This article is an electronic version of an article originally published in Cultic Studies Journal, 1986, Volume 3, Number 2, pages 157-172. Please keep in mind that the pagination of this electronic reprint differs from that of the bound volume. This fact could affect how you enter bibliographic information in papers that you may write.

Cultism and American Culture

Michael D. Langone, Ph.D.

Abstract

This essay contends that American culture rests upon six fundamental values: 1) life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; 2) freedom; 3) connectedness; 4) common sense; 5) tolerance; and 6) fair play. Cults, because of their subjective/magical philosophical foundations, come into conflict with the wider culture and tend to reject or dishonor these values, thereby generating considerable outrage. This situation poses a challenge to an open culture: How does it protect itself against the transformative influence of cults without becoming unduly repressive? The author concludes that successfully meeting this challenge will necessitate a cultural revitalization which recognizes the need to conserve as well as to change.
 

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