An excellent point; it would not take much to persuade otherwise peaceful people to turn their frustrations into violent action. It is a common fiction that the British are 'not like the Germans' and that 'it couldn't happen here'. I firmly believe that no society is impervious to the mobilisation of fascistic forces and that is is the job of rational people everywhere to
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

First of all, many, many thanks to those of you who have commented over on , I feel a lot less alone and out on a limb as a result. Thank you all. Maple, I entirely agree that Biodynamics is attempting to take over Permaculture by claiming that the two systems are somehow equivalent or, indeed, are attempting to make Permaculture a sub-set of Biodynamics. A similar move has been in operati
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Dear dsm QuotedsmIs the Steiner Anthroposopy group an organized cult that actually seeks social power or control over others including those who do not choose to join it, as opposed to simply a cult of inwardly-directed believers in a weird philosophy? That seems to be the question along with the question of how far it is entangledwith Transition Towns. (Being a controlling element or being th
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Correction: I've just noticed Lisa and Juan they say they DO acknowledge the existence of agencies of which they disapprove - other than that, I think my concerns are still valid as they seem not to have the same discernment concerning anthroposophy. Nick
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Dear all, I recently noticed a Biodynamic blog run by two young people called Lisa and Juan and was most concerned that their boundless enthusiasm seemed to lack any kind of critical analysis of what they were doing. Their site is at: As they did not approve my last post I suspect they might delete the two that I did post on their site so you might not find them when you look. But I ha
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Dear all, I've read most of this long and fascinating thread. Whether or not the Transition Town Movement is a cult is probably open to both semantic and philosophical and political argument depending on the definitions of 'cult' used. But I believe that the TT movement displays many cultish attributes and might be on the cusp of becoming a cult or cult-like entiity. I took
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"