Checkpoint: Effects of Religion
HUM/130
February 28, 2013
Professor Shannon Richmond
Religion has always been something that poses controversy as the topic of any conversation. Religion affects our way of thinking and molds the morals and standards that we try to uphold, and it affects the way that we view others and notice our differences. It is hard to process that religion can be used in any part of prejudice, hate, or anger when this is not what is intended.
There have been many world events that have been affected by organized religion. One that sticks out to me from long ago would be the cult organizational groups. A cult is described as an unorthodox group that worships a set of new ideas, a person, or an object. I can recall the event in Waco Texas that ended with over seventy people dying inside the walls of the cult, where there was suspected child abuse, and hundreds of ammunition and guns confiscated. This cult was run by David Koresh where he taught that Apocalypse would begin when the United States Army would attack their camp. Koresh also taught that the only way to serve God was to be willing to die and taught his followers including children how to poison themselves. Koresh also believed that he was a chosen prophet from God and he was sent to spread the word about Revelations. Another cult ran by Marshall Applewhite that was given the name of Heaven’s Gate. Applewhite taught his followers to believe that their bodies were mere containers and would leave that container by suicide to a higher existence if they bound by Applewhite’s teachings and evolved to that higher existence in a group.
Cults would definitely be an example of a negative effect that organized religion has had on the world. This breaks down the trust that people have to trust even when the conversation is about God. Cult groups are a prime example of how religion turned from love and loyalty into something negative. The followers of these cult groups...