10-31-12
SOC 110 AF
SWA 2

“Losing My New Religion”:

Rachel was just a 17-year-old girl who had fallen in love with Wayne, a 24-year-old member of the Children of God cult, now formally known as the Family International. Taking six months off work to educate herself about how a cult works, Rachel’s mother fought to prevent Rachel from joining the Family International. Her efforts paid off when Rachel started having second thoughts and started questioning the ways of the cult. Realizing the idea that she would have to live communally with other members of her husband’s cult, Rachel began to get cold feet. She was upset knowing that she would have to join the Family in order for them to have a sexual relationship together. Eventually Rachel decided to not be involved with the cult. It is obviously clear on why Rachel had thought about joining the cult. She was young and thought that she had really fallen in love. In the religious economic theory, a cult is defined as ‘a religious movement that represents faiths that are new and unconventional to society’. Even though their doctrines are viewed as unconventional and immoral by the media, the Family International still firmly believes in abandoning all responsibilities and cutting all ties with family and friends, and handing over or “donating” their entire possessions to the group. The cult also used sex to win support, recruit members, and meet influential friends at socially public places such as bars. Its former leader, David Berg, encouraged sex between adults and children as the highest expression of God’s love. Thus, the importance of social networks does have a significant affect when it comes to Rachel’s story. Rachel’s involvement with the cult was due to the fact that her ‘social network’ was revolved around Wayne, who is a member of the cult.
Before meeting Wayne, Rachel’s bonds with