ABSTRACT
Media sensationalizing stories of so-called 'brainwashing', financial extortion, and abduction of members add to this rather disparaging picture. While there are certainly cults that may display at least some of these characteristics, they are relatively few. The whole area of cults therefore deserves clarification and a broader assessment. Some sociologists would argue that it is really a matter of scale and that when cults grow beyond a certain size of membership and organization it is legitimate to refer to them as a 'movement'. Campbell argues that in many respects the eastern paradigm is more congruous with some aspects of current Western societies particularly the expanding interest in environmentalism and holism, popular beliefs related to reincarnation, human potential, as well as the growth of what he calls 'life-affirming' cults. The emphasis on abuse by unconventional cultist groups tends to distract attention from the fact that cults can develop within established Christian churches and prove no less harmful.
