The Spiritualist Movement and the Need for a Redefinition of Cult

Abstract

The need for a refined concept of cult emerged as the result of an attempt to analyse the Spiritualist movement in terms of the church-sect typology. Previous definitions of cult also appear inadequate when applied to the analysis of Spiritualism. This paper argues the need for a refined concept of cult, and proposes a definition of cult in terms of one basic criterion-that cults are religious movements which make a fundamental break with the religious tradition of the culture-and two subordinate criteria-that cults are composed of individuals who have had or seek mystical, psychic, or ecstatic experiences, and that they are concerned with the problems of individuals. It also proposes a typology of cults, and an explanation of the origin and development of cults in terms of a continuum from cult to new religion.

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