or Judaism but they do have similar faiths, which usually lie towards either God or Satan. It was an informative read on true events and I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest in history, psychology or the anatomy of the human brain.
Cults are not only something of the past but are thriving in modern day society and of the variety of people that join them; businessmen and lawyers are the most shocking as well as the most frequent. It is now not only a practice of the hopeless and spiritual but is becoming customary. The Secret History of Cults written by Peter Haining emphasizes the dangers and types of strange rituals that take place in twenty-one different cults in recent history. The aim of education is clear as the book has a bias against these dangerous cults but also clarifies the misconceptions with several cults, such as witchcraft, that are not harmful but have been given a negative reputation. From the Jonestown massacre that took thousands of lives to the Holocaust which took millions the “how” and “why” all seem to follow a common trend. Fatality is a regular out come in most of these cults along with masochistic leaders who use the powers of manipulation and blind faith to gain followers. Haining does an exceptional job informing readers not just of the history and events but also of the consequences that joining such a devotion can bring. However, the book does not inform of what the end result of some of these cults were, such as Jim Jones who was the leader of Jonestown, was never mentioned again and the reference of where they are now is never explained. Cults are an interesting phenomenon and often are studied in phycology but could also be listed under religion. The practices that are performed in cults may be much different from religions that are commonly known such as Christianity or Judaism but they do have similar faiths, which usually lie towards either God or Satan. It was an informative read on true events and I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest in history, psychology or the anatomy of the human brain.
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