Clarence Thomas

#201
#201
hog88 said:
This is important to you isn't it?
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Can't I say the same about the other guy?

Yeah, I'm playing the childish "The last word is the right word" game too, but when someone replies to me with something I believe is wrong, it's in my nature to say so. That probably sums up my divorce better than anything else. It's definitely not conducive to a lasting marriage. LOL.
 
#203
#203
Orangeslice13 said:
It’s in the definition.
He’s just a dishonest person.
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^^^^ This is dishonest. ^^^^

You are misrepresenting what you have posted. You have still not provided a definition which says that cults don't need leaders.

I have posted a definition which clearly states that for a group to be defined as a cult, it must have a leader. You have too much pride to admit when you are wrong, and in this case, you definitely are.

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Here is a different, but more familiar source among members of VolNation.

What makes a cult a cult?

^^^^ This link is to an article in The Tennessean. ^^^^

(UNDER)

What is a Cult?

A cult is a group or movement held together by a shared commitment to a charismatic leader or ideology. It has a belief system that has the answers to all of life's questions and offers a special solution to be gained only by following the leader's rules. It requires a high level of commitment from at least some of the members.

AND

How do cults start up?

There's four dimensions to a cultic group that we see across the board.

1) Charismatic leader : The charismatic leader is the originator of the group. Charismatic leaders are people who are great manipulators, they're charming. They know how to read people. They come along and offer a message that is going to resonate with somebody. Once they get a few followers that's all they need and then those people go out, recruit more and they build up an aura around the leader.

^^^^ Take note of the phrase "around the leader." In any cult, the cult leader is always the object of devotion and unconditional loyalty and support.... not an ideology, which is always subject to change if the leader wants it to.

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I realize that you like to run with the portion of the definition which says," ... or ideology".

My point has always been that a cult can involve devotion to an ideology, but that will only be the case if the cult leader has demanded such. As the originator of the group, the cult leader must not only exist, the cult leader must come first. Whatever the cult leader demands, becomes the law among cult followers. So, the object of the cult followers devotion is not the ideology itself, it is the person who is stressing this ideology - who was also the originator of the cult.

You will NEVER find a definition which says that a cult doesn't need a charismatic leader, because it is this charismatic leader who originated the cult to begin with. He is the first link in the chain, and he makes the rules.
 
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#206
#206
BowlBrother85 said:
I hear what you're saying ... but it's not in my nature to let something go, when I know I'm right.

Any in-depth discussion of what makes a group of people a "cult", will always reference a charismatic leader.
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So much effort, so little result of WGAF.

We could talk semantics all day with 72 genders and such.
 
#207
#207
Orangeburst said:
So much effort, so little result of WGAF.

We could talk semantics all day with 72 genders and such.
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This involves more than just a difference in semantics.

.... and nobody is forcing you to pay attention to this, are they? There are many other threads more deserving of your time and attention on here. Why not just find one, instead of complaining?
 
#208
#208
BowlBrother85 said:
This involves more than just a difference in semantics.

.... and nobody is forcing you to pay attention to this, are they? There are many other threads more deserving of your time and attention on here. Why not just find one, instead of complaining?
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Not complaining. Just commenting and it is fascinating as I said.
 
#209
#209
cult
noun, often attributive
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\ ˈkəlt \
Definition of cult

1: a religion regarded as unorthodox or spurious (see SPURIOUS sense 2)also : its body of adherents the voodoo culta satanic cult
2a: great devotion to a person, idea, object, movement, or work (such as a film or book)criticizing how the media promotes the cult of celebrityespecially : such devotion regarded as a literary or intellectual fad
3: a system of religious beliefs and ritualalso : its body of adherents
the object of such devotion
c: a usually small group of people characterized by such devotionthe singer's cult of fansThe film has a cult following.
3: a system of religious beliefs and ritualalso : its body of adherents the cult of Apollo
4: formal religious veneration : WORSHIP
5: a system for the cure of disease based on dogma set forth by its promulgator
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Definition of CULT
 
#211
#211
hog88 said:
Definition of CULT
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As I clearly stated in post #203 of this thread .... a cult can involve a devotion to an ideology, if the cult leader has dictated such. However, a cult must have a leader (who originated the group), and it is this charismatic leader who the cult revolves around; not the leader's ideology which is subject to change - as Jim Jones's did.

The cult leader comes first (obviously, because he originated the group). The cult leader makes the rules. The cult followers revolve around this leader.

@Orangeburst ,

Who is worse here? Me for replying to posts I feel are only half-true .... or the people who can't stop replying to me? You seem to be reserving your snarky comments only for me?

* You will say that I'm worse... of course.
 
#212
#212
BowlBrother85 said:
As I clearly stated in post #203 of this thread .... a cult can involve a devotion to an ideology, if the cult leader has dictated such. However, a cult must have a leader (who originated the group), and it is this charismatic leader who the cult revolves around; not the leader's ideology which is subject to change - as Jim Jones's did.

The cult leader comes first (obviously, because he originated the group). The cult leader makes the rules. The cult followers revolve around this leader.

@Orangeburst ,

Who is worse here? Me for replying to posts I feel are only half-true .... or the people who can't stop replying to me? You seem to be reserving your snarky comments only for me?

* You will say that I'm worse... of course.
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Can a cult have more than 1 leader?

The definition clearly states it is also devotion to an ideology.
 
#214
#214
DonjoVol said:
Can a cult have more than 1 leader?

The definition clearly states it is also devotion to an ideology.
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As I continue to explain, it can (and often does) involve a devotion to an ideology when the cult leader has dictated such. It is the cult leader who makes the rules. This charismatic leader will often demand that his followers believe a certain ideology, but it's not the ideology that the cult followers revolve around - it's the charismatic leader. The ideology will frequently change. The leader, and his needs and desires are always served before anything else.
 
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#215
#215
DonjoVol said:
Can a cult have more than 1 leader?

The definition clearly states it is also devotion to an ideology.
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Depending on the size of the cult, there can be a hierarchy. In some cases, the leadership will change, especially true when the cult has persisted over time, and leaders start to die.

The Church of Scientology is an example of this. It began with a spiritual, self-help manual called "Dianetics" by L. Ron Hubbard, published in 1950, which actually had some pretty good ideas regarding the relationship between mind and body. It wasn't quackery at all. Hubbard developed a following, and over time his ideology devolved into wing-nuttery... however, his following only continued to increase, and that is because his ideology wasn't what drew followers to his group. It was his own allure that drew members towards some pretty radical ideas (see Xenu). Hubbard died in 1986, and was replaced by an even more charismatic, but even bigger loon, named David Miscavige. Under Miscavige's leadership (and even to a lesser extent Tom Cruise), Scientology is now the perfect example of a cult.

For someone to say that a cult doesn't need a leader is just plain dumb.
 
#218
#218
Orangeslice13 said:
I don’t think he can read and comprehend that
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No, actually, he can... and he has repeatedly explained that a cult can involve a devotion to ideology - if that is what the cult leader mandates. However, the cult following still revolves around this charismatic cult leader; not the leader's ideas, which will often change. Basically, the cult not only must have a leader, this leader's needs must come first, because he originated the group, and he makes the rules.

See post # 203 of this thread, and my link to The Tennessean.

* The snark is always reserved for me... never for the people who reply to me, that clearly haven't read my posts or the links I have provided.
 
#219
#219
Orangeslice13 said:
This has without a doubt been the best meltdown I’ve ever seen.
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.... and you are hands down the most ignorantly stubborn poster on here. You can't produce a definition of a cult which says that a leader isn't necessary. I have produced a link to The Tennessean which specifically spells out the fact that a cult starts up with a charismatic leader who makes the rules.
 
#221
#221
Orangeslice13 said:
It is.
I referenced a PSY text book a while back and posted a cult that has no known original leader and is purely based on ideology.

Fun stuff
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.... but there is nothing wrong with this clown is there? The one who must reply to my every single post? Always speaking in circles and repeating things which have already been explained multiple times?
 
#224
#224
Orangeslice13 said:
It is.
I referenced a PSY text book a while back and posted a cult that has no known original leader and is purely based on ideology.

Fun stuff
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You haven't posted jack $hit which says a cult doesn't need a leader. You have posted ignorant claims, half-truths and outright lies. There is not a bigger clod on this forum, and that is no small statement. You have zero sense of self-awareness about you.

You were probably first in your high school's special education department, but you think that made you Valedictorian.
 
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