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james kush
Perhaps they are a relatively benign example of a "cult following" of sorts.
Destructive cults is what people post about and are generally interested in this forum, not benign cults.
It may be a personality fringe group with strange beliefs, but that seems to be about it.
Time will tell.
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rrmoderator
What seems to come across is that TZM is a fringe groups that has some controversial beliefs, but that doesn't make it a "cult" by any meaningful objective definition.
For a group to be considered a "cult" according to Lifton it must be destructive, not simply objectionable due to its beliefs. It's about behavior.
Lifton says, "Economic, sexual, and other exploitation of group members by the leader and the ruling coterie" is evident.
Singer states, "imagine an inverted T. The leader is alone at the top and the followers are all at the bottom". There is little if any accountability and as Singer says, "the overriding philosophy...is that the ends justify the means, a view that allows [such groups] to establish their own brand of morality, outside normal society bounds."
Thus far TZM critics have been unable to specifically articulate such points as relevant to the group.
Simply because you object to a group's philosophy or quirky beliefs doesn't make it a "cult," certainly not a destructive one.
Perhaps TZM can be seen as a relatively benign fringe group with a "cult following," something like Trekkies or diehard Elvis fans.
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darkadaptedeyes
No matter how strange or offensive one might find the Zeitgeist ideology, it's clear after weeks of reading these threads this was instigated here by someone with an ax to grind with this group over something petty and is NOT ABUSE. Some of us have been sexually, emotionally, and financially exploited by groups and gurus, and it's an insult to conflate the two!
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shakti
While I would agree that this thread was not handled well by those "banned from Zeitgeist forums", and I don't think there was full evidence provided that this is a traditional dangerous cult, it is definitely a "controversial group", and worthy of discussion on this board. All one needs to do is view the original movie with its rehash of recycled anti-semitic conspiracy theories to see that there is something about this group worth questioning. Does that make it a cult? No.
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tanktop
Any time anything other than the scientific method, logic, and evidence is being used to manipulate people in ways which are destructive, or which discourage scientific analysis, it harms us all.
Regards,
Noel