Cult: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

{{quote|'''Roseanne''': ''Edelweiss Corrections School''? What's that, some kind of brainwashing camp?

 

Beware. The word "cult" is very loaded, carrying severe negative connotations. Its value-neutral dictionary definition is just "a new religion." New religions, almost by definition, have questionable legitimacy (they're untested, after all), and aren't very well-established. Added to that, you have the disadvantage of the related prophet or messiah having been alive in living memory, or worse yet, still alive and wandering around potentially saying/doing embarrassing things this very moment. Of course, members of new real-world religions tend to respond badly to anyone calling it a cult. Like, say, Moonies or Scientologists. This is simply an example of words being misused in a political context, like 'Liberal' or 'Fascist.'

Former Cult members are given to coming up with [[Religion Rant Song]]s once disaffected.

 

 

{{examples}}

* The Doma Organization in ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh!]]'' is half corporation, half cult, in that its corporate side is merely a front and financial supplier to its members' worship of [[The End of the World as We Know It|the destruction of (to their eyes) a world filled with irredeemable evil]].

* Similarly, the Hikari no Kessha ("Society of Light") in ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh! GX]]'' has corporate backing, but are just in it to destroy a world full of sinners. In both, the penultimate figure their beliefs are based on is [[Eldritch Abomination|an ancient, corrupting, semi-sentient influence from beyond the stars]]. Both Doma and the Society recruit their members by [[More Than Mind Control]].

** There is also a New Doctor Who book which features a cult based around a horrible picture of a clown. The whole book is, essentially, a very paranoid and more than slightly creepy rant about religion (but specifically Christianity). The book's entire message is, literally, "Be very very afraid of [[You Fail Religious Studies Forever|what I imagine religion to be]]".

 

* On ''[[Stargate SG-1]]'': the Go'auld Seth, after spending a long time as a disembodied symbiote in a canopic jar, takes a new host and tries to found a new religion to worship him as in days of old. It takes the shape of a typical TV cult, complete with police stand-off.

* ''[[Law & Order|Law and Order]]'', during an investigation of a bombing, turned up a cult in the middle of Manhattan worshiping a con-man as a new messiah. He was a semi-delusional fraud; as he was convicted, he used thumbtacks to give himself stigmata. His entire "flock" killed themselves hours later.

* "The Ugly Ducklings" are the focus in two episodes on ''Kamen Rider Fourze'' lead by a ballerina who worships a Zodiarts known as Cygnus and where other students do good deeds which is valued on a point system. {{spoiler|One of those members actually ''is'' Zodiarts and the cult--being stupid--forces him to transform into Cygnus. They disband after that.}}

* In the ''[[Starsky and Hutch]]'' episode "Bloodbath", Starsky is abducted by the followers of the memorably creepy Simon Marcus.

 

== Newspaper Comics ==

* Back during the [[Attitude Era]], the WWF had [[The Undertaker]]'s [[Ministry of Darkness]] where Taker would go kidnap C-level guys on the roster and "convert" them into his followers with new names. There was also to a lesser degree [[Vampire|The Brood]], who were briefly part of the Ministry themselves.

* The Order of the Neo Solar Temple in [[CHIKARA]]. Led by UltraMantis Black, They've been known for brainwashing and converting enemies. The crowd usually bows to them when they enter, even.

 

== Tabletop Games ==

** The 3rd Edition version of the ''Deities & Demigods'' [[Sourcebook]], which contained guidelines for designing religions and godly pantheons, described the dwarven earth goddess Dennari, whose followers were described as a benign [[Mystery Cult]].

* A few pop up in the Freedom City setting for ''[[Mutants and Masterminds]]'', mainly dedicated to [[Hollywood Voodoo|Baron Samedi]] and [[Eldritch Abomination|the Unspeakable One]].

 

== Video Games ==

'''Marzipan''': Oh, pretty standard. }}

* Rarity in ''[[Friendship Is Witchcraft]]'' belongs to one that worships the [[Eldritch Abomination]] [[Blob Monster|Smooze]]. Fluttershy is the [[Incredibly Lame Pun|colt]] leader.

 

== Western Animation ==